Donald P. Taylor American pilot Date of Birth: 01.10.1918 Country: USA

Biography of Donald P. Taylor

Donald P. Taylor, an American pilot, retired from the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1962, after serving in World War II and the China-Burma-India theater of military operations. From a young age, he expressed his determination to build an airplane and fly it around the world. His homemade aircraft, named 'Victoria '76' in honor of one of Ferdinand Magellan's ships, made a series of successful flights in late summer and early fall of 1976. The plane was powered by a Lycoming Thorp T-18 engine and equipped with advanced communication and navigational systems. Taylor also installed a new fuel supply system after his first attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1973 was hindered by poor weather conditions. Despite the failure, he returned to the starting point of his journey, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, as a hero. Planning for the circumnavigation was further complicated by the fact that the People's Republic of China and the USSR were closed to American aviators at that time.

In 1980, Taylor flew 'Victoria '76' to Australia and back. Additionally, in 1984, he conquered the geographic and magnetic North Poles while piloting the same aircraft. Although the plane had a specific purpose, Taylor used it as a regular means of transportation, embarking on trips from his remote ranch in Southern California, located in the desert. In the early 1980s, he proposed placing the aircraft in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. However, the aviation company did not allow Taylor to publicly display the interior of the plane. Instead, 'Victoria '76' is now on display at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture museum in Oshkosh.

Upon his retirement from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1962, leaving behind his experiences in World War II and the China-Burma-India theater, Taylor commanded an Air Force unit responsible for the technical support and operation of the Thor missile in Central England in the late 1950s. He continued to maintain a strong interest in aviation.

On October 1, 2007, at the age of 89, Taylor was still actively flying.