Garratt on Third World Flight, ‘Dash for a Cure’

December 19, 2011 — Forget about being home for the holidays. CarolAnn Garratt and Judy Rice should be in Thailand on Christmas Day. Garratt began her third around-the-world adventure from Florida in her Mooney in April 2011. Last week, she was joined by Rice in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on a trip that will take the duo through northern India and Thailand. Garratt’s around-the-world adventure, Dash for a Cure, is meant to create a greater awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disorder causes muscle weakness and atrophy, with 90 percent of patients diagnosed dying within 5 years. Garratt’s mother died of ALS in 2002, and Garratt has already raised more than $300,000 for ALS research. There are two purposes behind Rice’s trip, according to the ThinkGlobal website. “One of my goals will be to learn how best to fly into India as I prepare for my own future global flight. My second goal will be to connect classrooms across the nation, as well as in India, sharing our passion for aviation while incorporating STEM education.” Rice plans to begin her around-the-world trip in April 2013. Garratt, flying eastbound around the world, spent the summer in Europe. Along the route, she is stopping to give presentations about her 2008 world-record flight and meeting with ALS groups. View her blog to read about her adventures or follow her on Facebook. Rice invites students to follow along as she teaches imaginary flight lessons to Skye Bleu, a toy pig, on her blog. Once Rice, a former executive director of youth education for EAA, reaches Thailand and flies back to the United States commercially, Garratt will continue her trip. During the winter, she'll fly around the Indian Ocean visiting a number of countries and arrive in western Australia. The spring will be spent in New Zealand and heading across the South Pacific Islands to Hawaii. Finally, Garratt will cross either to Alaska or California and make her way to Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture 2012.

CarolAnn Garrett at October Airport in Egypt. She plans to complete her third around-the-world trip by flying to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012. Photo credit: General Aviation Support Egypt Judy Rice is currently flying to Thailand with CarolAnn Garrett, as Rice learns how best to fly into India as she prepares for her own around-the-world trip. Here Rice is with her Grumman at Dulles International. Photo credit: ThinkGlobal website

• 2012 - 02/22 - Borschberg Begins Simulated 72-Hour Solar Flight
• 2012 - 02/20 - NASA Celebrates 50 Years of Americans in Space
• 2012 - 02/16 - Tiny Robots Swarm Fly in Formation
• 2012 - 02/16 - Civil War Balloon Replica to Take Flight This Summer
• 2012 - 02/09 - Application Deadline Approaches for EAA Scholarship