Babar Suleman (; December 27, 1958 – July 22, 2014) and Haris Suleman (; October 3, 1996 – July 22, 2014) were a Pakistani-American father-son pilot duo who were attempting to fly around the world in 30 days to promote education, when their single-engine plane crashed into the South Pacific Ocean near Pago Pago on 22 July 2014 on the final leg of their journey, killing Haris and leaving his father Babar, also on board, missing.
Had Babar and Haris completed the trip, they would have set the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the world in a single-engine plane; Haris, at age 17, would have also become the youngest pilot to lead such a journey. Haris' body was retrieved during a search-and-rescue effort, however Babar was never found. Their mission was highlighted in the media, and over $3.1 million worth of donations were raised for their charity project following their death. In recognition of their work, Babar and Haris Suleman were posthumously conferred the Sitara-i-Imtiaz civil award by the government of Pakistan in 2015.
Background
The Sulemans belonged to a family of aviators. Their hometown is Okara, located in Punjab. Babar's elder brother, Rao Qamar Suleman, served as the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) from 2009 to 2012. His brother-in-law, Abid Rao is also a former air vice-marshal in the PAF and a defence analyst. Babar was married to Shamim Babar. The couple had two sons – Cyrus and Haris, and daughter Hiba. Haris was the youngest of the three children.
Babar Suleman
Babar studied at the PAF College Sargodha and aspired to join the PAF, but was unable to clear a medical fitness test. He then pursued a degree in engineering at the University of Engineering and Technology in Taxila and migrated to the United States in 1983–84 at age 25, shortly after marriage, to undertake postgraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin. After his graduation, the Sulemans settled in the New York metropolitan area and Babar worked in various jobs as a civil and construction engineer. They became naturalised American citizens soon after. In the early 1990s, they decided to move from the fast-paced life of New York and settled in the town of Plainfield, Indiana, where Babar took up a job with an energy company. It was to become their final destination, and where Haris was born in October 1996. Babar was well-known in the local community, partaking in multiple extracurricular activities and coaching the boys and girls' soccer teams at Plainfield High School. While in Plainfield, Babar also rediscovered his passion for flying. In 2004–05, he began taking flying lessons and obtained his private pilot's license. He later purchased his own aircraft and began taking consulting assignments around the country which required flying.
In early 2014, he expressed his interest to plan an around-the-world trip and began discussing the idea with other pilots, who encouraged him by mentioning how common such flights were. He also decided to dedicate the trip toward the cause of education in Pakistan, pledging to fundraise $1 million by flying around the world in 30 days. According to his family, he had often floated the idea of flying to his native Pakistan in his own plane, which was usually met with ridicule and dissuasion. Babar however appeared content with the plan and was not overly concerned with the safety implications that, as insisted by his family, such a long journey could bring, once remarking: "If it’s not your time, it’s not your time. But when it is – no matter how many iron curtains you hide behind, the grim reaper will get you. But if you go supporting a noble cause, you have made a point and achieved your goal." According to Babar, the purpose of the trip was not to make or break a record; in fact, it did not matter much to him if the trip took longer, as the key focus was on the "mission" which was to help develop schools in rural Pakistan.
Haris Suleman
Haris Suleman was born on 3 October 1996 in Plainfield, Indiana. He was a student at Plainfield High School. Haris was inspired by his father and wanted to learn flying like him too. At the age of eight, he began accompanying his father on his flights on their private plane. Thus, when the "opportunity arose to join [his father] to achieve a life-long dream, Haris jumped at the chance." At age 17, Haris finished flight school and attained his private pilot's license, logging around 50 hours of flying time prior to their world tour.