"Once Around the Block"
Get Ready for "Once Around the Block" coming Spring 2026
Once Around the Block is a storytelling journey told from the air.
I've been flying for over fifty years, and what aviation has taught me is that perspective changes everything. Beginning in late May, I'll fly an ELA Eclipse REVO Gyrocopter on a 17,760-mile journey around the country, stopping in communities large and small.
At each stop, I'll record a brief sunrise reflection and sunset conversations recorded on location, often in flight, with people whose lives reflect courage, service, and conviction. It's not a stunt or a vlog. It's aviation as witness, story as compass, and faith expressed through action - concluding on July 4th.
Aircraft of Choice
Click the link below to learn more about the Eclipse REVO from ELA Aviation.
Once Around the Block's Aircraft of Choice
ELA Aviation Eclipse REVO
Prepare for takeoff with the Eclipse REVO, a revolutionary gyroplane that is transforming the aviation landscape. With its unique INSTO-powered takeoff capability, this aircraft offers unlimited possibilities for pilots and adventurers alike.
Once Around the Block's journey is not theoretical. It is grounded in discipline, safety, and lived experience
Our Pilot & Storyteller
Gary Lightfoot brings a rare combination of experience to this mission:
- Over 50 years in aviation
- More than 30 years as a professional pilot
- Former Chief Pilot and Head Instructor
- Former Federal Officer
- Background in International Relations and Research in the Pacific and Russia
- Lifelong Storyteller, Novelist, and Screenwriter
- Founder of Lightfoot Aviation LLC
Why this Mission, Why Now?
Get Ready for Once Around the Block
America's founding story is not a static monument - it is a living inheritance. At moments of uncertainty, nations do not heal through slogans or volume, but through remembering who they are and why they exist.
Once Around the Block seeks to remind Americans that this country was not built by abstraction, but by people - families, workers, believers, builders - who carried responsibility quietly and faithfully.
