Article supplied by IFRR
After landing in Darwin and Cairns N732WP is presently in Toowoomba Australia undergoing maintenance prior to its next big flight, journeying across the Pacific to home to Cedar Rapids!
ONE ENGINE, TWO PILOTS AND A 2:1 DONATION GATE FOUNDATION MATCH
Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels are raising awareness for polio eradication by piloting a single engine aircraft all the way around the globe! 100% of your contribution will be donated to the Rotary Foundation Polio Plus Program.
Peter and John departed from Cedar Rapids, Iowa May 5, 2023 in a Cessna T210M (single engine) airplane. Along the way, they will encourage support of ending polio forever throughout the world.
Both Peter and John are pilots, Rotarians, and members of the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians (“IFFR”). Polio eradication has been a primary focus of Rotary for over 35 years and continues to be a major initiative. While the end of polio may be near, no child anywhere is safe until every child has been vaccinated.
Thanks to the generosity of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, each dollar you donate to the Rotary Foundation Polio Plus Program is matched 2:1!
The pilots, Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels are covering the entire cost of the flight as well as taking time away from their careers and lives to help end polio. They have been friends for years through their shared passion for aviation and are also cousins through marriage!
Though both Peter and John have myriad hours of flight experience, this will be their first trip around the entire globe. Amazingly, only 700 pilots have ever flown around the world and fewer than 300 of those people are alive today.
This trip puts John and Peter in unique and incredible company. Upon considering the idea of this daunting endeavour, Peter light-heartedly says that he thought, “One of the things I hadn’t done yet was fly around the world!”.
Both Peter and John agreed that polio eradication would be the benefactor of their flight. Polio eradication has been a primary focus of Rotary for over 35 years and continues to be a major initiative. While the end of polio may be near, no child anywhere is safe until every child has been vaccinated. Ending polio is only a flight away! Peter and John will be piloting this 1977 Cessna T210M single engine airplane around the world. They will be flying more than 25,000 miles and this will take up to three months to complete. This includes a 14–16 hour flight from Hawaii to California which will be near the end of the trip.
In the time prior to take-off, Peter is working to get as many flight hours in as possible, in between the time the Cessna is undergoing maintenance and the seats being removed to make room for an additional fuel bladder. As of this writing, Peter has just under 20 hours of flight time on the Cessna. This is where John’s expertise comes in – John owned an identical Cessna just like the T210M and has 28 YEARS and over 2,500 hours of flight time on it.
THE AIRCRAFT:
The 1977 Cessna Turbo Centurion model T210M is registered as N732WP. The Centurion is a single engine, high wing retractable landing gear, and all metal airplane. Dual flight controls are provided as standard equipment. It has seating for up to six occupants and a one-hundred-pound luggage compartment.
AIRFRAME:
With the exception of the steel engine mount, the landing gear, miscellaneous steel parts, the cowling, and the lightweight plastic extremities (tip of wings, tail fin and stabilator), the basic airframe is of aluminum alloy.
The fuselage is a riveted aluminum structure. There are doors on both the right and left side of the cockpit and an aft cargo door on the left side.
Each wing contains a fuel tank holding 45 gallons. The standard fuel capacity of the Centurion is 90 gallons, of which 89 are usable. The fuel is Avgas 100 LL. The typical fuel burn of 17 gallons per hour allows for a 4.5 hour flight with a 45 minute reserve. N732WP has been modified with tip tanks on each wing with will provide an additional 33 gallons of available gas in the wings. A 165-gallon capacity “TurtlePac” fuel bladder has been installed specifically for the flight and brings total fuel capacity to 281 gallons or approximately 19 hours of flight time.
MEASUREMENTS:
Wingtip to Wingtip: 40 feet
Nose to Tail: 28 feet
Overall Height: 9 feet
ENGINE:
The Teledyne Continental TSIO-520R is turbocharged, direct drive air cooled, horizontally opposed, fuel injected, six-cylinder engine with 520 cu. in. displacement. The engine has a maximum power of 310 rated BHP at 36.5 inches Hg and 2700 RPM. The maximum continuous power is rated at 285 BHP at 35 inches Hg and 2600 RPM. The constant speed three blade propeller is manufactured by McCauley.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:
The 24-volt electrical system includes a 24 volt battery for starting and to back up alternator output. Electrical power is supplied by a 60 ampere alternator, and a 30 ampere back up alternator.
CABIN FEATURES:
For ease of entry and exit and for pilot and passenger comfort, the front seats are adjustable fore and aft. All seats recline and have armrests & headrests.
AIRPLANE FACTS:
Plane Built: 1977 in Wichita, Kansas
Manufacturer: Cessna Corporation
Model: Turbo Centurion T210M
Engine: Single
Engine Manufacturer: Teledyne Continental
Rated Horsepower: 310 horsepower.
Engine Type: 6-Cylinder, Air Cooled
Fuel: AVGAS 100LL
Fuel Capacity: 90 gallons
Usable fuel: 89 gallons
Fuel Range Capacity: 5 hours plus 45 minute reserve
Maximum Takeoff Weight (lbs.): 4000
Speed (avg): 165 knots/190mph
Fuel Burn (avg): 14.5 gallons per hour (Lean Of Peak)
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Approximately 40% of our fuel will be hand pumped from 55-gallon drums. Fuel Drums will be shipped via rail, truck, and ship to the needed location.