Dawn to Dusk Dash with a Difference

This summer, pilot Derek Pake and clean technology specialist – and "Munroist” – Adam Forsyth are going to undertake an exciting and unusual challenge. In doing so, they’re seeking to promote the decarbonisation of aviation, help Scottish Mountain Rescue fund new life-saving technology and give disabled people wings.

As a hillwalking enthusiast, Adam has successfully climbed all 282 Scottish mountains over 3,000 feet – the Munros. As a pilot, Derek is keen to enter the Pooleys International Dawn to Dusk aviation competition. Between them, they plan to overfly every one of those mountains in a single day.

The pair also hope to promote the decarbonisation of aviation.

The aircraft’s fuel tank will contain a small blend of sustainable aviation fuel (AVGAS) – at a level low enough to comply with current regulations. This has kindly been provided by Dr Massimiliano Materazzi who leads bioenergy and biofuels research at UCL. In this way, Derek and Adam hope to highlight that there are low and even negative carbon aviation solutions currently in development, and that aviation can be decarbonised. In his work at Longspur Capital with companies such as Velocys on sustainable aviation fuel, Lilium on electric flight and ZeroAvia on hydrogen flight, Adam has come to understand that the solutions are out there.