Could this be the ultimate flying challenge?
Imagine being in transit for 11 consecutive days, with 170 of those 264 hours spent in the air and the remainder in an airport. At first, you might relish the opportunity to catch up on your reading, enjoy a movie or two and gorge on the in-flight menu. But then the tiredness and subsequent lack of concentration sets in and all you can think about is a home-cooked meal and a real bed.
On November 7, Matthias Fuchs will take on exactly that challenge in the third phase of his efforts to raise funds to help children suffering from cystic fibrosis, a terminal lung illness.
The unusual journey began when his daughter Kristen was diagnosed with the disease. Determined to raise funds for the cystic fibrosis clinic at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, where she was being treated, and inspired by a love of flying instilled in him at a young age, Fuchs came up with a plan to spend seven days hopping from one domestic flight to another. And in 2009, with Virgin Australia’s support, it literally took off.
“It got a lot of publicity because it was unique,” he tells Travel Weekly. He managed to raise an impressive $120,000, mainly through corporate sponsorships, but felt he could do more.
So two years later, this time with Qantas the airline of choice, Fuchs took things to the next level. He extended the journey to nine days, incorporating every continent and each different aircraft type in Qantas’s fleet. It was a lot tougher, he recalls, but he managed to raise even more, with the fundraising total rising to $130,000.
“The 2011 event was to buy a mass spectometre for the children’s hospital because there weren’t any of these machines in Australia,” Fuchs says. The machine ensures greater accuracy in lung function tests but, to ensure its future sustainable use, more funding is required. And so, Fuchs is plotting his return to the skies this November. He’d like to raise a dollar for each of the 140,000 kilometres he plans to cover, but $100,000 should be enough to make a difference, he says.
The longest journey of the three, it has been carefully planned so that Fuchs is in the air overnight, eliminating the need for “airport kipping”. He’s prepared to put on a bit of weight, but will try and keep active wherever possible, drink plenty of water and will limit alcohol consumption to “just one glass” with meals. Although upgrades will only be provided where available, lounge access is guaranteed, meaning he’ll be able to stay connected and, more importantly, showered.
His wife will bring frequent changes of clothes to him at the airport and she’ll be accompanied by Kristen, who has just turned 11.
“She appreciates that I’m doing things to help her and her clinic,” Fuchs says. “But she thinks I’m crazy – there’s no doubt about that.”
To sponsor Matthias in his quest, visit his fundraising page by clicking here.
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