MEET THE CIRCLE THE ATLANTIC PILOTS
MEET THE CIRCLE THE ATLANTIC PILOTS
Flight To End Polio is pleased to announce a second, world record-setting flight, scheduled to depart August 30, 2025. This flight titled, “Circle the Atlantic: Flight To End Polio”, will raise awareness and funds for the Rotary Global Polio Eradication Initiative. 100% of the funds raised are donated to The Rotary Foundation and matched 2:1 by the Gates Foundation.
Circle The Atlantic: Flight To End Polio will be piloted by Rotarians Peter Teahen and Ed Galkin, with technical support provided by Rotarian John Ockenfels. The flight will be completed in a 1976 Cessna 210 single-engine airplane, N2160S, and involve a 37-day, 8,800 nautical mile flight and multiple fundraisers.
Pilot Ed Galkin, 89, will set the record for being the oldest pilot in history to fly a single-engine airplane across the Atlantic. He has completed four around-the-world flights, including his most recent in 2022 at the age of 87.
On July 31, 2023, pilots Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels completed the historic Around The World: Flight To End Polio, a 90-day flight that included 37 landings in 19 countries, covering a distance of 30,000 miles. Since their return, John and Peter have made more than 150 presentations worldwide about their flight. Their 2023 flight raised well over
$2 million dollars for the Rotary Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
ED GALKIN
Pilot Ed Galkin, 89,
will set the record
for being the oldest
pilot in history to fly
a single-engine
airplane across the
Atlantic. He has completed four around-the-world flights, including his most recent in 2022 at the age of 87.
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Ed was born in Newark, New Jersey and grew up in Hoboken, New Jersey. He attended the University of Connecticut, received his dental degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and received his periodontal training at New York University College of Dentistry.
He served two years as a Captain in the United States Army Dental Corps stationed at Fort Hood Texas.
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He was clinical assistant professor at The New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry (now known as Rutgers University, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences). He is a past president of The New Jersey Society of Periodontists and a current member of the American Dental Association, Middlesex County Dental Society, New Jersey Society of Periodontists and American Academy of Periodontology.
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He had a dental practice called Woodbridge Periodontics, specializing in periodontics and implantology, located in Woodbridge, New Jersey. He was also on the staff of Hackensack Meridian Health JFK Medical Center.
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On the aviation side, he is a member of the AOPA, EAA and Ye Anciente and Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen. He has over 6,000 hours of flying time since receiving his pilot license in 1970. He holds a commercial license, instrument rating, CFI, CFII, multi-engine and sea plane rating. He flew his Cessna 210 N2160S with his family in the 1980’s to the United Kingdom and flew to Australia in 1986 and then flew his plane around the world in 1988. He flew the Atlantic in 1997, stopping in Libson, Bordeaux, Paris and London. His second around the world flight was in 2004 with stops in Peru, Easter Island, Tahiti, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and Trinidad (aroundtheworldagain.com). His third flight around the world occurred in 2018 (aroundtheworldagain3.com) in support of the Alzheimer’s Association. Finally, read all about Ed's FOURTH flight around the world in 2022 at flyforthecure.org.
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He is married since dental school to Bobbie who is a Real Estate Agent at Re/Max Agency Competitive Edge in Metuchen, New Jersey. He has two children — Michael and Marcie, and five grandchildren.
PETER TEAHEN
Peter is an experienced
pilot and has been
piloting small aircraft
for over 53 years. He is
a member of the Cedar
Rapids West Rotary
Club and the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians.
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Peter is a Funeral Director and President of Teahen Funeral Home in Cedar Rapids. He is an author, mental health professional, firefighter and EMT, and serves on the faculty of the University of Iowa. Peter is the founder of the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival. He was awarded the designation of Diplomate from the National Center for Crisis Management and the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. Peter has served globally in leadership roles on 75 major disasters, including the September 11th World Trade Center attack, Hurricane Katrina, the Indonesian Tsunami in 2004, the Haiti Earthquake in 2010, and the Genocide in the Darfur Region of Sudan in 2007. He is recognized for his work on aviation disasters, critical incident stress management, and the psycho-social impact of disasters.
Peter is the recipient of numerous international and national awards of distinction, including the National American Legion Auxiliary: National Public Spirit Award. Previous recipients include Ronald Reagan, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Ann Landers, and Dr. Robert Schuller.
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In 2024, Peter was recognized with Rotary's highest individual honor, The Service Above Self Award. Peter was also recognized in 2024 as 1 of 9 Rotarians worldwide to receive The Rotary Foundation's Service Award for a Polio Free World.
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Peter and his wife Janet have been active community volunteers for many years.
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JOHN OCKENFELS
John is proud to serve as the technical advisor for this mission and we are lucky to have his expertise. Click here to read John's background and biography.
Circle the Atlantic: Flight To End Polio will be flown in a 1976 Cessna 210 Centurion,. The plane is registered as N2160S. It is a 6-seat, single engine piston airplane, powered by a 300 HP Continental IO‑520‑L engine. It has a cruising speed of 160 KTS (185 MPH). The normal fuel capacity is 90 gallons, but this aircraft is equipped with long-range wing-tip tanks providing an extra 32 gallons, for a range of 1350 miles. The certified take-off weight is 3800 lbs.
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We will be utilizing a fuel bladder ferry tank made in Australia to ensure we have enough fuel for the longer legs of the trip. This tank can hold an additional 160 gallons of fuel if needed. It is located behind the pilot and copilot seats. All of the necessary documentation that the Federal Aviation Administration requires on ferry tank installation has been approved. On each leg that we fly, we will have a minimum of a three hour fuel reserve , which translates into about 500 additional miles, for a total range of approximately 1900 miles.
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The instrument panel includes a Bendix/King KLN 90B GPS (Global Positioning System), ILS and VOR navigation, VHF radio communication, an Argus 5000/CE moving map for navigation, a solid state transponder, a Stormscope for thunderstorm detection, and a high frequency radio transceiver.
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Performance Specifications
SPEED:
Maximum At Sea Level:
175 KNOTS
Cruise, 75% Power At 6500 Ft:
171 KNOTS
RATE OF CLIMB AT SEA LEVEL:
860 FPM
SERVICE CEILING: 15,500 FT
TAKEOFF PERFORMANCE:
Ground Roll: 1250 FT
Total Distance Over 50-Ft
Obstacle 2030 Ft
LANDING PERFORMANCE:
Ground Roll: 755 Ft
Total Distance Over 50-Ft
Obstacle: 1500 Ft
STALL SPEED (CAS)
Flaps Up, Power Off: 65 KNOTS
Flaps Down, Power Off: 56 KNOTS
MAXIMUM WEIGHT: 3800 LBS
