Solo World Record Breaker: Matt Guthmiller
Carrying on with the theme from my last post about young people doing amazing things (16 year old Aditya Palnitkar’s book Amazing Airlines) I wanted give another young man a shout-out.
It is always a pleasure to learn about someone who has set a big goal and is working hard to accomplish it.
In an age when finding records to break is not any easy task, Matt Guthmiller has his sights set on a good one.
First a little about Matt. He is a 19 year old Freshman at MIT and software engineer that hails from Aberdeen, South Dakota. Don’t judge him by his age, he’s already an accomplished pilot with 500 hours of flight time and a wallet full of ratings, including gliders.
Matt intends to break the world record for the youngest person to fly solo around the world.
That’s right. He is going to fly an A-36 Bonanza on a 28,000 mile journey to raise money for Code.org a non-profit entity that promotes computer science in schools.
This kind of drive and ambition is where the magic happens folks. This summer he will depart San Diego and trek eastward around the globe. If you don’t find that mildly inspirational, you need think closely about what this entails. Flying around the world is no small feat. The aircraft has to be appropriately modified and equipped, the pilot must be knowledgeable about international operations, navigation, and survival. There are all the permits and authorizations required, safety considerations, weather analysis, planning, etc., etc. It’s a daunting task for anyone and Matt is barely out of high school.
My co-host, Rob Burgon, and I recently got a chance to interview Matt on Episode 8 of Slipstream Radio (link here), so look for that coming up shortly. He’s an impressive young man that will certainly be going places in life.
I’m really looking forward to watching his progress (via his website) and rooting him on as he breaks the record. If you would like to do the same, check out his excellent website at: Limitless-Horizons.org
You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter at:
If you’d like to make a donation or sponsor Matt go here: http://www.limitless-horizons.org/sponsors/
Who says all the cool records have already been broken?
By Brent Owens
Matt’s a sharp kid and deserves our support! If you’ve ever wanted to fly around the world, but haven’t had the time nor the means – you can live vicariously through this kid. Best of luck Matt!
Rob,
Yes indeed!