TOM CLAYTOR
| Tom Claytor is a bush pilot and a writer. His passions are flying,
mountaineering, polo and
whitewater kayaking. He believes these passions are similar in that you are
being gentle with a wild thing, and that you don't win by force, but by finesse.
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up on a small farm in Radnor.
His grandmother, Mary Ingersoll, was a pilot and bred race horses. He started
flying at age 18 and started playing polo in Kenya at age 23. Tom received a
B.A. (major in Physics) from Colby College in
Waterville, Maine and was awarded an IBM
Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to fly
in Africa. As a Fellow of The Explorers Club
in New York City, Tom set off to fly around the world in 1990 in a Cessna 180
aircraft. There is a
National
Geographic Special "Flight Over Africa" which follows his journey through
Africa. He also appeared in the feature film
"First Flight." In 2000, he set up the
Timmissartok Foundation to support individuals with adventurous projects in
foreign countries that help broaden the horizons and develop the characters of
those individuals. Tom has flown through 70 countries on his expedition. He
carries two polo sticks in the back of his plane and enjoys landing on polo
fields and playing polo with the Black
Dog Polo team when he can. Tom doesn't believe that polo need be limited to
horseback. Tom's journey can be followed on his
webpage - www.claytor.com.
Polo Magazine Article |
Tom was an honored guest on the Mongolian Camel Polo Team - Dalanzadgad, Gobi
Desert - February 2008