Press Releases
This section shows press releases and images when they are available to the public.
Update 04 August 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Download: PDF TXT
Brian Lloyd Pilots His Plane Round The World –
Flight Followed Historic Route on Earhart 80th Anniversary –
Spring Branch Texas, USA. August 4, 2017 – Brian Lloyd, solo-flying his single-engine aircraft Spirit, landed at Kestrel Air Park today, completing his circumnavigation of the globe. He was accompanied over the last few miles by an escort of pilots in eight planes flying in formation with him. On the ground, a reception and hangar party welcomed him home.
At the celebration, Brian Lloyd said, “How do I say, ‘thank you’ to everyone here and abroad who has helped me along the way on this epic journey? I couldn’t have done this solo flight without the time, effort, and good will of hundreds of people out there around the world.”
He began the round-the-world flight at that same spot on 31 May 2017, then flew to Miami on 1 June to commemorate exactly eighty years since the famous Amelia Earhart flight began. For two months, he followed the historic Earhart equatorial route, stopping at dozens of airports that were once grass and dirt airstrips where Earhart had landed. Some of those airstrips have grown up to become sprawling international airports, while others simply don’t exist anymore, or are in the midst of conflict zones.
Brian Lloyd completed the historic route on 30 July, by landing at Oakland, California, which was Earhart’s unfulfilled final destination. He retraced the steps of Amelia by visiting the historic building at Oakland airport where she had stayed during her original flights.
Brian Lloyd said, “I am driven by the spirit of historic flights. It is important to remember the aviation pioneers like Amelia Earhart, and their contributions to aviation. Their bold actions made today’s air travel possible for all of us.”
Lloyd’s route included an homage overflight of Howland Island, that tiny atoll in Pacific Ocean where the famous flight was mysteriously lost in 1937. He dropped two large pink tropical flowers over the site in memoriam for Earhart and Noonan.
When he reached Hawaii, Brian Lloyd said, “My respect for Amelia Earhart has risen a thousand times now that I have flown 28,000 miles in her shoes. Speeds are comparable, and I have had to deal with the same sort of weather that she did.”
Brian Lloyd is the first solo aviator to complete the historic Earhart equatorial route. Spirit has endured fierce winds, blasting sandstorms, and severe tropical weather along the equator. It has not been an easy flight, due to the long flight hours and complex logistics. On July 14th, Spirit’s engine failed momentarily at 21,000 feet over the Pacific ocean, forcing Brian Lloyd to land in New Zealand for repairs.
Everywhere he went, he invited ground crew and friends to sign the airplane with a marker pen. It became a mission of outreach and goodwill. The plane’s fuselage and wings are now covered in signatures that bear witness to the huge network of support that it takes to fly around the world. At the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison Kansas, Lloyd was awarded the medal from the Ninety-Nines, the famous international organization of women pilots founded in 1929, of which Amelia Earhart was its first president.
Several world records were set by Brian Lloyd and Spirit on this flight: First solo flight of the Historic Earhart Equatorial Route and first male pilot to fly the Historic Earhart Equatorial Route in a propeller aircraft.
Upon landing in Texas, Brian Lloyd commented, “Hopefully I can motivate kids to go out and try new things. Here I am at sixty-three, in a single engine aircraft, flying around the world. You can go out and do something amazing, too.”
Brian Lloyd’s aircraft, a Mooney M20K 231 with tail number N916BL, is outfitted with 200 gallons of fuel capacity and modern satellite avionics gear, giving it a 3000 mile range. But, like the Earhart’s famous Lockheed Electra plane, there is a High Frequency (HF) radio in Spirit. Brian Lloyd used the HF radio to communicate with hundreds of ham radio operators all over the world while he was in flight, using the callsign “WB6RQN Aeronautical Mobile”.
About: Brian Lloyd, 63, is a pilot, flight instructor, engineer, educator, and radio operator. He lives near San Antonio, Texas, USA. The commemorative flights like Project Amelia Earhart, are co-sponsored by The Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum, a non-profit in Texas, and many other individuals who contribute to support the flights through donations.
Project Amelia Earhart website: http://projectameliaearhart.org
Press Kit: http://projectameliaearhart.org/press
Press Contact: Amy Hartmel, Media Coordinator.
Email: press@projectameliaearhart.org
ENDS
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Brian Lloyd at Oakland Airport with Spirit on 31 JULY 2017 photo ©2017 Bonnie Crystal CC-BY 2.0 (click to download high resolution)
Update 24 July 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Download: PDF TXT
Earhart Eighty Year Commemorative Flight Over Howland Island
Pilot Brian Lloyd Traces Historic Round The World Earhart Route
Howland Island, Pacific Ocean. July 24, 2017 – Pilot Brian Lloyd is flying over Howland Island today on his round-the-world effort to retrace the famous Amelia Earhart route from 1937. It has been eighty years since Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan tried unsuccessfully to land on this tiny atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In a tribute to the bygone flyers, Lloyd drops two large flowers out of his window. He is piloting a small single-engine Mooney propeller driven aircraft, named Spirit.
Brian Lloyd said, “My respect for Amelia Earhart has risen a thousand percent now that I have flown 20,000 miles in her shoes. I am talking about flying the plane and dealing with the issues that come up as part of the flight. She was sole pilot in her plane as I am with mine. Speeds are comparable and I have had to deal with the same weather she did.”
Since starting out on June 1st, the flight has traversed dozens of countries while circumnavigating the globe at the equator. Brian Lloyd is the first solo aviator to attempt the Earhart route, stopping at the same airstrips where the original flight landed, some of which are now huge international airports. Spirit has endured fierce winds, blasting sandstorms, and severe tropical weather along the equator. It has not been an easy flight, due to the long flight hours and complex logistics. On July 14th, Spirit’s engine failed at 21,000 feet over the ocean, forcing it to land for repairs.
Brian Lloyd said, “My engine quit out over the Pacific, north of Great Barrier Island. At first, I thought I was going swimming, but within a few minutes thought I might have to do a forced landing on the island. I was able to restart the engine, and I got it running well enough to make it back to Hamilton, New Zealand.”
Today’s flight continues onward over the ocean to complete the route Earhart and Noonan would have made, if only they had found their landing strip on Howland Island in July 1937 as planned. Brian Lloyd will stop in Hawaii and Oakland, California, then land at the Amelia Earhart Museum in Atchison, Kansas. From there, he will fly to his home airfield in Texas, to fulfill this epic journey around the world.
Brian Lloyd said, “I am driven by the spirit of historic flights. It is important to remember the aviation pioneers like Amelia Earhart, and their contributions to aviation. Their bold actions made today’s air travel possible for all of us.”
Brian Lloyd’s aircraft, a Mooney M20K 231 with tail number N916BL, is outfitted with expanded fuel capacity and modern satellite avionics gear, giving it a 3000 mile range. But, like the Earhart’s famous Lockheed Electra plane, there is a High Frequency (HF) radio in Spirit. Brian Lloyd uses the HF radio to communicate with hundreds of ham radio operators all over the world while he is in flight, using the callsign “WB6RQN Aeronautical Mobile”.
About
About: Brian Lloyd, 63, is a pilot, flight instructor, engineer, educator, and radio operator. He lives near San Antonio, Texas, USA. The commemorative flights like Project Amelia Earhart, are co-sponsored by The Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum, a non-profit in Texas, and many other individuals who contribute to support the flights through donations.
Project Amelia Earhart website: http://projectameliaearhart.org
Press Kit: http://projectameliaearhart.org/press
Press Contact: Amy Hartmel, Media Coordinator.
Email: press@projectameliaearhart.org
ENDS
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Download Press Release:
Brian Lloyd flight path map over Howland Island and International Date Line 24 July 2017 ©2017 B. Crystal CC-BY 2.0
Date: 1 June 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Download TXT PDF
Pilot Embarks on Earhart 80th Anniversary Flight
Brian Lloyd Solo Flight Follows Historic Amelia Earhart Route
Miami, Florida, USA, June 1, 2017 – As pilot Brian Lloyd propels his single-engine plane named “Spirit” into the sky on a solo round-the-world adventure, he commemorates Amelia Earhart’s famous flight eighty years ago on this date in 1937. The two month flight will follow Earhart’s historic route to circumnavigate the world at the equator, which starts in Miami, skirts South America, crosses the Atlantic, then Africa, and onward around the world.
Prior to departure from his home airstrip in Texas, Brian Lloyd said, “I am driven by the spirit of historic flights. It is important to remember the aviation pioneers like Amelia Earhart, and their contributions to aviation. Their bold actions made today’s air travel possible for all of us.”
“My father taught me to fly when I was 14 years old. Aviation is in my family, both of my sons are pilots.” Mr. Lloyd said.
He is actively communicating while in the air. The public can track his flight on the web, social media, as well as Ham radio.
“I’ve been a ham radio operator since 1976 and enjoy radio communications very much. The flight route has some very long legs, so I will have plenty of opportunities to talk with ham operators while flying over the world’s oceans,” Brian said.
Commercial airliners fly long distances every day, but non-stop ocean flights are quite difficult for small propeller planes, which have limited range. To make it possible, Brian Lloyd modified his 1979 Mooney airplane to carry 150 gallons more fuel, then equipped it with modern navigation equipment, long range radio, and satellite communications. Still, the flight is not without risk, and special safety gear must be taken along. The public can track his flight on the web, social media, as well as Ham radio.
About: Brian Lloyd, 62, is a pilot, flight instructor, engineer, educator, and radio operator. He lives near San Antonio, Texas, USA. The commemorative flights are co-sponsored by The Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum, a non-profit in Texas, and many other individuals who contribute to supporting the flights through donations.
Project Amelia Earhart website: http://projectameliaearhart.org
Press Kit: http://projectameliaearhart.org/press
Press Contact: Amy Hartmel, Media Coordinator. 
ENDS
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Update 31 May 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Download: TXT – PDF
Ham Radio Aviator Departs for Round The World Flight
Brian Lloyd WB6RQN Flight Commemorates 80 Years Since Earhart
Miami, Florida, USA, June 1, 2017 – As pilot Brian Lloyd propels his single-engine plane named “Spirit” into the sky on a solo round-the-world adventure, he commemorates Amelia Earhart’s famous flight eighty years ago on this date in 1937. He is communicating live via radio with Ham operators while flying. The two month flight will follow Earhart’s historic route to circumnavigate the world at the equator, which starts in Miami, skirts the chain of Caribbean islands, then along the coast of South America, crosses the Atlantic eastward, and then onward around the world.
Prior to departure from his home airstrip in Texas, Brian Lloyd said, “I am driven by the spirit of historic flights. It is important to remember the aviation pioneers like Amelia Earhart, and their contributions to aviation. Their bold actions made today’s air travel possible for all of us.”
While he is in the air, using the call sign WB6RQN, Brian encourages Ham radio operators to contact him on the following frequencies: 14210.0 kHz USB, 14346.0 kHz USB, 18117.5 kHz USB, or 7130.0 kHz LSB. His HF (High Frequency) radio is a Mobat Micom-3 transceiver, with a maximum power of 125 Watts, and an antenna under the fuselage. He also utilizes ALE (Automatic Link Establishment) on the Amateur Radio HFLINK frequencies http://hflink.com
Brian Lloyd’s radio schedule is posted on the project’s website http://projectameliaearhart.org/ham-radio
“I’ve been a ham radio operator since 1976 and enjoy radio communications very much. The plane is set up with HF radio for aeronautical purposes with the normal pilot headset controls. The flight route has some very long legs, so I will have plenty of opportunities during June and July to talk with ham operators while flying over the world’s oceans,” Brian said.
Commercial airliners fly long distances every day, but non-stop ocean flights are quite difficult for small propeller planes, which have limited range. To make it possible, Brian Lloyd modified his 1979 Mooney airplane to carry 150 gallons more fuel, then equipped it with modern navigation equipment, long range radio, and satellite communications. Still, the flight is not without risk, and special safety gear must be taken along. The public can track his flight on the web, social media, as well as Ham radio.
About: Brian Lloyd, 62, is a pilot, flight instructor, engineer, educator, and radio operator. He lives near San Antonio, Texas, USA. The commemorative flights are co-sponsored by The Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum, a non-profit in Texas, and many other individuals who contribute to supporting the flights through donations.
Amelia Earhart website: http://projectameliaearhart.org
Press Kit: http://projectameliaearhart.org/press
Press Contact: Amy Hartmel, Media Coordinator.
ENDS
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Update May 22 – Unfavorable winds and weather on the Atlantic route combined with airplane equipment problems forced the New York to Paris speed flight to be postponed until after the Round-The-World flight. There was only a short window of time that the flight could have happened, and the window has now closed. Mr. Lloyd will fly back to Texas for repairs as soon as the storm clears in Long Island, New York.
Brian Lloyd is scheduled to take off from Miami on the Amelia Earhart 80th Anniversary round-the-world flight on June 1st.
A new press release will be uploaded soon.
Press Release: Download: TXT PDF
Photos and Images Released for Publication
Signatures and flags on Spirit at Paramaribo airport Suriname 3JUN2017. photo ©2017 Brian Lloyd CC-BY
Brian Llloyd taxis for takeoff in his airplane Spirit on 02JUN2017 at Canefield airport in Dominica. (CC0-1.0)
Brian Lloyd parks his airplane Spirit on the tarmac shortly after arrival at Canefield Airport, Dominica, on 1 June 2017. (CC0-1.0)
Brian Lloyd with his aircraft Spirit greeted by ground crew on arrival at Canefield Airport Dominica on 1 June 2017. (CC0-1.0)
Brian Lloyd piloting the airplane Spirit in flight on 21 May 2017 at 20,000 feet over eastern USA. Photo by Brian Lloyd via satellite
Brian Lloyd prior to flight of airplane Spirit 21 MAY 2017 in Texas USA. Click for higher resolution.
Brian Lloyd pauses prior to flight of airplane Spirit 21 MAY 2017 in Texas USA. Click for higher resolution.
Brian Lloyd prepares for flight of airplane Spirit 21 MAY 2017 in Texas USA. Click for higher resolution.
Brian Lloyd flies his airplane Spirit during a test flight above Texas, USA. May 2017. Credit: Josh Flowers. CC-BY.
Brian Lloyd holds the 100 gallon extra fuel tank during its installation into the airplane Spirit. May 2017. Credit: Brian Lloyd. CC-BY.
Recently completed upgrades to the airplane Spirit includes improved avionics shown in this photo. May 2017. Brian Lloyd. CC-BY.
Factoids
The previous New York to Paris speed record for this type of aircraft was set in 1983 in a Beechcraft Bonanza.
- NAA/FAI (National Aeronautic Association) World Record: Speed Over a Recognized Course
Start City: New York; Finish City: Paris
Performance: 200.61 mph (322.85 kmh)
Class , Subclass , Classification , Group C , C-1 , c , I (Internal Combustion)
Brian Lloyd Quotes
Pilot Humor:
“Does this extra fuel tank make my plane look fat?”
“The three most useless things in flying are the altitude above you, the runway behind you, and the fuel that’s not in the tanks.”
On Historic Aviation
“I started flying in 1968. I was 14 and my father taught me to fly. That was only 41 years after Lindbergh’s flight. The Boeing 707, 727, and Douglas DC-8 were the mainstays of commercial air service, with non-stop flights from NYC to Paris happening on a daily basis.”
“Surprisingly, airplanes themselves have not changed that much since 1968. Yes, we got the Boeing 747 a few years later and it is only now starting to be phased out for more efficient twin-engine aircraft. The cockpits look different now, with computers doing more of the work, completely eliminating the Flight Engineer from the flight crew, but even with that, the pilot from 1968 would immediately understand most of the new flight deck and could become completely comfortable after a few hours in a simulator. “
“But if we could bring Charles Lindbergh forward to today, I would bet that in 10 hours I could train him to operate Spirit and do his flight all over again. Equally, I know I could fly the Sprit of St. Louis and repeat his flight if I wanted to. The connection across a century of flight is still there. ”
“One more thought about aviation and time. 24 years spanned from the Wright’s first controlled, powered flight to Lindbergh’s flight to Paris. Only 37 more years passed before the advent of the SR71, perhaps the pinnacle of aircraft aerodynamic technology. Flight in aircraft has has truly become a mature technology.”
