Roller coaster in the sky
In Colombo last Tuesday: Lachlan Smart. Pic by Anuradha Bandara
From navigating stormy skies over Christmas Island to passing through the busiest airspace in the world, at 18, Lachlan Smart proves that the sky has no limits as he aims to be the youngest person in history to circumnavigate the globe.
Born in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, Lachlan, more affectionately known as ‘Lachie’ fell in love with flying while he was sitting with his mother watching airplanes take off munching salted chips from a bucket. His first memory of flying was when he was a toddler. He recalls how his mother let him roam free with his squeaky toy “Oinky” in the aircraft and explore the great metal bird. The air hostesses let little Lachie sound Oinky over the PA system to let his mother know where to find him. That early introduction to aircraft became a passion and he made his first solo flight at 16 and obtained his private pilot’s licence at 17.
Lachlan is the true embodiment of time management. Whilst utilising his weekends for flying, Lachie was an “A” student at Nambour Christian College. He is also an ardent soccer player travelling to New Zealand with his local soccer team for tournaments and plays the trombone in two jazz bands. He loves the outdoors and has a passion for learning and furthering his knowledge.
As a firm believer of youth empowerment Lachlan wants to inspire the youth of Australia and the world to follow their dreams no matter how insane they may seem. With self belief anything is possible for any person irrespective of how old they may be, he believes. After hearing the stories of Jessica Watson who sailed around the world at 16, and Ryan Campbell who flew around the world Lachlan was determined to stamp his name in history. In his own words, just like Joan of Arc who led the French to victory over the British at 17, or Louis Braille who invented the Braille system when he was 15 he too wanted to show the youth of today that youth is never a barrier.
After much thought, Lachie fused his passion for flight with his drive to inspire and formulated a dream to become the youngest person to fly around the world.
First approaching his parents when he was 16, Lachlan worked hard to convince them of his ability to complete this record-setting mission. His parents initially brushed off the idea but gradually as he gathered financial help and began planning his flight path realised that he would not give up on his dream and supported him. As he gathered more support, his efforts were recognised and he was nominated for the Young Citizen of the Year award at the 2016 Sunshine Coast Australia Day. Lachie remembers being “chuffed” and humbled at being nominated for the prestigious award.
His team named “Wings around the world” comprises one teenager, one engine and endless opportunities to be the tag line to support him through the process. As Lachlan pilots a single engine aircraft he needs to meticulously plan his route so that his aircraft could be refuelled and maintained regularly. He also needs to balance his finances and deal with the legal issues of entering countries prior to his flight. Mostly however he had to prepare himself as a pilot to navigate varying air spaces over the course of 10 weeks. After two years of hard work and struggle on July 4, 2016 Lachlan took off from Sunshine Coast, hopes high and heart pounding.
Lachlan made his first stop at Nadi, Fiji from where he flew to Samoa and subsequently to Christmas Island. His journey over stormy Kiribati to the United States was particularly memorable for him as the weather was very different to what he was used to. Lachlan then crossed the United States, Canada and then into Europe. Coming from a family very close to aviation he took great pride in taking off and crossing over the same air spaces that his great grandfathers and grand-uncles used when they flew as pilots during the Battle of Britain in World War 2. Lachlan then crossed into the Middle East docking at Oman and Egypt before landing at the Bandaranaike International Airport on August 15.
On this flight, he has flown over natural wonders like the Grand Canyon and architectural marvels such as the Egyptian pyramids. Through his journey so far he has been able to meet and interact with people from all across the globe getting a firsthand perspective on the diversity and complexity of the global community. His 10 week journey entails 26 stops in 20 countries.
Arriving in Sri Lanka Lachlan did not seem fatigued from his long flight. He beamed with energy and was taken up by the hospitality of Lankans and the beauty of Sri Lanka. Even though his stay was only for two days he said he was very pleased with what he had experienced so far. Lachlan described his experience so far as a roller coaster ride with ups and down at every point.
With six stops remaining Lachlan’s goal is in sight. He has big plans on ground after he accomplishes his mission, planning to return to complete two degrees in aviation and business management. Meanwhile he is partnering with the Young Achievers International organisation to help fund young people who want to “dare to dream”. Looking to move to commercial aircrafts, he remarks that space exploration is the next step for the progress of aviation. Not surprisingly, this intrepid teenager would love to fly into outer space.
Lachlan Smart carries an important message to the youth of today. His self-belief and motivation to push boundaries and follow his dream stands as an inspiration to young people everywhere.
Lachlan can be followed online through his website www.wingsaroundtheworld.com/au