Rotarians to embark on 25,000-mile flight, raising money for polio

Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels, local Rotarians attempting to join an exclusive club of flying light aircraft around the world, are nothing if not persistent. The duo, related by marriage, have approximately 90 years of combined experience piloting small aircraft, and are once again hoping to fly around the world. On May 5, they intend to depart the Eastern Iowa Airport for Portland, Maine, the first leg of a three-month endeavor around the world. This summer’s flight path marks attempt number three. Just 10 days before takeoff in March 2020, COVID-19 upended their plans. Another launch date was postponed when Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, making the flight crew cancel their trip through Russia and reevaluate the route once again. “The standard response I get is ‘Are you out of your mind?’" said Mr. Ockenfels when asked why he is choosing to carry out this mission. “Well, that response has changed substantially since we started talking about it. This is not just two old guys getting in an airplane flying around the world. We’ve got top notch, certified safety equipment with us. This isn’t just a lark.” Thanks to their efforts, the Rotarians are nearly halfway toward their goal of raising $1 million in funds to eradicate polio globally. While polio cases have been reduced by 99.9% since 1988, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain endemic. Mr. Teahen and Mr. Ockenfels hope their “bucket list” trip can also provide critical funds in finally eliminating the disease.

Global trip

Mr. Teahen, owner of Teahen Funeral Services in Cedar Rapids, approached his counterpart in 2019 about his plan to fly around the world. He initially envisioned a solo flight but was told by his wife he needed to find a partner. After outlining his rough plan, he told Mr. Ockenfels “you can join me if you want.” The retired City Carton Recycling CEO said yes. The team became hooked on the idea of flying around the world — something only 700 people have done in history, fewer than 270 of which are alive today — obsessively planning over the details of a logistical headache. Their current route takes them tentatively into 25 countries over 33 stops in 90 days. If all goes to plan, they will travel more than 25,000 miles and touch down on four continents. Starting in Cedar Rapids, they will fly to Greenland, Iceland and southeast through Europe, Jordan and the UAE. They then fly to islands like Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Australia, New Caledonia, Fiji and the American Samoa. Their final destination is Denver, Colorado. Toward the tail end of their journey, a 16 hour flight from Hawaii to California is the longest single leg of the trip. The views may be spectacular from the air, but it won’t be a comfortable trip. Each pilot will wear survival wetsuits and inflatable life vests with limited space to move around. Minimal food, like energy bars, will be stored onboard. Bathroom breaks will be avoided if at all possible, with the pilots depending on disposable bags and bedpans.

Logistics nuisance

Because the new route involves more miles and longer durations in the air, the pilots sold their initial airplane, a red, white and blue Piper Lance II, in favor of the Cessna T210M. “A single engine airplane is dramatically cheaper, feels substantially different, flies faster...and we’re both very comfortable with single-engine airplanes,” said Mr. Ockenfels, stating the differences between single-engine and multi-engine aircraft. The Cessna flies higher, holds more fuel and will allow for a safer trip that will extend the voyage 30 days, they said. Still, they will need to ship in aviation fuel to ensure they can extend the trip the full 90 days. “This time we’re probably down to 30-40% of our stops that are going to have fuel shipped in to us,” said Mr. Teahen. Both pilots will be manually pumping gas into the plane, in some locations up to 150 gallons. They’ve never done this before but they expect it will take at least two hours. “We’ll be out in the Middle East, so we’ll have to do it in some of the places where it’s the hottest climates to deal with, and you’re sitting there in the blaring sun with no protection,” he added. A rubber fuel bladder and newly installed tip tanks will allow the pilots to store 193 more gallons of fuel, making a nonstop 18 hour flight possible. They also installed a HF radio, LED lights, upgraded tires, obtained special permits and will position GoPros inside the aircraft to document the experience. On the dashboard is an electronic glass avionics suite cockpit decked out with the equivalent of “a whole bunch of iPads,” said Mr. Teahen.

In total, modifications to the plane account for $40,000 the pilots will pay out of pocket. That is in addition to approximately $30,000 in fuel expenses and $27,000 in a 90-day insurance policy that is more than double the cost in 2020. Each location they head to requires a list of considerations, requiring an exhaustive and obsessive attention to detail. In no particular order of importance, the pilots have considered the seasons they will be flying to, local sunrise and sunset times, time zones, hours in which each airport is open, international conflicts and more. Failing to properly follow safety regulations or other requirements at an airport can have severe consequences. “We found out in February our safety raft was expired,” said Mr. Teahen. “That’s the kind of detail you have to be attentive to. Because if we had flown and got into another country, they could search the aircraft. They could confiscate the plane because we’re flying with expired rafts." To aid them in their efforts, the pilots have been in contact with the U.S. Department of State and Central Intelligence Agency to better understand where they can and can’t fly. The agencies have warned them to not fly out of certain airports, as the danger of being murdered, kidnapped or held hostage by terrorist organizations in certain parts of the world is too strong. Once they land, a person will be there to assist the pilots in transporting them to their lodging location. Collins Aerospace is providing mapping and flight planning guidance for the trip, in addition to lending a survival raft.

The Rotarian difference

100% of donations will go directly toward polio vaccination efforts, the pilots guarantee.  According to Rotary’s website, Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and immunized more than 2.5 billion children. Rotary’s advocacy work has contributed more than $10 billion by governments to address polio around the world.  “Back when we were kids, polio was very comparable to what we just went through with COVID-19,” said Mr. Ockenfels. “It was sweeping the United States.” He said he remembered polio inoculations in Cedar Rapids where families were lined up to get their shots, with moms off to the side crying because they were that concerned about the disease’s effects. The pilots said it takes only $3 to vaccinate a child and that funds can also go to preventative measures by improving sewage treatment, among other measures. A two-to-one dollar donation will be matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The western world has largely put polio behind them, but as long as cases pop up around the world, the threat is not gone, the pilots said. And just last year a case of polio appeared in both the United Kingdom and United States, meaning the threat is not vanquished quite yet. Others suffer from polio relapse syndrome, where a person infected with polio lives a normal life but ultimately is impacted by polio enough later in life and the body shuts down. While guidance from U.S. agencies and research amongst the two pilots is crucial, they say the key to a smooth trip will be their Rotary connections. In many of the countries they will visit, the pilots need to be extended invitations from government officials to obtain permission to land in countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

After that, they will be hosted by rotary members. “They’re our boots on the ground and they’re putting together fundraising events,” said Mr. Teahen, noting that the safety a group like Rotary provides offers an extra level of protection. “I started my day at 3 a.m. because I got to talk to people on the other side of the world, and that’s been going on for weeks,” he continued. These Zoom calls consist of the pilots and Rotary members based in all 32 countries helping coordinate finer details of the trip to ensure money is raised and the pilots are as safe as possible. When the pilots are in the air, interested viewers will be able to watch their flight on a 10 minute delay. They also want to partner with the Iowa City Children’s Museum and the Eastern Iowa Airport to let kids phone into the pilot’s cockpit as they’re passing the Atlantic Ocean, for example, to get them interested in aviation. With just a few months to go, the crew is hoping the third time’s the charm. “I’m sure that halfway between Portland, Maine and Cedar Rapids I’m going to remember 30 things I haven’t done,” said Mr. Ockenfels. “It’s like a car trip, right,” added Mr. Teahen. “You can plan, plan, plan and forget the simplest things.” To donate online or order merchandise, go to FlightToEndPolio.com.