James Ketchell, the British adventurer, has successfully completed his amazing tour around the globe, writing history as he became the first person to circumnavigate the globe in an open-cockpit gyrocopter in one trail. Ketchell returned safely on Sunday afternoon on the 22nd of September, landing at an airfield in Popham, in the United Kingdom. DHL, as the leading international express service provider and located in 220 countries and territories, stood by the British pilot to support him and solve all challenges with its aviation and logistics expertise.
“It’s been an exhilarating challenge but the toughest I’ve ever embarked on, James Ketchell, 37, said: “Even harder than rowing the Atlantic, more frightening than climbing Everest, and as much stamina and resilience needed for cycling around the world. But this has always been about trying to inspire young people and raise funds for two children’s charities. If you set your mind on something, you can do it, you can realize your dreams.”
Throughout his trip, Ketchell has been visiting schools with the aim of inspiring children to follow their dreams, something Ketchell is passionate about having become the first person to have achieved the triple feats of rowing across the Atlantic, climbing Everest and circumnavigating the globe on a bicycle. The 37,000-kilometre trip also saw Ketchell raise money for two charities, Over The Wall and Kindled Spirit.
John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express, said: “We are very proud of having supported James to overcome this remarkable and worldwide unique challenge. At DHL, we all are sharing his inspiring attitudes, as our three founders Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn, whose pioneering spirit 50 years ago created what is now the world’s most international company, DHL. We are delighted that our worldwide unique aviation and logistics expertise has helped make it possible for James to fly into the record books.”
The successful trip in the gyrocopter now means every type of aircraft in existence has completed a global circumnavigation.
DHL have leveraged their international network throughout Ketchell’s expedition, shipping personal items from Siberia to the UK, as well as a life raft from the UK to the US. The trip also saw Ketchell and DHL work collaboratively to overcome a few technical issues, where DHL was able to help with technical equipment and know-how at local DHL hubs.
The historic circumnavigation was achieved using a MAGNI M16C open cockpit tandem gyrocopter. The gyrocopter travels at just 70 knots and has a range of just 700 nautical miles.
The World route at a glance:
England, France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Alaska, Canada, USA, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Orkney Islands, Scotland, Northern Ireland, England.
