Ed Galkin is about to add another adventure to his astonishing flight resume.
Galkin has flown around the world four times, most recently in 2022, in the same single-engine plane the retired dentist purchased in 1977.
Now he’s getting ready for a 37-day, 8,800-mile journey that is starting and finishing in New Jersey. It will be highlighted by two crossings of the Atlantic Ocean and 15 stops in 11 nations.
Galkin said he and his copilot, Peter Teahen, are planning to depart Central Jersey Regional Airport in Hillsborough around 9 a.m. Saturday.
“I get a chance to do one more mission, to fly across the Atlantic,” Galkin, a married father of two, grandfather of five and great-grandfather of six, told NJ Advance Media on Friday.
Galkin was accompanied by copilots during his four journeys around the Earth in 1988, 2004, 2018 and 2022.
He has been a licensed pilot since 1970 and has logged 1.3 million miles on his Cessna 210 Centurion.
His latest trip is serving as a fundraiser for Rotary International’s global polio eradication effort, according to the organization. It is being called, “Circle the Atlantic: Flight To End Polio.”
Eliminating the disease is a top priority of Rotary, the service organization to which both Galkin and Teahen are members. The shared interest in Rotary is how he met Teahen, 72, who lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Galkin, whose last worldwide flight in 2022 raised money for the Alzheimer’s Association, said he did not want to attempt another 22,000-mile journey.
He opted instead to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, and back, with appearances along the way touting their mission.
“We plan to do a bunch of presentations to Rotary groups,” Galkin said.
From the airport in Hillsborough, Galkin and Teahen will fly to Houlton, Maine. They will depart Monday for Newfoundland, Canada, then arrive in Greenland on Wednesday. They will stop briefly in Iceland on Sunday before landing in Norway later that day, according to their itinerary.
They will visit Poland, France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean a second time, they will make a final stop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, before returning to New Jersey on Oct. 5.
Galkin was born in Newark and grew up in Hoboken and has been a licensed pilot since 1970. He retired from his dental practice in Woodbridge in December 2020.
He and his wife, Bobbie, celebrated their 65th anniversary on Aug. 27.
He said he has been living in the same house in Edison since 1968.
Galkin is turning 90 next March. He offered a simple explanation for his persistence in piloting.
“I love flying,” he said.
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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
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