Freedom Flight

Freedom Flight is the story of two ordinary men on an extraordinary adventure. In celebration of the centenary of powered flight and a decade of South African independence, SA pilots Alan Honeyborne and Ricky De Agrela took off, completely unsupported, from Cape Town on 16 December 2003. Their aim - to touch down on each continent of the world on the longest expedition ever flown in microlights. The expedition achieved several firsts for private aviation including flying through Yemen and Nepal and completing an unsupported microlight flight from South Africa to Australia. However, tragedy struck, first in China where Alan went down and later in Belize, when Alan's replacement, Martin Walker, also sustained a fatal accident. Ricky overcame personal trauma and debilitating fear to fly alone from England through Europe, over the Mediterranean Sea, the Sahara Desert and the wildernesses of East and Southern Africa to make it back to Cape Town. His accomplishment embodies the expedition's vision of encouraging others to reach for the sky. The story of Ricky's remarkable achievement is told in website updates and e-mail correspondence with maps detailing the 64 000-kilometre route.

Autorentext

'One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind' (Neil Armstrong) were the words that, as a child, ignited Ricky De Agrela's adventurous spirit and his passion for flying. At 16 he started parachuting, followed by two years in the Air Force and then, his first adventure around the world with a backpack and only $100. While establishing himself in business and becoming a father, he competed in all manner of sports, including cycling, surfing, mountaineering, canoeing, swimming and hang gliding. Ricky has re-established himself in business as the director of several companies in the property industry. Nevertheless, he regularly creates the time to continue his adventurous pursuits, which have since taken him to the South Pole, Motorcycling the American Continents, climbing Aconcagua and anti-poaching microlight surveillance across the plains of the Serengeti. His motivational talks, encouraging others to travel the world, coupled with his abstract aerial photographs, highlight the journey that has influenced Ricky to become an avid environmentalist and a Guardian of the Red Cross Children's Hospital.