…who flew round the world in a Piper. They landed in Limerick, and yelled, “Hey! We did it! And we raised a few bucks to fight cancer.” OK, they landed at Shannon Airport, not Limerick, but pilot Paul Ryan hails from there, and we couldn’t resist a rhyme in his honor. Last Thursday, Ryan, 33, and Alan MacMahon, 29, returned to Ireland in their Cherokee Six, well ahead of schedule, after 10 weeks of flying. The circumnavigation was the first by Irish pilots in a single-engine airplane, and raised money for the Marie Keating Foundation, which provides support for breast-cancer patients. “It was great to be back home again, but we both felt a little sad to know the flight was now over,” the pilots wrote in their online diary. The two braved a number of adventures — they had to extend one 14-hour-leg over water, after being denied permission to land in Saudi Arabia; the engine chose to run rough as they looked down upon miles of dense jungle over Burma; and on their final leg homeward they faced rough weather over the North Atlantic.
There Once Were Two Irish-Born Flyers….
Key Takeaways:
- Irish pilots Paul Ryan and Alan MacMahon completed a 10-week circumnavigation of the world in a single-engine Piper Cherokee Six.
- This achievement marked the first time Irish pilots had flown a single-engine plane around the globe, raising funds for the Marie Keating Foundation to support breast cancer patients.
- During their journey, they overcame significant challenges, including being denied landing in Saudi Arabia, experiencing engine trouble over Burma, and facing rough weather over the North Atlantic.
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