First African Solo Flight Takes Off in U.S.

The First Africa round-the-world solo flight to be embarked upon by a Nigerian pilot, Ademilola Odujinrin, would take off from Washington DC, United States, not Nigeria, as earlier planned.



The flight, scheduled for April, this year, was stalled due to financial constraints and lack of local sponsorship, forcing the organisers to change their plan.

The flight would now take-off, Thursday, from the United States, said an email sent to our correspondent by Team Transcend, a group of private sector professionals promoting the project.

It said that taking off from the United States "greatly reduces our cost thereby helping us to achieve our ultimate goal."

An aviation consultant, who spoke to Daily Trust, said that the decision to flag-off the first African round-the-world solo flight from the United States was a cost-saving measure given the high cost of fuel, insurance, among other challenges, in Nigeria.

It was learnt that taking off from the United States would save the organisers more than $50,000.

The flight would go to Cameroun, Kenya, Djibouti, UAE, India, Singapore, among other countries, in six weeks.

(culled from allafrica.com)