[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 150 (Thursday, December 7, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              WORLD FLIGHT 2000: AN EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 7, 2000

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to this chamber's 
attention a remarkable odyssey that will come to its successful 
conclusion on December 15: World Flight 2000.
  In 1996, high school students Daniel Dominquez and Christopher Wall 
dreamt of becoming the youngest individuals ever to circumnavigate the 
globe. Just four years later, that dream is on the verge of reality. 
Supported by a spectacular team of coordinators, these two young pilots 
are about to finish a two-month flight around the world in their plane, 
the Dreamcatcher.
  There is a great deal more than just the youth of the pilots, 
however, that makes this accomplishment extraordinary. The World Flight 
2000 team has gone to great lengths to make their trip a learning 
experience for children all over the world. Their website, 
www.worldflight2000.com, includes daily logs from the crew, dozens of 
photographs from their trip, and an-up-to-the-minute live tracking 
screen to follow the plane. At every stop, World Flight 2000 meets with 
as many schoolchildren as possible to talk about their dream, their 
trip, and the exotic places they have seen. Students were encouraged to 
e-mail the pilots with questions throughout the trip, which they 
answered en route.
  Dreamcatcher and her crew took off from Rochester, New York on 
September 12 and stopped in Maine and Canada before striking out across 
the Atlantic Ocean. Since then, stops have included Spain, Greece, 
Egypt, Oman, Thailand, Australia, Vanuatu, and American Samoa. For each 
place Dreamcatcher visits, the World Flight 2000 website lists a host 
of information, ranging from customs to environment to government to 
recipes.
  The trip has been filled with challenges. Beyond the expected issues 
of weather and maintenance, the crew has had to deal with troublesome 
control towers, flight plan glitches, and illness. Yet they have come 
through all of these problems with, as they say, flying colors.
  I am proud to claim virtually the entire World Flight 2000 team as my 
constituents. Pilot Dan Dominquez is a senior at the University of 
Rochester, where he studies economics. Pilot Chris Wall is a 21-year-
old junior at Rice University, majoring in electrical engineering. 
Flight photographer Jesse Weisz graduated from the University of 
Rochester with an Honors Major in Film. International Director/
Coordinator Jenni Powers is a 21-year of recent graduate of the 
Univerisity of Rochester, where she obtained her International 
Relations degree. Local publicist John Galbraith has donated hundreds 
of hours to coordinate press, marketing, and corporate sponsorship. 
Dozens of local volunteers have been inspired to get involved, helping 
with everything from public relations to rehabilitation of the 
aircraft.
  Mr. Speaker, these young people are out there achieving something 
that most adults would never undertake simply because the prospect is 
so daunting. Yet they have managed to conquer not only the practical, 
financial, logistical, and other hurdles, but the entire globe as well.
  I invite my colleagues to join me in saluting World Flight 2000 for 
proving to us all that, ``Anything is possible if you just dream!'' 
Welcome home, Dreamcatcher!

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