Solo to the Top of the World: Gus McLeod's Daring Record Flight

by Gus McLeod

An entrepreneur and businessman recalls his exploits behind the controls of a bi-plane when he circled the geographic North Pole in a sixty-year-old plane. (Transportation)

248 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2003

About the author

Gustavus A. McLeod

Reviews

[Faloni © · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first read read to our senior citizens classroom. In Solo to the top of the WORLD the cover is Colin Monteath/ Hedgehoghouse.com the author is an entrepreneur/businessman better known for his sharpness keen piloting skills in 2000 on the 17th of APRiL. Gus McLeod is famously known from being a pilot in his teenage years and for this very heart warming story. This author is the pilot responsible for circling the geographic North Pole in a 60 year old open cock pit biplane. This had been a goal for other piloting engineers for centuries! Gus designed an unstoppable crew including mechanical engineer's, chase pilot (that just rcvd the licensing to fly,) plus a historic trainer all together throughout an extreme weather condition here on earth 🌎 with duck tape. Watch you all must see 👀 chapter 4 "I was down to two options; either land the plane in the water 👋 ane swim 🏊 until I passed out or dive straight into the bay and get it over quickly. I decided on the quick route. The choice was not made as cooly as I now relate it. At the time I was convinced I was going to dye, a certainty that so terrified me I almost passed out. Butt once I had determined how I would dye, and had made the decision to take control of my final flight, I calmed down. I thought about all the fools stunts I had pulled and the unintended dangers I had survived. Now I was going down on a mission undertaken specifically to prove to myself that I was a human of substance. The irony of it, I thought. Solo to the Top of the World is a soul-stirring heart warming journey for not only seniors yet for all dreamer chasers and seekers winged, earthbound or in their mother's womb. This book read aloud makes people cry 😢 and laugh out loud sharing life transforming lessons about the importance of friends, self identity and family. Quarreling characters jump from disasters to triumphs plus side splitting encounters with an awesome cast of Eskimos, Bush Pilots, Renegades awaiting them on Canada 🇨🇦 frozen tundra. 15 chapters of amazing aviation action, salute to these authors plus family for keeping it tight!

[Andrew Chmyr · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember seeing a cartoon in a small airport office. It was a Commercial Airline Captain looking at a little boy standing in front of him. The captain is looking down at the boy, and the caption is, "Son good pilots, don't HAVE exciting stories." Ok, I know that many good pilots have exciting stories. I also know that sadly, not all had good endings! I have 28 years in the U.S. Army most of it in Aviation Companies. Since I was an NCO, I came to know a fairly large number of pilots, many of them Vietnam Veterans. I was always comfortable flying with them. Of course, there were the occasional times during training when things got a little exciting. This was mostly due to weather or just the requirements of military training. None it was just to prove anything to anyone, by flying an old military trainer in an environment it was never made for on an insane flight to the north pole. Some of this book is interesting as there are sections on the Stearman biplane a former military trainer. Also, some of the stories about the people and places the author/pilot stopped at during his flight/stunt that are interesting. Beyond that, well, personally I wouldn't ride in car with the author let alone an aircraft. If you disagree, well to each his own. There is an old saying that goes. "There are Old Pilots and there are Bold Pilots. But there are very few Old Bold Pilots." Wonder what he tries next.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flying to the North Pole in a vintage open-cockpit biplane is utterly insane. It's an incredible achievement, and you'll be in awe of what Gus McLeod did. But although there are some exciting moments, and it was most certainly touch and go at times, much of story feels too bland and factual. If, like me, you love old planes, you'll find a lot to enjoy in this, but it's not quite as gripping as I was expecting.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story about flying around the north pole in an old open cockpit biplane.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author flew his Stearman open cockpit airplane to the north pole in April, 2000, starting from Gaithersburg, Md. The story tells his background and the details of his test flight alone to the north magnetic pole the previous year. The year of the pole trip, he was accompanied by a film crew from National Geographic and other support people in two other planes. For the final leg of that flight, one Twin Otter chartered from First Air flew ahead, circling over the pole above while he circled over the pole below them. The ice was too rough to land there. Having gotten some bad fuel at a fuel cache on the ice, he was forced to abandon the plane on the ice part way back to land. The author returned to land in the Twin Otter. The northern reaches of the story were of particular interest to me, as I have been to Resolute and to Eureka Weather Station (1990). Wondered if any of the people he talked about were people I had met.
The book ends with the story of retrieving the plane (the author's failed attempt and the successful transfer by the Air National Guard and the Navy). It hangs in the College Park Aviation Museum in Maryland.

[Arnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flying to the pole in an open-cockpit aircraft is quite an achievement, and the story itself is riveting. An easy read. The author may have benefitted by a better editor or a co-author. It's not that the writing is bad, but there are a lot of spelling and grammatical errors.

As a private pilot myself, I found Gus's flying style to be a bit reckless - not just in his attempt on the pole, but in general. He regularly flies VFR in IFR conditions, for example, which is dangerous. The world's cemeteries are full of incredible pilots who took one too many chances.

A good story overall, though.