FORM FOR CONFIRMATION OF ROUND THE WORLD FLIGHTS
Pilot(s) name(s)
First name: Byron
Surname: Waller
Nationality: Australia
Other people who may have flown part of the journey:
First name: Paul
Surname: Denness
Leg(s) flown: Australia to Abu Dhabi
First name: Andrew
Surname: Johnson
Leg(s) flown: Heraklion to Los Angeles
First name: Stuart
Surname: Calling
Leg(s) flown: Abu Dhabi to Heraklion, Los Angeles to Australia
Nation: Australia
Class of Aircraft: (single, twin, homebuilt, helicopter, ultra light, balloon.) Single, NTAC, a kit aircraft assembled in a factory
Brand: (i.e.: Beechcraft): Sling Aircraft
Model: (i.e.: Bonanza): Sling
Type: (i.e. A35): TSI
Name of aircraft if any (ie. Spirit of the Wind, or whatever):
Registration: VH-ZMD
Route (Eastbound, Westbound, via the Poles): Westbound
How did you cross the Atlantic Ocean (North, Centre, South)? North
How did you cross the Pacific Ocean (North, Centre, South)? Centre
Date of departure: August 09, 2025
Point of departure: Brisbane International Airport
Date of return to point of departure: October 15, 2025
Point of return: Brisbane International Airport
Duration: (days): 67
Duration: (flying hours):
Distance flown: 24 537 NM
Itinerary: See attached route itinerary: YBBN - YROM - YBAS - YPPD - YPXM - WSSL - VCCC - VAAH - OMAD - OEHL - HEGN - LGIR - LICJ - LIEA - LFMP - LFPT - EGKA - GB-0261 (Top Farm) - EGPK - EGPC - EKVG - BIRK - BGKK - BGBW - CYYR - CYBC - CYQB - KIAG - KJXN - KSUS - KMAF - KELP - KGCN - KTOA - KCVH - PHKO - NSTU - NFFN - NWWW - YBBN
How many overnight stops did you make? : 30
How many any additional refuelling stops, if any? : 5
How many countries did you visit (count only where overnighted)? : 17
Means of communication used: HF Radio, sat telephone, e-mail by HF radio, other? : HF Radio, Starlink, Garmin Inreach Messenger, VHF
Did you use any satellite tracking system? Which one ? Garmin Inreach Messenger
Flight clearances: did you obtain them all, or part of them, yourself? : No
If not, which company did you use?: White Rose Aviation (ops@whiteroseaviation.co.uk) Flight Permits (michelle@flightpermits.co.za)
Which insurance company did you use? : Agile Underwriting
Which was the easiest country or region that you flew through? : USA
Which was the most difficult? : Middle East
Which was the best airport you landed at? : Grand Canyon National Park Airport
Which was the worst? : Hail, Saudi Arabia due to being held for 6 hours on the runway waiting for clearances. They also charged us $6,000 for an unscheduled stop.
Have you applied for the FAI Circumnavigator Badge/Are you thinking of doing so? : No, however, I am thinking of doing it.
Have you set or broken any records during your RTW? : I am the youngest person to have completed a rtw circumnavigation at the age of 16 years and 2 days old upon completion.
Did you create a Website about your flight? If so, what is the URL? Yes, https://www.teenpilotdownunder.com/
General remarks about your flight:
The flight timing is crucial for crossing South-East Asia before the monsson season, then the North Sea before Winter storms arrive. This is one of the reasons we chose the Westbound route. We had 15kt headwinds crossing the Bay of Bengal and some weather delays crossing the North Sea but otherwise generally experienced good weather. The longest ocean crossing was from Hawaii to American Samoa over 2,200 nm and 17.5 hours non-stop.
Advice to other pilots:
Plan ahead, use a flight permit company such as Mike from White Rose Aviation and Michelle at Flight Permits to assist with complex applications. Get your USA visa application in at least 6 months before you leave. Starlink was a game changer for keeping in touch with the outside world (some countries do not have coverage yet). Flying an experimental aircraft can cause some issues with airspace approvals for France and UK, there are some additional waiver forms you need to apply for. Avoid additional out-of-hours airport fees in Greenland by arriving or departing Monday to Friday. Allow additional time for weather delays. Narsarsuaq airport is closing down permanently after the Winter season. Alternative Northern routes will need to be found for future RTWs. There is no Avgas in Kirribati at the moment. You have to pre-order Avgas in India at least 2 weeks in advance and it is sold by the barrel regardless of how much you use. You need to have aircraft disinfection spray in the cockpit before landing in Australian and Fijian territory. The current insecticide is Callington 'Top of Descent' spray.
Please indicate here if you agree that we may use the information contained here on the Earthrounders website: Yes I agree
Database Flight Number: 711
First name: Byron
Surname: Waller
Nationality: Australia
Other people who may have flown part of the journey:
First name: Paul
Surname: Denness
Leg(s) flown: Australia to Abu Dhabi
First name: Andrew
Surname: Johnson
Leg(s) flown: Heraklion to Los Angeles
First name: Stuart
Surname: Calling
Leg(s) flown: Abu Dhabi to Heraklion, Los Angeles to Australia
Nation: Australia
Class of Aircraft: (single, twin, homebuilt, helicopter, ultra light, balloon.) Single, NTAC, a kit aircraft assembled in a factory
Brand: (i.e.: Beechcraft): Sling Aircraft
Model: (i.e.: Bonanza): Sling
Type: (i.e. A35): TSI
Name of aircraft if any (ie. Spirit of the Wind, or whatever):
Registration: VH-ZMD
Route (Eastbound, Westbound, via the Poles): Westbound
How did you cross the Atlantic Ocean (North, Centre, South)? North
How did you cross the Pacific Ocean (North, Centre, South)? Centre
Date of departure: August 09, 2025
Point of departure: Brisbane International Airport
Date of return to point of departure: October 15, 2025
Point of return: Brisbane International Airport
Duration: (days): 67
Duration: (flying hours):
Distance flown: 24 537 NM
Itinerary: See attached route itinerary: YBBN - YROM - YBAS - YPPD - YPXM - WSSL - VCCC - VAAH - OMAD - OEHL - HEGN - LGIR - LICJ - LIEA - LFMP - LFPT - EGKA - GB-0261 (Top Farm) - EGPK - EGPC - EKVG - BIRK - BGKK - BGBW - CYYR - CYBC - CYQB - KIAG - KJXN - KSUS - KMAF - KELP - KGCN - KTOA - KCVH - PHKO - NSTU - NFFN - NWWW - YBBN
How many overnight stops did you make? : 30
How many any additional refuelling stops, if any? : 5
How many countries did you visit (count only where overnighted)? : 17
Means of communication used: HF Radio, sat telephone, e-mail by HF radio, other? : HF Radio, Starlink, Garmin Inreach Messenger, VHF
Did you use any satellite tracking system? Which one ? Garmin Inreach Messenger
Flight clearances: did you obtain them all, or part of them, yourself? : No
If not, which company did you use?: White Rose Aviation (ops@whiteroseaviation.co.uk) Flight Permits (michelle@flightpermits.co.za)
Which insurance company did you use? : Agile Underwriting
Which was the easiest country or region that you flew through? : USA
Which was the most difficult? : Middle East
Which was the best airport you landed at? : Grand Canyon National Park Airport
Which was the worst? : Hail, Saudi Arabia due to being held for 6 hours on the runway waiting for clearances. They also charged us $6,000 for an unscheduled stop.
Have you applied for the FAI Circumnavigator Badge/Are you thinking of doing so? : No, however, I am thinking of doing it.
Have you set or broken any records during your RTW? : I am the youngest person to have completed a rtw circumnavigation at the age of 16 years and 2 days old upon completion.
Did you create a Website about your flight? If so, what is the URL? Yes, https://www.teenpilotdownunder.com/
General remarks about your flight:
The flight timing is crucial for crossing South-East Asia before the monsson season, then the North Sea before Winter storms arrive. This is one of the reasons we chose the Westbound route. We had 15kt headwinds crossing the Bay of Bengal and some weather delays crossing the North Sea but otherwise generally experienced good weather. The longest ocean crossing was from Hawaii to American Samoa over 2,200 nm and 17.5 hours non-stop.
Advice to other pilots:
Plan ahead, use a flight permit company such as Mike from White Rose Aviation and Michelle at Flight Permits to assist with complex applications. Get your USA visa application in at least 6 months before you leave. Starlink was a game changer for keeping in touch with the outside world (some countries do not have coverage yet). Flying an experimental aircraft can cause some issues with airspace approvals for France and UK, there are some additional waiver forms you need to apply for. Avoid additional out-of-hours airport fees in Greenland by arriving or departing Monday to Friday. Allow additional time for weather delays. Narsarsuaq airport is closing down permanently after the Winter season. Alternative Northern routes will need to be found for future RTWs. There is no Avgas in Kirribati at the moment. You have to pre-order Avgas in India at least 2 weeks in advance and it is sold by the barrel regardless of how much you use. You need to have aircraft disinfection spray in the cockpit before landing in Australian and Fijian territory. The current insecticide is Callington 'Top of Descent' spray.
Please indicate here if you agree that we may use the information contained here on the Earthrounders website: Yes I agree
Database Flight Number: 711