Crossing the Atlantic at age 89, with Ed Galkin

By John Zimmerman
Mar 10, 2026
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Pilot's Discretion Podcast, episode 125

Ed Galkin has flown his Cessna 210 around the world in both directions, and last year he flew a circle around the Atlantic Ocean at age 89. In his uniquely energetic way, he explains how much planning goes into each trip, how he stays focused in flight, and the best places he’s visited along the way. Ed also shares some tips for staying sharp as a pilot, even well into your 80s, including the value of an instrument rating. In the Ready to Copy segment, you’ll learn about managing your bladder on 14-hour flights, landing at Easter Island, and what Ed learned as an oral surgeon that helped in the cockpit.

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Quotes:

His recent record-setting flight: “[my friend] wanted to register me with Guinness’s world book of records… the oldest guy to fly eastbound over the Atlantic and westbound over the Atlantic.”
How technology has changed over 40 years: “back in the early 80s… they still had ships out in the Atlantic Ocean every couple of hundred miles that you could get to with an ADF radio.”
Using a personal meteorologist: “I'm very fortunate enough to have a very dear friend of mine who's a weather meteorologist… every trip I've gone either over the Atlantic or around the world, Steve has been my help.”
What technology he would take next time: “I think that's where the future is really, with Starlink.”
Raising money while he flies: “we had so much publicity on his trip that I just did circling the Atlantic, we were told that we raised over $1 million to eradicate polio.”
The most important lesson for ocean crossings: “you have to stay cool no matter what happens.”
Staying sharp as an 89-year old pilot: “you really have to have an instrument rating and you have to be current on instruments. If you're not current on instruments, you shouldn't be flying at all.”
The perspective flying offers: “when I'm up five, six, seven thousand feet, I realize how insignificant all my little problems are down below. And I'm very fortunate that I don't need a psychiatrist - just getting up into my airplane”
Preventing sleep on a long flight: “I could stay at 14, 15, 16 hours and just not feel any fatigue. I think it's the adrenaline.”
Preparing for a ditching: “most ditchings are survivable. But you have to fly the plane, and you just have to stay cool.”
The importance of discipline: “I never fly when I'm tired. If I don't feel well, I say, ‘I'm not going to the airplane.’ And I don't have to prove anything.”