7,745 Miles Nonstop : Pilot Hopes Record Will Be His This Time Around

Pete Wilkins is hoping for success the second time around.

Weather permitting, the Irvine resident plans to take off from Los Angeles this week and fly as long as 48 hours nonstop to Sydney, Australia, in his single-engine, six-passenger Piper Malibu.

The 50-year-old Wilkins is challenging the world record, set in 1959, for the longest solo flight without refueling--7,668 miles. With 570 gallons of fuel on board, Wilkins hopes to cover 7,745 miles.

Wilkins attempted the same journey last April, but encountered a cylone west of Fiji and was forced to end the flight 1,500 miles short of his destination.

If Wilkins doesn’t complete his trip to Sydney nonstop, he plans to try again on the way back. If that fails, he says, he is not sure he will try again.

Race Car Builder

A slim, gray-haired man with a trace of a native Australian accent, Wilkins came to California in 1964 after working as a race car builder for former world champion driver Jack Brabham during the early 1960s in England. After building cars for former race car driver Dan Gurney, Wilkins founded an engineering consulting firm in Santa Ana.

Wilkins says he has wanted to break the record since he started flying planes 10 years ago.

“I got into endurance flying--I liked to see how long I could go without refueling,” he said. “The more I thought about it, the more it seemed possible.”

Since two of his three sons help run his business, Wilkins has been able to take time off to prepare for the flight.

Wilkins will fly north of Christmas Island in the South Pacific, over Fiji and into Sydney.

Up to 20,000 Feet

Wilkins plans to fly at 6,000 feet for the first eight hours of the trip. For the next six hours, he will fly at 10,000 feet, and then ascend to 15,000 for another six hours. He then hopes to reach 20,000 feet, where he will remain until he reaches Sydney.

Wilkins bought his plane for $385,000 in December, 1985, and says he has spent $25,000 to $35,000 for insurance and modifications.

Federal Aviation Administration maintenance inspector Bruce Stuart, who approved a permit for the flight, said Wilkins has done everything to ensure that his plane is safe.

And, while he waits for Mother Nature to cooperate, Wilkins prepares himself for the trip by exercising frequently and cutting down on sleep and food.