First Africa Solo flight round the world to commence in Washington

The initial plan by a Nigerian pilot, Captain Ademilola Odujinrin to commence first Africa Solo flight round the world in a specially configured single Cirrus aircraft from Lagos, Nigeria has now been changed.
The flight will now take off from Washington DC in the United States of America on Thursday 23rd June 2016 and can be tracked live on www.transcend.ng. According to the organizers of the flight, Team Transcend, the aircraft for the flight is currently in the USA and starting there greatly reduces cost thereby helping the team to achieve their ultimate goal.
The flight which is billed to take Captain Odujinrin to major cities in the world was original billed to commence and end in Nigeria. Capt. Odujinrin, had late last year disclosed this while speaking at a media briefing to herald the First Africa Solo Flight Round the World at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2), Lagos. He also revealed that about 114 pilots have flown round the world but that no African pilot has done it. A statement from the team yesterday said “ The team have been working very hard to make this historic event a success. Our primary objective has been to have the First African Pilot fly Solo across the World and we are ever so determined to make this a reality.” “A round the world flight involves overcoming many challenges and team Transcend is no exception when it comes to facing pioneering trials. Taking off from Nigeria imposes an even more logistical challenge which amplifies the entire project cost. Needless to say, we have experienced a myriad of challenges and issues which has led to a delay affecting our original plan. Primary to the delay is the lacklustre response to our Sponsorship request. We are cognizant of the fact that it is a financially difficult time for many institutions at this point.” “As a result, we have had to review the original plan taking into consideration the economic factors and coming up with the most achievable, cost effective position enabling us fulfill the primary objective, which is to be the first African to Fly Solo round the World.” “ The project will now kick off from Washington DC in the United States of America. The aircraft is currently in the USA and starting there greatly reduces our cost thereby helping us to achieve our ultimate goal.” “We would like to thank our two main Sponsors Tolaram Group and Translynx Nigeria Ltd for their immense support in creating the impetus to our cause. We would also seize this opportunity to thank donors such as Cross River Sate, Arik Air, Lazza, Bruce Canopies (US) and Spidertracks (US).