AVIATION WEEK

You may remember last week’s blog when I thought I’d be deep into Las Vegas slots when you read it. More like deep into the Public Safety Writers Conference.

Wrong in either case.

No more foreshadowing for this blogger — my writer/friend/partner in travels Ann Parker and I spent the day last Thursday at the Oakland Airport while our flight to LV kept getting delayed, 15 minutes at a time, then canceled, with no more flights that day! I’ll spare you most of the details, like missing luggage, in case I want to use the story for a piece of fiction some time.

This week is about milestones in aviation history. Quite appropriate also as we celebrated the “Moon Landing” on July 20, 1969.

On July 22, 1933, aviation pioneer WILEY POST came in for a landing on New York’s Floyd Bennett Field, the first person to fly solo around the world.

Two years later, Post and his good friend humorist Will Rogers died when their plane crashed near Point Barrow Alaska.

One-half left front view from slightly above of damaged directional gyro displayed on a small wood base.

I came across this story as I was writing my Alaska Diner series, and learned the name of the airport in Utqiagvik: the Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport. I found some very interesting videos and websites. Here’s one of my favorite videos, showing Rogers plane, the Winnie Mae, being towed down the streets of Manhattan!

 

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