Circle the Atlantic - Flight to End Polio

Welcome back to Jump Seat. In 2023 Jump Seat was honored to announce the partnership of ARINCDirect with the Flight to End Polio. We shared several articles about our part in the incredible three-month journey around the world taken by pilots Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels.   

Flying the Good Flight

To recap, in 2023, Peter and John circumnavigated the globe in their Cessna T210M, travelling over 30,000 miles and visiting 19 countries while raising awareness and funds to eradicate polio. To date, their mission has raised over $2 million for the Rotary International Foundation’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Peter and John personally paid all the expenses of the flight and 100% of the dollars raised went to the Rotary Foundation. The duo have kept busy since touching down in their home base of Cedar Rapids, Iowa nearly two years ago and have been on a whirlwind tour of more than 150 speaking engagements ever since.

Most recently, the team arrived at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh Wisconsin to speak with Rotarians from all over the world. The team officially announced a new 2025 mission titled, Circle the Atlantic: Flight to End Polio. The flight will continue the mission that impacted countless lives.

A Record-Breaking Sequel 

The 2025 iteration of the Flight to End Polio will be smaller in scale, yet equally as important as 2023’s flight. Peter Teahen will once again pilot, this time alongside Ed Galkin of Edison, New Jersey, while John Ockenfels will shift to a technical support role for the journey.  

Ed is no stranger to record breaking flights, having circumnavigated the globe four times himself. Most recently in 2022, he completed a trip around the world in his single-engine Cessna 210 at the age of 87 and is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest pilot to perform the feat. 

The upcoming flight across the Atlantic will see Ed become the oldest pilot in history to fly a single-engine piston-driven aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. This attempt will be an official Guinness World Records event. In addition, Ed and Peter will attempt to accomplish an aviation speed record over a recognized course on their leg between Ponta Delgada, Azores, and St. Johns, Newfoundland. The record attempt will meet the standards of the Federation Aéronautique Internationale. 

New Flight, Same Mission 

Circle the Atlantic – Flight to End Polio will employ the services of Galkin’s trusty 1976 Cessna 210, N2160S. The planned 37-day, 8,800 nautical mile flight will see the duo travel to northern and western Europe, meeting with fellow Rotarians along the way. The goal of the mission is simple: to support the Rotary Global Polio Eradication Initiative and to raise awareness for a devastating disease. 

ARINCDirect Assist 

ARINCDirect is once again thrilled to play a part in 2025’s Flight to End Polio and will be providing flight support for the trip. The Flight Following team, staffed 24x7 by dispatchers and meteorologists, will keep close watch on the flight throughout the 6-week mission. The ARINCDirect team will compute and file flight plans in addition to providing weather and NOTAM briefings prior to each flight.  

Many of the ARINCDirect Flight Coordinators were on hand during the first Flight to End Polio and were excited to learn that we will once again provide a support role to the remarkable journey. The team has met regularly with Ed and Peter in the lead-up to the first leg which is scheduled to depart on August 30th, 2025 from Manville, New Jersey (47N) to Houlton, Maine (KHUL). 

How can you help? 

As with the first Flight to End Polio, every dollar raised will be matched 2 to 1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 100% of all contributions will be donated directly to the Rotary Foundation Polio Plus Program. Rotary International is a founding member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, helping to lead to effort to eradicate this debilitating disease.  

Ed and Peter are paying for all expenses related to this fascinating journey out of their own pockets along with assistance from corporate sponsors such as Collins Aerospace. For more information on how you can help, please visit the Flight to End Polio site.  

Did You Know?

• Peter and John documented the 2023 flight on their website, you can find the album here.
• World Polio Day is on October 24th. 

Useful Links

• Circle the Atlantic: Flight to End Polio
• Click here to follow N2160S via FlightAware