FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
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
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