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The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 11, and fans have been using almost anything to reach the venue and watch their favorite teams in action. Two such fans made a sudden plan to fly a small propeller airplane for 22 hours to watch Scotland play in Boston.
Scotland qualified for the first time since 1998, and thus, many fans have been getting quite creative in their attempts to watch the tournament live.
Ayr United chairman David Smith and vice-chairman Fraser MacIntyre planned to attend the World Cup to watch all three group stage matches. However, they chose to do it a bit differently by not flying with the rest of the Scottish fans. Instead, they decided to fly themselves.
Despite the vast landscape and the Atlantic Ocean that stood in their way, the duo decided to fly in a small, lightweight, single-engine airplane without catering services or a lavatory on board to watch their team. Speaking to the BBC, Smith said:
“Ayr United were up playing Arbroath and we were driving back and we were talking about if [Scotland] got through. Fraser said, ‘Why don’t we take the plane?’ I genuinely hadn’t been drinking and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s go for it.’”
Although the journey sounds quite easy when one says they flew down to watch the tournament, it actually wasn’t, considering the long flying hours, multiple stops, and the risk of flying so far without a backup engine. Commercial airliners, by contrast, have multiple engines and can divert to the nearest airport if one fails.
The duo flew from Prestwick in Scotland to Reykjavik, Iceland, in what seems like a Cirrus SR22T G5 airplane, which they called “Ayr Force One.” That leg of the journey took 4.5 hours. The next stop was Greenland, landing in Kulusuk. From there, they flew to Iqaluit and then to Goose Bay.
It was another 4.5 hours of flying time to Montreal, and the final leg to Providence took two hours. Luckily for Smith and MacIntyre, they reached just in time to watch their team win over Haiti by a score of 1-0 in the opening game.
Continue reading...
Scotland qualified for the first time since 1998, and thus, many fans have been getting quite creative in their attempts to watch the tournament live.
Ayr United chairman David Smith and vice-chairman Fraser MacIntyre planned to attend the World Cup to watch all three group stage matches. However, they chose to do it a bit differently by not flying with the rest of the Scottish fans. Instead, they decided to fly themselves.
Despite the vast landscape and the Atlantic Ocean that stood in their way, the duo decided to fly in a small, lightweight, single-engine airplane without catering services or a lavatory on board to watch their team. Speaking to the BBC, Smith said:
“Ayr United were up playing Arbroath and we were driving back and we were talking about if [Scotland] got through. Fraser said, ‘Why don’t we take the plane?’ I genuinely hadn’t been drinking and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s go for it.’”
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Although the journey sounds quite easy when one says they flew down to watch the tournament, it actually wasn’t, considering the long flying hours, multiple stops, and the risk of flying so far without a backup engine. Commercial airliners, by contrast, have multiple engines and can divert to the nearest airport if one fails.
The duo flew from Prestwick in Scotland to Reykjavik, Iceland, in what seems like a Cirrus SR22T G5 airplane, which they called “Ayr Force One.” That leg of the journey took 4.5 hours. The next stop was Greenland, landing in Kulusuk. From there, they flew to Iqaluit and then to Goose Bay.
It was another 4.5 hours of flying time to Montreal, and the final leg to Providence took two hours. Luckily for Smith and MacIntyre, they reached just in time to watch their team win over Haiti by a score of 1-0 in the opening game.
Continue reading...
