Blakesburg History
July 2, 1937. At precisely 00:00 GMT Amelia Earheart and Fred Noonan departed Lae, Papau New Guinea bound for Howland Island, U.S. Territory. The Lockheed Electra is believed to have been carrying 1,000 gallons of fuel. This 29th leg of their 28,595 mile around-the-world flight would cover 2,556 miles. They were never seen again.
On October 23, 2009 a feature film “Amelia” starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere will open in theaters across the country. The Lockheed, bathed in the light of a full Iowa moon, is owned by Joe Shepherd and is featured in this film.
In 1967 Ann Holtgren Pellegrino with the assistance of William Payne, Lee Koepke and Bill Polhemus, successfully flew a Lockheed 10A around the world following “The Amelia Trail”. They used only charts and procedures which had been available in 1937. She was able to call from Howland Island via radio link to the 99ers back in the U.S.A. Her navigational and piloting skills prevailed. It was an honor to visit with her at Blakesburg.
Blakesburg 2009
Can you imagine…being there at the Ryan factory when the first SCW was rolled out into the sunlight? Maybe they knew right off, or perhaps they just didn’t realize it at the time…what a creation of beauty they had. It’s all just engineering and fabrication and mathematics…right? So, who chose to have bumps on the cowling? Who picked the smoothly tapered wheel pants or “spats” as they were called? Pity those without souls who think these are “just machines”!
When the first Wallace Touroplane flew in 1927 things began to change. It was the first step in the development of an aircraft which allowed an enclosed cabin. No longer would ladies and gentlemen be required to sit outside in the wind and the weather. It was the kind of aircraft a business executive could use. But it was loud and slow and the climb performance was marginal when fully loaded with three persons aboard. In just a few short years and in spite of the depression, aircraft evolved to become something Mr. Wallace had envisioned…fast and comfortable business airplanes which could transport executives to business meetings across the country. In fact, it became common for a businessman in coat and tie to catch and pass a squadron of the latest military pursuit fighters of the time…their pilots still sitting outside in the weather and wearing helmets and goggles.
This year the theme “Corporate Wings” featured the Howard line of aircraft, and they weren’t called “DGA’s” without reason. They were, and still are, exceptional airplanes. Those who caretake these craft are fortunate indeed. Those who made the effort to be at Blakesburg share in that good fortune. One of the owners was standing by his Howard and I asked him the usual question. “How does it handle in a crosswind?” His reply… “It’s a Beast to handle even when the wind is dead calm!” Maybe he was just bragging. Maybe not. One of the nicest people in the world, Joe Shepherd, arrived in his Lockheed 12A from Fayetteville, Georgia. We all know it can be done with a plane this large after seeing a B-25 come and go at Blakesburg, but pilots of even smaller craft can feel the pucker factor rise here. Everything is relative to what you are used to and Joe had no problem at all. He and his plane are featured in the movie “Amelia” coming out Oct. 23, 2009. Look closely at the air-to-air shots for Joe….wearing a wig….and without his finely trimmed moustache. While the laws of aerodynamics and global navigation do not care what gender you are…the movie makers do.
The Howards are truly DGA’s if you know what that means. Sharing some of the same blood line is Jim Younkin’s “Mr. Mulligan” replica which I was fortunate enough to sit in. While I would have loved to go for a ride, I know that I am “not worthy”, at least not yet. Jim showed me his autopilot system and came over to my Cessna 195 to describe how it could be installed in place of my old Brittain unit. The Brittain unit has been inop for twenty years. Some of my local AAA of Colorado group were snagged by bad weather, but all eventually arrived to enjoy a week of excellent flying. Amongst the group was one of the “T-Craft Project” workers, Devika Douillard who is a student pilot. She had the task of flying a 1340 sm dual cross-country flight with her CFI, Mike Guegeler. With a 30 year-old watch, current charts, and a compass, she flew a 50 year-old airplane to Blakesburg. It was a learning experience. No GPS was allowed, and she quickly learned just how difficult low-level navigation can be. The E6B became her friend. Good on you Devika!
Most folks leave before the show is over. Too bad because the awards presentations on Sunday night was a hoot! The Grand Champion Award went to a precursor of Fairchild aircraft, D.J. Short’s KR-31 Challenger. As the sun slowly settled in the West, the full moon would rise in the East and with the cool of the night came a layer of ground fog. Rides were given until it became too dark to fly…about an hour before Mike Guegeler would have arrived in a Cub. D. J. Short pleased all by flying his Grand Champion Challenger into the sunset. The distinctive OX-5 engine was purring softly as he made several fly-bys. The sound of Larry Howard’s 330 hp Laird made a distinct contrast.
The moon came up while the awards were being presented Sunday night. The list of winners is too long to include here. There were many who were already gone, and as their names were called we would all echo “Already Gone Home!” Those who stayed were rewarded with a grand ending to a grand event.
Naturally, all that ground fog was still around Monday morning, but no one was in a hurry to go anyway. Around noon it was all breaking up nicely and I took off Westward in search of a Lady with three Westies.
By Richard Hawley
