Peter McMillan ’81 is a vintage aircraft enthusiast who, in 1994, completed a replica of a Vickers Vimy WWI-era biplane with Australian Lang Kidby. Upon completion, the pilots of the Vimy replica, including McMillan, have since re-created three of the world’s first long-distance flights, which were completed by the Vimy in 1919 and 1920.

“The Vimy Expeditions,” a 256-page hardbound volume authored by McMillan retells the story of the Vimy and its past and present voyages.  The book, released October 2011, includes 450 full-color photographs of the Vimy’s modern journeys taken by top National Geographic photographers, along with many sepia-toned archive images of the original flights and their brave pilots.

McMillan, a Charlotte, North Carolina native, lives in London and is a global
fundraiser for the investment firm TPG Capital. He credits the
friendships he made with international students during his time at
Carolina with opening his eyes to a global worldview and setting him on
the path which led him to undertake the challenge of re-constructing the
Vimy and later to embark on a career in international business.

McMillan
encourages new donors to join him in providing opportunities to current
and future UNC students similar to those he had at Carolina and in his
career through the support of the Global Education Fund. He has offered
to match all new gifts to the fund up to a total of $50,000. Funds
provide a range of opportunities for students and faculty to explore the
world.

RESOURCES
About The Vimy Expeditions: The Plane that Changed the World
Participate in the McMillan Challenge