Solo Hop Between L.A. and Australia : Pilot Ready for Long Day’s Journey to a Flight Record

Pete Wilkins is flying to Australia this weekend, but he’s not taking Qantas.

The Irvine resident is hoping to spend most of today and Sunday--about 40 hours in all--in his six-passenger, single-engine Piper Malibu flying over the Pacific Ocean from Los Angeles to Sydney, a distance of 7,584 miles.

When he returns next week, he will be attempting to break the world long-distance solo flight record, set in 1955, of 7,488 miles.

Wilkins, 49, a slim, slightly graying man with a trace of his native Down Under in his speech, came to California from Sydney in 1965. Formerly an automobile mechanic, Wilkins spent five years working for race-car driver Dan Gurney and then established Profab, an engineering-consulting firm in Santa Ana.

He views the trip as a challenge.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do ever since I started to fly,” he said. “I’ve been working on it, planning it steadily for probably the last three years.”

Since he is not married and his children from a previous marriage are grown, Wilkins said, it makes it easier for him to attempt such an ambitious venture.

Found Plane in Florida

To plan the trip, Wilkins, who has been a licensed pilot for almost 10 years, first had to find his plane. After a short search, he bought the Malibu in Vero Beach, Fla., last December for $385,000, he said. Since then, he has spent about $30,000 more for modifications to the plane, plus liability insurance and maintenance, he said.

He has also invested a lot of time, both on and off the ground, getting acquainted with a machine that has become more of a traveling partner than just a means of transportation. Wilkins has flown the plane as much as possible to familiarize himself with it.

In order to fly such a long distance, Wilkins said, he added five extra fuel tanks to an area of the plane that normally would hold passengers. He will take off with 525 gallons of fuel.

He also had to make sure that his plane and its modifications met Federal Aviation Administration safety regulations.

FAA maintenance inspector Bruce Stuart said Wilkins has done everything to make sure his plane is safe.

“I’m sure that he shouldn’t have any problem” in making the transoceanic flight safely, Stuart said. Wilkins’ modifications, most of which he performed himself, are “first class,” the FAA official added.

Stuart rode along on an eight-hour practice flight Wilkins took last week, starting in Van Nuys, then over Northern California and on to Phoenix and back. Satisfied with Wilkins’ preparation, Stuart approved a permit for the Irvine man’s attempt to set a record.

Hopes for Good Weather

Now all Wilkins has to do is hope the weather will be good for flying today. He expects to take off from Los Angeles International Airport about 5 a.m., if winds are not greater than 5 m.p.h.