7 Countries To Be Visited

Six Lithuanian pilots have begun a week-long trip around the Baltic Sea in six Flight Design CT aircraft. All six pilots belong to the Liekio Pilot Club, ALFA. The Baltic Flight 2009 will commemorate the Millennium of Lithuania and the 75th Anniversary of the famed ANBO pilots' flight around Europe.

 The six-pack of CT Light-Sport Aircraft, still called "Ultralights" under current European rules, will reach seven countries in seven days logging more than 25 hours of flight time and covering about 2,500 miles, or the rough equivalent of a flight across the United States. The countries visited include Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia.

"Beautiful Lithuanian souvenirs will carry information to people of other nations about our country and our achievements," stated Dalius Liekis. "[Our] pilots will meet with government officials, members of the public and will exchange culture with members of Lithuanian communities," added Liekis, Director Pilot of the team of six.

There will be a crew of two in each aircraft. Lithuanian flight team members include Dalius Liekis and Povilas Liberis, Robertas Pakrosnis and Paulius Pakrosnis, Lukas Liekis and Antanas Burdulis or Tadas Blaževius, Gediminas Bagdonavius and Ruta Bagdonavien, Laimis Akramas and Vytautas Selelionis, brothers Romualdas Kumpys and Arnas Kumpys. Joining the team are Flight Design pilots Siegmar Sprenger and Bodo Scheller, Siegmar famous for his flight from Europe to the United States with Harro Lorenz via CT.

File Photo

"The speedy and long-ranging CT series - CTsw and CTLS - are very useful for lengthy flights such as this," said Matthias Betsch, CEO of Flight Design, who also noted an earlier CT flight from Europe to the USA and another Indian Air Force flight around the world in a CT.

Flight Design is a 23-year-old air sport products producer based in Germany. More than 1,300 of its aircraft are flying in 25 countries. One of the first aircraft certified under the American ASTM standards, in 2005, the CT ("composite technology") remains the best-selling LSA in America through four consecutive years. CT in several models have been popular in Germany and Europe for more than thirteen years.

FMI: www.flightdesign.com