18 September 2017
So, you think you’re adventurous? How adventurous? Enough to fly the length of South America, across some of the continent’s most difficult terrain, in a vintage aircraft? Well, good news. Fifteen free places are available for British pilots to take part in the Ushuaia2USA Vintage Air Rally setting off in March 2018.
The event is being organised by the same team behind the Crete2Cape Vintage Air Rally, led by Sandhurst-trained British Army helicopter pilot Sam Rutherford.
As the name suggests, the six-week flight will begin in Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost airport at the tip of Argentina. The 9,200-mile journey will cover 19 countries, flying over windswept Patagonia, the peaks of the Andes, the swamplands of Paraguay and the jungles of Peru.
The rally will also take in the Amazon rainforest, fly low down the Panama Canal and over the volcanoes of El Salvador. The penultimate stop on the rally will be Cuba, where a cigar party will be held in Havana before the final procession into Florida where the coveted Vintage Air Rally trophy will be presented at a gala dinner.
Entry for the Vintage Air Rally Ushuaia2USA is now open, with all costs including travel, shipping, accommodation, food, fuel, permits, fees, immigration and insurance covered for the 42-day expedition in spring 2018. Everyone is welcome to enter. Even those with no flying experience can enter by simply finding a pilot with a plane and creating a team.
“This is a unique journey and we want to invite everyone in the world to join us,” said Rutherford. “U2U is totally free, so we’re looking for characters with character who want to join us. Vintage Air Rally isn’t about smart hotels. It’s about grit (and glory), going to places usually out of reach. If you’re someone who thrives on adventure, excitement and derring-do then this is for you.”
To register for U2U 2018, visit: www.vintageairrally.com
