Student, friend give their dream wings

Their round-the-world flight is planned for next year

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT--Rochester senior Dan Dominguez (right) and pal Chris Wall pose with the aircraft that will make their dream come true.

Dan Dominguez plans to set out on a round-the-world flight next August. He and Chris Wall, who attends Rice University, hope to become the youngest pilots to accomplish that feat. They'll have an even younger "crew" on their three-month, 26,500-mile journey. Using new satellite technology donated by EchoFlight, an aviation product development company, the two will be able to interact live with classrooms all over the world, sharing real-time video and pictures while flying.

"We want to share the dream and the spirit of flying and encourage environmental awareness," explained Dominguez. "And we also want to show schoolchildren and adults that they can follow their dreams, that if they set their goals and reach for them, anything is possible."

Their own ambitious dream has demanded increasing amounts of time and effort since the duo decided three years ago to circumnavigate the globe. Among their accomplishments: They devoted six months to planning; they incorporated a foundation for fundraising (and assisted Sigma Chi in a fundraiser for Hillside Children's Center last year); they researched, found, and bought the appropriate plane for their journey; they developed an informational brochure and press release; they created a Web site (www. globaladvancement.org); and they lined up initial sponsors.

Both adventurers continued to keep a hectic schedule in Rochester this summer, working full time at their jobs at Bill Law AviationDominguez as a flight instructor and Wall as an airplane mechanic, and both as commercial pilots. They also contacted potential donors and prepared their airplane for next year's flight.

The two have been helped by eager volunteers--students and community residents alike--excited at the prospect of being part of a history-making flight. Dominguez and Wall got the attention of local television crews and were a hit among visitors to the Rochester air show last month, where they had their plane on display.

During the next year, the two will continue raising funds and completing preparations for their round-the-world flight while keeping up with their studies--Dominguez in economics and Wall in electrical engineering. And, having learned the difficulties of raising support for their own project, they'll keep using their foundation to help schoolchildren realize their dreams.

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