Fifteen-year-old Byron Waller has spent most of his life in hospital. Now, the Kiwi-born teen is chasing a world record — the youngest supported pilot to fly around the world.
Born to New Zealand parents, with whānau still in Warkworth and across the country, Byron says his Kiwi roots run deep and his dream is as big as the skies he now calls home.
“Oh, yeah. So my grandpa’s currently in Warkworth, hello grandpa, and we’ve got a few different aunties, great aunt, aunties, great uncles, few cousins and stuff still in New Zealand, North and South Island, so we’re still a bit spread over there,” he told 1News. “And then Dad’s ancestry, South Africa… go the All Blacks!”
A life in and out of hospital
Byron’s love of aviation began long before he was well enough to fly.
“I spent from about three weeks old to 14 years old in hospital… mainly because of Crohn’s, which I only got diagnosed with last year,” he says.
His mum, Jeni Langdon, remembers the uncertainty of those years.
“It was really, really challenging… the not knowing, and the unpredictability of life every day for 14 years,” she said. “You’re asking the questions, and no one can give you answers.”
Through endless hospital stays, rashes, allergies and exhaustion, Byron ‘s mum says he found an escape – watching planes fly overhead.
“After a while, I figured out he was watching the A380s fly over… He’d just lie there tracking them.”
From passenger to pilot
As his health improved, Byron’s daydreams turned into action.
At 13, he booked his first flying lesson himself.
By 14, he’d become the youngest person, supported by an instructor, to fly around Australia: 30 stops, 19 days, 11,000 kilometres.
But now, he’s aiming higher.
On Saturday, Byron took off from Brisbane in a Sling TSi, alongside instructor Paul Denness, on a 50,000km journey through 22 countries.
His goal: to finish the trip on his 16th birthday and become the youngest supported pilot to fly around the globe.
“Well, I actually announced it on live TV,” he laughed. “So Mum didn’t really say anything about it, but I could see their faces behind the camera, like… ‘oh no’.”
His parents admit it’s a lot to process as a parent but is onboard with his plan after seeing him so unwell for his entire life.
And Byron’s itinerary is ambitious: from Alice Springs to Christmas Island, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, the Middle East, Egypt, Greece, the UK, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, the US, Hawaii, and maybe even a stop in Aotearoa.
“Paul actually now wants to go to New Zealand, so we actually originally had it now planned, and then we kind of took it out, but we might put it back in the plan… because we’ve got some family there,” he said. “I’m considering seeing if I can fly all around New Zealand without stopping in my plane. That might be in future travel in the next couple of years.”
Flying for more than himself
For Byron, this flight is about more than ticking off destinations — it’s about showing other young people, especially those facing serious illness, that life after hospital can be full of possibility.
“I think my message to anyone who’s in the hospital, or just facing challenges in general, is put your mind to something… make your mind focused on something to get out of the hospital, and then that’ll give you the determination, the strength to overcome your barriers and achieve your dreams no matter how big or small they are,” he said.
“It might feel impossible. You’ll have low days, you’ll have high days… but you can overcome anything if you put your determination, hard work and resilience into the right areas and with the support of the crew and team you’ve got around you.”
Even while crossing oceans, Byron is still fitting in schoolwork.
“On the longer legs I’ll do a bit of schoolwork in the plane… But the teachers are pretty fine if I don’t do too much.”
Byron’s journey will take two months and he hopes it will inspire others to go after their own “impossible”.
“It’s about showing people that no matter your challenges, you can overcome barriers and achieve your dreams.”
