Round the World & Across Russia in 21 Days, 30 Years Later: 12 Planes & 22 Aviators Thru 11 Countries When the Soviet Union Fell & Russia Returned
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The just released book, Round the World & Across Russia in 21 Days, 30 Years Later, provides and in-depth and historic look at a complex aviation adventure at a historical watershed moment in time. Only months after the Soviet Union had collapsed, this group of unlikely adventurer took off from Santa Monica Airport, July 4, 1992, and fly their single and twin engine privately owned general aviation aircraft 18,000 miles across some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world.
This unique aviation adventure took place in the wake of the dramatic and sudden collapse of the Soviet Union, an event which unfolded during many months in midst of trying to organize this complex aviation adventure. The World Flight Across Russia was the idea of Marcel Large, President of Raid Intl. and organizer of many car, motorcycle and air rallies for decades prior to our event.
Hatched after taking the first private group of general aviation aircraft into the Soviet Union in early 1991, he wanted it to go beyond just flying around the world across Soviet Union. Designed as a annual event, with a different group flying a different route across the Soviet Union each summer, it ended up being across Russia and only took place that one honeymoon summer right after the collapse in July 1992.
A fascinating part of the story was Marcel, his wife Michelle, Eric Vercesi and Paul Hollenbeck dealing with Soviet and then Russian authorities with no one truly knowing who could answer the most pressing questions at hand.
Moscow, January 1992: Four people were in Moscow, weeks after the Soviet Union voted itself out of business, trying to organize a World Flight Across Russia. Confusion reigned supreme six months after hard-liners tried to reverse all those gains made during Gorbachev’s reforms, when Boris Yeltsin and the people made their famous stand for freedom in August 1991. Odds were stacked against their success as the world was still reeling from one amazingly startling fact: The Cold War had just ended!
The ‘1st Annual Around the World Air Rally’ was the first western or civilian group of general aviation aircraft to circumnavigate while crossing the entire landmass of Russia, but that is only part of the story. Our group was under protection of one of the highest officials, Vice President Rutskoi, in an effort to create updated cultural and business ties between old enemies and new friends. Five days in Moscow and across Siberia we carried the highest authority in our back pocket... but sometimes in some places that was not enough...
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Documented the 1st Annual Around the World Air Rally which involved 12 small planes flying 18,000 miles around the world while crossing the entire landmass of Russia in July 1992, right after the final collapse of the Soviet Union. Hired at the last minute, I was to use video and still pictures to capture this historical aviation adventure. The book was created by seven major and five ancillary journals, interviews and 25 hours of videotape and is a detailed telling of a complex flight through history. Organized from March 1991 to July 1992, during the collapse, it was a miracle it ever took place.
