Louisiana Teen Successfully Flies Around The World

On Saturday, 18 year old and pilot extraordinaire Mason Andrews returned home to Monroe.  The Louisiana Tech student has spent the last 76 days smashing aviation records as he successfully flew around the world in his Piper PA-32 Lance, called The Spirit of Louisiane.  He is now, unofficially, the youngest person to fly over the Atlantic, Pacific, and to circumnavigate the globe.  The official recognition will come after the review of his flight records by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, and Guinness World Records.  The records are expected to confirmed shortly, as Mason was younger at the start of his attempt than the person that officially holds the title (for now).  That honor currently belongs to Lachlan Smart of Queensland, Australia, who completed his round-the-world trip in 2016 - he was 18 years, 234 days at the time, 71 days older than Mason.

So, what does the world youngest aerial circumnavigator do after journeying east and returning from the west? Catch up on school.  As his trip was originally planned to take 40 days, Mason has a full month of course work at Louisiana Tech to catch up on.  He also plans to break even more aviation records - after his homework.

Mason's trip wasn't just about breaking records, he did it to help out some amazing kids.  When he isn't soaring the skies, he works as a camp counselor at MedCamps of Louisiana - a free summer camps for children who have disabilities or illnesses. The flight raised about $30,000 for this organization, which will go directly to the camp.

Mr. Andrew did get something out of the trek, other than the ability to top every other pilot's story.  According to Newsweek, he received a $10,000 scholarship from the Louisiana Tech Foundation, presented by no other than University President Les Guice.  This will help Mason finish up his degree in aviation, and get him one step closer to being a professional pilot.

Find out more about Mason's incredible travels, including the time he was intercepted by a Taiwanese F-16 for accidentally straying into their airspace, by clicking here.