Stil jete

The family that lives in the air

The family that lives in the air

Spending over a year flying around the world with your family in a small, single-engine plane is something most people can't even imagine, let alone do.

For the Porter family, from Canada it's a reality.

Ian Porter, who has been a private pilot for nearly four decades, his wife Michelle, daughters Samantha, 21, and Sydney, 18, who are also qualified pilots, and son Christopher, 15, departed Vancouver on June 15, 2022 .and have been traveling every day since then.

The family has already visited about 20 countries, including the United States, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and Honduras. According to Ian, flying a single-engine plane around the world is a dream that is probably in the back of every pilot's mind, but he started looking at the prospect more seriously a few years ago.

The family that lives in the air

It was the time when the wife was taking a break from work, the girls a break from school. The boy learns from the air.

Once everyone was "on board" with the idea, he was left with the difficult task of finding a suitable single-engine aircraft for the expedition.

'Finding a plane that would take five people, survival gear and a reasonable amount of luggage wasn't necessarily the easiest thing,' he admits.

The Porters then bought the plane, which they named Moose, for $500,000 and the rest is history.

Ian describes their single-engine utility plane, which can carry up to eight people and is capable of flying at 220 kilometers per hour for up to five hours, as a 'utility sports vehicle for the sky'.

"The only thing it doesn't do is go very fast," he says.

While Ian acts as lead pilot, Samantha and Sydney are his co-pilots, wife Michelle is responsible for health and visa paperwork as well as 'everyday needs' and Christopher looks after their camera equipment when he's not studying remotely .

'My friends think we're a bit crazy because of what we're doing, but it's definitely worth it,' says Samantha, who qualified to be a pilot in 2021.

The family that lives in the air

"Obviously there are little family feuds. But it also happens when you're at home and nothing is really happening that intense."

They have landed at more than 160 different airports.

The Porters aim to raise $1 million for SOS Children's Villages, an international charity focused on supporting children in over 130 countries without parental care and families at risk, while traveling.

'As well as it being a great family adventure, we wanted to make it count for something,' explains Ian.

"Seeing life from the sky is a truly unique experience and a different perspective," says Michelle Porter.