Gérard and Margi Moss look forward to hosting Earthrounders at the next meeting planned for 2010. We hope that the few who have included South America on their circumnavigations in the past will be tempted to return, and that the many who have not been this way will be tempted to explore

2010 will be the 50th anniversary (on 21st April) of the inauguration of Brazil's new futuristic capital in Brasilia. The inspiration for the original shape of the layout of the city, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, was an aeroplane no less, so of all the cities in Brazil, Brasilia is an appropriate location for our gathering. What better time to visit the city than in the course of a celebration year?

Brasilia, located almost in the centre of Brazil, makes a perfect spring-board for those wishing to visit tourist destinations like the Amazon, the Pantanal, any of the numerous attractive beach destinations along its 8.000 km coastline or the magnetic city of Rio de Janeiro. (In case you are wondering, Carnival 2010 falls in mid-February, so unless you plan to make a major holiday of your trip to Brazil, you will miss it.) A whole range of travel opportunities arise, enabling participating Earthrounders to visit other Brazilian destinations before or after the reunion. A whole range of travel opportunities arise enabling participating Earthrounders to visit other Brazilian destinations before or after the reunion.

The programme of events has already been drawn up, but modifications may occur as new opportunities or invitations arise. The year we are including a few outdoor activities, participation will be optional. The hotel itself (Royal Tulip Brasilia Alvorada - www.royaltulipbrasiliaalvorada.com) has a lovely pool and leisure area for those who would like to relax. The sequence of events might be altered to suit best weather conditions, as applicable.

The uncertainty that still haunts the world economy makes it difficult to assess costs, currently quoted to us in Brazilian reais, a currency which is very strong against the dollar, making Brazil seem expensive for visitors. If the dollar creeps up (it is currently worth 1.7 reais, almost half what it was a few years ago), costs will drop proportionately. So the final group costs will only be known in dollars nearer the time. We are doing all we can to keep these to a minimum.

The objective of these meetings is to foster friendship and collaboration between like-minded souls who have in common the unusual experience of having flown a light aircraft around the world. In addition to "play", we will hold one full-morning round-table to discuss aviation issues particularly linked to long-distance international flying, and have allocated two additional times for further meetings, should participants wish to extend these discussions. Those who would like to focus on any specific topic are requested to send an email with their suggestions.

The most important thing is to note the dates in your diaries and plan accordingly. For those who would like to fly themselves down to Brazil, please feel free to contact us at any time about any doubts you may have. If there are any takers, we will post some aeronautical information and guidelines on the site in due course.

In May, we will be heading into our "winter". Brasilia lies at an altitude of 1,000 metres, so it should be warm and sunny during the daytime and cool off in the evening. Life is generally quite informal in Brazil, so men will not need a tie, let alone a suit. For our adventure day outing, outdoor clothing that you don't mind getting dirty would be good! The hotel has a lovely pool, bring swimwear. It also has a tennis court, in case anyone is up for a game.

For self-fliers, the main airport at Brasilia is international - but no matter which direction you are coming from, you are more likely to have already cleared into the country at some other location. In that case, we recommend landing at Botelho, SIQE, a private airfield nearby. Please liaise with us if you are flying yourself here.

There are direct flights almost daily from Europe on TAP airlines from Lisbon. The good news is that by next year, Delta will also be operating directly into Brasilia from Atlanta either 3 or 4 times a week. In both these instances, you would avoid having to route through Rio or São Paulo, but these also continue to be an option, especially if you intend to be travelling to other destinations in Brazil, or South America, before or after the meeting.

Those who are keen to start on their background studies of Brasilia can find some good lowdown on these sites: