Flies 27,000 Miles In Homebuilt At Age 76

It's one thing to fly around the world. It's another entirely to do it solo. But to do it at age 76 in a single-engine homebuilt makes "Flight of a Lifetime" a memoir that lives up to its name.

William Randolph was born in 1928 and joined the US Navy early by lying about his age, fearful of missing World War II. Flying since 1946, Randolph enjoyed a career in the computer industry and has owned eight planes. At the age of 76, he decided to build his own plane and fly it around the world.

After completing his piston single, Randolph flew it solo 27,000 nautical miles over three oceans, eight seas and three gulfs as well as a few continents. From an emergency landing in a thunderstorm in Brazil to a near crash and aircraft fire in Thailand to pursuit by fighter jets over the Mediterranean, the journey was fraught with danger at every turn.

“On every leg of my trip I encountered wonderful people and made new friends,” says Randolph. “It’s a tale of adventure that’s available to anyone who dares.”

Inspired to write the book by the many who have heard his tale, the author recalls his journey with fondness. Although he was locked up in a few different countries and communication difficulties led to all sorts of delays, Randolph describes these incidents with humor in this account intended to engage, entertain and inspire other adventurers.

Randolph currently resides in Santa Cruz, CA.

FMI: www.amazon.com/Flight-Lifetime-Around-homebuilt-airplane/dp/0615524796/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326340684&sr=1-1