Around the World in 80 Days

Rahul Monga

Ever since man’s first ascent in a hot-air balloon in the eighteenth century, men and women have dreamt of being the first or fastest to fly around the world. There have been several who have circumnavigated the world, but only one Indian, Wing Commander Rahul Monga of the Indian Air Force.

The book is fantastically readable, honest and an extremely accomplished first book by the author. He vividly recounts the thrilling voyage he undertook – battling time, the elements, and the limits of human endurance to circumnavigate the earth in a microlight aircraft in 2007. Interspersed with maps and photographs, the author has painstakingly recreated the entire journey, replete with descriptions not only of the adventure and the danger, red tape and bureaucracy, but also of people and places, culture and food and, most importantly, the beauty of our world.

This magnificent journey would have been forgotten but for these written words. Starting from a hot and dusty day in India, the book progresses chronologically as the author flew over Southeast Asia, China, Far East Russia, North America, the Arctic, Europe and Asia. Replete with an eye for detail, emotions and humour, this is an entertaining and highly informative book that no pilot or armchair aviator will be content to read only once.

Rahul Monga Wg Cdr Rahul Monga was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a helicopter pilot in 1990 and has almost 4,000 hours of flying to his credit, mostly in the Himalayas of North India.
A keen adventure enthusiast, he is the third person in the world to fly round the world in a single engine microlight aircraft. In the course of the expedition, he became the first Indian to fly solo across the Bering Strait as well as the formidable North Atlantic.
This expedition was a planning, logistical and bureaucratic nightmare, and required tremendous physical and mental fitness as well as a huge amount of motivation, focus and flying skills, which he believes was only possible due to the exceptional training provided by the Indian defence forces to their officers.
After the successful conclusion of the expedition, he was awarded the Presidential award of Shaurya Chakra for his display of conspicuous gallantry in the face of a highly challenging task, regardless of his personal safety.
He also has the unique distinction of being a nominee in the Aviation Week Laureate Awards 2008, one of the few of Indians to be so nominated. Now back to flying helicopters, he is thinking of, and planning, new aviation adventures all the time and seriously thinking of taking up writing as another hobby.