Pilots & Crew
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PILOTS: Mickey Russell and Jay Jones
Both pilots bring several thousands of hours of flight time and varied experiences to this aerial expedition.
- Mickey Russell
- Age: 53
- Birthplace: Grand Saline, Texas (same town where Wiley Post was born) Grew up in Lindale TX.
- Flight Hours: 3,300
- Education: Bachelor's Degree as Professional Pilot from Metropolitan State College of Denver
- Licenses and Ratings: Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor, Instrument Flight Instructor, Multi Engine Flight Instructor
After earning all his flight ratings, Mickey and his Wife Cara decided to combine their love for aviation and animals into a non-profit animal welfare transportation organization called "Sky Ark". This NGO helps transport animals around the country for free. Please visit the Sky Ark website for more information.
Mickey will be flying this around the world flight to help bring awareness for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2009 he found out his 11 year old son Casey had brain cancer. After the surgery, weeks of radiation and months of chemo treatments Casey got his wish to go to Ireland. This could not have happen without the help and hours of work done by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Please consider making a donation to this outstanding non profit.
One of the reasons that Mickey has always wanted to fly around the world can be traced back to February 1996' when Mickey helped former Astronaut Pete Conrad (Apollo 12) and Phil Thayer fly a Lear 35 around the world. He was responsible for portions of the ground logistics, on-air media reports and ATC logistics of the world record flight. He was also in charge of a concurrent simulated flight following Pete and Phil on their flight.
In preparing for the world record flight, he discovered that only a small percentage of pilots have ever flown around the world (fewer than 300), making it one of the rarest completed adventures known. In comparison, there have been over 1200 successful climbs on Mt. Everest per year. Upon futher study, Mickey found out that only 3 pilots have flown gas powered aircraft around the world and over both the Earth's Poles successfully. There have been more humans on the Moon than have completed this type of aviation adventure.
Mickey has been asked several times: "Why are you doing this?" Well the answer is really two fold and here is Mickey's answer to the most asked question of this flight. I'm doing this to "inspire" people to not to give up or give in during these hard times. During the great depression we had pilots step up and "inspire" our county. I'm just a simple "old-bold-broke" pilot like so many other pilots out there. I've had this desire to fly around the world for years and after watching my son for 2 years battle brain cancer with honor, honesty, guts, humor and a manhood to succeed, it just "inspired" me to just go-for-it. And one other good reason, my son thinks it is really cool!
Jay Jones
From the time he was 10 and enjoying his first airplane, a child's wagon with homemade wings, Jay Jones has been a pilot at heart. By age 34, he bought a Cessna, and his dream came to fruition when he got his pilot's license in 1983. Jay studied architecture in college and became a carpenter, but he has never felt limited by a job title. He took up sailing and won National Championships. By the late 1990s, this former carpenter, sailor, river guide and B&B owner had turned his attention to Formula One Racing in Reno. He crewed for three years, all the while working on the airplane he had designed for competition, the Quadnickel, based on a Cassutt. In 2002, he worked himself to the top 6th in the field of Formula One Class racing.
Jay is also getting ready to race at the Reno Air Show in 2011. Find out more about his racing team at the Quadnickel Racing Website. During the week of June 10-16th 2011, Jay will be in Reno NV doing an IMAX film about the Formula One Racers.
Ground Crew and Other Important People
Mark Nicolosi - Film Guru
Some men catch up with old high school classmates through an evening of nostalgic stories over a beer or two. Mickey Russell and Mark Nicolosi thought it would be a lot more fun to document this historic flight together, instead. The WorldFlyers are blessed to be able to include Mark on this project.
In 1989, Mark Nicolosi directed his first music video as a production school project, and it went from there. He began working with acclaimed director Sherman Halsey as an assistant director, camera operator, editor and whatever else it took to make a production go off successfully.
Receiving a phone call from Grammy Award nominee singer/songwriter Deborah Allen to direct a video with her, Mark began his own directing career. Although he began building his director's reel, he continued editing and shooting and has built a roster of artists with whom he has worked that reads like a Who’s Who of country music, from superstar Tim McGraw to new country sensation Stealing Angels. He has also spent a large part of the past 12 years working in the Christian music industry, working with many artists including Rebecca St. James, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant and many more.
Aside from music videos, Mark has worked on Tim McGraw’s NBC specials. In 2002, Mark had the honor of being one of two cameramen who spent 10 days living in a recording studio in the Catskills of Woodstock, New York with Tim McGraw and his band, The Dancehall Doctors. Documenting Tim and his band recording their first album together ranks high among Mark’s career highlights because the event was so personal to Tim. In 2006, Mark once again teamed up with Sherman and spent a month at Capital Records Studios in Los Angeles taping Michael Bolton recording his latest CD, Bolton Swings Sinatra.
In the past 20 years, Mark has worked on well over 100 number-one music videos, major commercials, TV specials, documentaries, live multi-camera concerts and has directed a feature length family film.
Last Updated (Wednesday, 06 July 2011 23:16)
World Flight Profile
- Travel time: 24 days
- Track: approx. 36,000 SM
- Flight time: approx. 200 hours
- Visited countries: 14
- Over both the Earth's Poles
- Two times crossing the equator
- Start and end in Colorado, USA
We will attempt to break the following World Speed Records
- Around the World Over the Poles
- Pole to Pole Record
- Equator to Equator
- Plus several National Speed Records