Dawn Images

Remember when Fakhre Alam said he wanted to make a solo attempt of flying around the globe?

It was back in 2015 when he first talked about his dream and it looks like it's finally close to materialising. Props for persistence!

Speaking to Images, Alam talked about his dream, "Three years ago in 2015, after I got my private pilot license in the USA, I went on to get my instrument rating and my twin-engine rating, also from the USA. I'd spoken about how I'm going to circumnavigate the globe and hopefully become the first Pakistani to do so.

"It's much more complicated than I had anticipated it to be so the plan just couldn't culminate. At the time I had announced it I had barely 40 hours of flight experience."

Alam went to work and did whatever it took to acknowledge and solve all his challenges.

"My initial challenges were that I obviously had very little flight experience. I still have a long way to go and that was a real challenge because no one wants to rent out a plane to you and insurance companies see the risks. Also, because this is a global flight, I'll be flying through international airspace and through various air regulations, the complications were a lot to work out. There was a lot of work to be done. I needed to work on getting visas, arrival and landing permits and what not."

He added, "I had to work on the preparations as I would be going to different locations and there are so many things to be prepared for. All the safety precautions and spare parts for the plane and also methods to be able to handle extreme weather."

But Alam remained resilient, also getting help along the way.

"A friend of mine, Kurt, he really came through for me and helped me deal with all the issues."

"After three years of hearing "No" and working out every detail, I'm happy to say this is finally happening. I leave Karachi on October 3 for Florida to get my certification renewed and after that, I fly off to circumnavigate the globe on October 6. Pakistan will be in that!"

Alam is excited to take everyone on the journey along with him on his site for Mission Parwaaz. But what does circumnavigating the globe mean and what is Fakhre Alam's plan?

"I have to do 26000 nautical miles and fly through all the mediums of the planet to achieve circumnavigation. We're aiming for a 28-day schedule. The rules state I have to use the same aircraft and be in control of it at all time. I'll be flying to 30 airports around the world."

As the singer said three years ago, Mission Parwaaz is for the people of Pakistan.

"The risk is there but the reward and the glory to our flag are far greater and I'm committed to it. I'm grateful to everyone who helped me out, whether they were from USA, UAE or Pakistan, making this happen made me realise what it would be like if the planet was one. Maybe the next step will be intergalactic travel, there are so many possibilities."