A brief history of Don Taylor circumnavigates the world
By Willie Bodenstein
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10.09.2025
Born on 1 October 1918, Donald P. Taylor resolved from an early age that one day he would build an airplane and fly it around the world.
Before he could pursue that dream, Don served his country. He joined the USAF and became a fighter/bomber pilot in World War II, flying P-40s in the China-Burma-India Theatre. After the war, he was stationed in Germany during the occupation and later trained in jet fighters. During the Cold War, Don commanded the Thor Missile Maintenance and Operations Training for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in central England.
Upon retiring from the Air Force, Don finally had the time and resources to realize his lifelong ambition. Immersed in sport aviation as a builder, pilot, instructor, and adventurer, he scratch-built a high-performance, Lycoming-powered, two-seat Thorp T-18, which he named Victoria '76. He fitted the aircraft with upgraded communications, navigation equipment, and a specially designed fuel system.
His first attempt at circumnavigation in 1973 ended in disappointment when severe weather between Japan and the Aleutian Islands forced him to abort. But Don never gave up. On 1 August 1976, he departed Oshkosh to try again, carefully planning a route that avoided the closed airspaces of the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union. Two months later, on 1 October, his 58th birthday, he triumphantly landed back at Oshkosh, completing his eastbound journey around the globe.
Not content to rest on that achievement, Don continued flying Victoria '76 as his daily transport and used it for further adventures, including flights to Australia, the geographic North Pole, and the Magnetic North Pole.
In 1980, he offered the aircraft to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, but when no firm commitment was made to display her as he wished, he turned instead to the Experimental Aircraft Association. Today, Victoria '76 proudly resides in the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, a fitting home for this homebuilt legend.
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