SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Pilot Robert DeLaurentis touched down this week in San Diego after traveling 26,000 miles in the name of peace.
DeLaurentis, known as the "peace pilot," flew from the South Pole to the North Pole in a journey that took him to six continents and 22 countries in the name of peace.
"The mission of the flight is world peace and we're connecting the South Pole and the North Pole, the two places on the planet where peace has always existed and helping to connect everybody in between," DeLaurentis said.
His journey to the only two locations on Earth that have never seen war will be chronicled in the upcoming documentary, "Peace Pilot to the Ends of the Earth and Beyond," featuring a collection of interviews, blogging, and observations.
DeLaurentis encountered a slew of mechanical issues during his adventure.
"In fact, when I left Ushuaia for the South Pole I packed up all my personal belongings in a hotel rook with my address I assessed my chances of coming back at about 50%," said DeLaurentis. "Some of the problems we had on the flight included bursting fuel tanks, I was without GPS autopilot, and altitude heading and reference system for five hours."
All those issues made worse knew by the coronavirus pandemic when he was forced to quarantine along the way — extending his trip from an intended five months to nine months.
"For every challenge, there was an opportunity and the pandemic created that for us because I had about a month and a half to reflect on what was happening to really work on my inner process," DeLaurentis said. "Those basics that everybody shared with us was the desire for love family security, safety you know we get back to that fundamental state for human beings."
This story was originally published by Steve Smith at KGTV.
