Come April 2016, Mr. Ademilola
Odujinmi, a pilot, will put Nigeria on
the global map as he would be
embarking on a solo round-the-world
flight starting from Lagos and ending
in Lagos,Daily Trust on Sunday has
gathered.
There are 114 people all over the
world that have embarked on solo
round-the- world flights and
completed them successfully since
1933.
Capt. Lola, as he is fondly called, is
now set to be the 115th pilot to
embark on the adventurous trip using
a Cyrrus SR22 aircraft with registration
number N313CD.
The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four
or five seat composite aircraft built in
2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth,
Minnesota, USA. The aircraft, which is
described as the world’s best-selling
single-engine, four-seat plane since
2004, will arrive Nigeria in April for the
trip.
It is equipped with a whole-plane
emergency recovery parachute system
- the Cirrus Airframe Parachute
System (CAPS) - which is said to have
contributed to its market success and
given it the alias ‘the plane with the
parachute’.
The solo flight is being sponsored by
Transcend (One Man! One Plane! One
World!), a project driven by the
relentless motivation, determination
and fearlessness of a group of private
sector professionals whose passion is
fueled by vision and ambition.
At the unveiling of the project held at
the Murtala Muhammed Airport
(MMA) 2 in Lagos, the pilot was
cheerful and enthusiastic as he spoke
on his preparedness to embark on
the trip.
Flanked by the Project Coordinator of
Transcend, Mr. Ladi Ani-Mumuney,
Project Manager, Ireti Bakare Yusuf
and Engr. Olusegun Odujinmi (Lola’s
father), the pilot said the solo flight
was a dream he had worked very hard
to see come true, adding, “No African
has done it before. It is a big
achievement.”
Lola has had an adventurous
expedition in the past. In 2010, he
cycled some 3200km from Morocco
(Africa) to London (England) in 17
days. Lola’s interest in flying started
from a very young age. As a seven-
year-old, he would accompany his
uncle who was a commercial pilot on
his many trips. This experience grew
into a desire by a young Lola to fly
around the world. In 1999, he
obtained his Private Pilot License
(PPL).
A graduate of Aerospace Engineering
from the University of London, Lola
has worked as Senior Finance Analyst
for British Gas and the BBC as an
accounts assistant. But he never gave
up on his sky-high dream. In 2010, he
qualified as a commercial pilot and
went on to fly professionally as an
airline pilot both on long and short
flights and has clocked up to 4000
flying hours. He also worked for Arik
Air for five years before returning to
the US.
Now he is about to take his flying
experience to another level with the
impending solo round-the-world
flight which would start from Africa,
precisely Murtala Muhammed
International Airport, Lagos and also
end in Africa, landing in the same
airport in Nigeria.
He said the journey’s route starts
from Lagos, Nigeria, in an easterly
direction through Central Africa into
Ethiopia. It then continues in that
direction through the United Arab
Emirates, India and the Asian
subcontinent into Australia, then
island hopping before undertaking
the longest sector between Hawaii
and California.
Lola said the journey then continues
across the USA into Canada and
onwards to the UK through Iceland
and finally downwards into Africa,
returning to Lagos via Algeria and
Niger Republic. The aircraft has also
been equipped with on board
cameras to provide live feed for the
entire journey thus thousands of
people will be able to view and share
in Lola’s experience as he takes Africa
beyond all borders.
He told our correspondent that the
aircraft has been refitted and
upgraded to fly 171/2 (seventeen and
half) hours with special configuration
before refuelling from its original four-
hour flight time, adding that the plane
had also passed through all the
checks and approvals and the
countries he would be visiting were
already aware of his coming.
On his desire to embark on the trip,
Capt. Lola said he was inspired to
encourage the youths, change the
narrative of Nigeria and Africa and
ultimately epitomise the potentials of
the country.
He said: “I am very keen about the
development of the aviation sector in
Nigeria, I want to leave my mark in the
sector and make people feel inspired.
We have only had 114 successful solo
flights around the world and not one
in Africa. But we want to change the
narrative.
“This has never been done anywhere
in Africa, not even in Ethiopia or South
Africa. It is definitely going to be a big
achievement. This is a dream I have
had for a very long time, we have
worked very hard for it to make sure it
becomes a reality,” he said.
Lola, an indigene of Ogun State and
father of two, said his family was fully
in support of his adventures, adding,
“I’ve got a very supportive wife”.
The Project Coordinator of Transcend,
Mr. Ani-Mumuney, said the
organisation decided to sponsor the
expedition to showcase the potentials
of Nigeria and Africa. “We want to tell
the world that this is a dynamic
continent with the ability to make a
change”
He said: “This is the first solo flight
around the world by an African,
originating from the African continent
and ending in Africa. We have decided
to support the pilot to inspire other
African and Nigerian youths. Lola had
the dream since he was a baby”.
Ani-Mumuney said Transcend would
use the platform of the African first
solo round the world flight to support
charities and the internally displaced
persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.

www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/nigerian-plans-first-african-solo-round-the-world-flight/138606.html

Mynd44, Seun.
It is this post which I titled "Yorubaman doing 'the first' thing again", that your antispam bot banned me for in Politics section! I think it is an error and I demand you unbann me and unlock the thread!

Nice one