Alaska to Oklahoma City
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November 17, 2000: Mission Complete: At 3:00 P.M. CST Robert and the King touched down at Wiley Post Airport, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, completing his historic around the world flight that began 5 1/2 months ago. With the completion of the flight, Robert set a world record for the world flight in an open cockpit biplane. More than 600 people were on hand to welcome Robert back home. Julia Clay from Senator Imhoff's office, as well as General Stafford attended the gathering. November 14, 2000:
Departed Grand Junction for Denver under
clear, cold skies.
Climbed to 12,500 and flew direct over and
through all the high mountain majesty Colorado has to
offer.
What a ride to say the least.
Landed Denver Centennial
Airport, 1.5 hours later.
Parked between a Challenger and a Gulfstream.
I like it. Will Depart on Thursday for Liberal and Oklahoma
City on Friday.
Weather looks good for the rest of the trip,
if you discount the cold. November 13, 2000:
Under clear skies the Stearman and I flew
from Salt Lake, Utah to Grand Junction, Colorado.
Tomorrow I will proceed to Denver. Weather Denver departure
is planned for Wednesday or Thursday, destination Liberal,
Kansas. Arrival
is scheduled in Oklahoma City for Friday, November 17th at
3 pm at Wiley Post Airport. The Birchett brothers of Associated Aero, John Ragozzino, Donna Ragozzino of Terra Lunna Grill, and RockCity.com are hosting a "Welcome Home" bash from 3 till "the last tall tale is told and the tanks run dry". Snacks and drinks will be served. The public is welcome.
Associated Aero is at the Wiley Post
Airport in Hangar 5, 5901 N Rockwell
(405) 789-5474.
Hangar 5 is on Rockwell (5901 North
Rockwell) between 50th and 63rd on the west side of the road.
Sincerely,
Robert Ragozzino November 12, 2000:
Departed Boise, ID in light snow and arrived
in Salt Lake, UT in heavy snow.
Enroute, the flight was mostly in
snow showers over the high desert plains and mountains. The
snow conditions were also prevalent on the deck over the Great
Salt Lake.
On arrival all three TV stations were
filming the near whiteout arrival, very beautiful.
The King looks good wrapped
in a snow blanket. Tomorrow, on to Denver, weather permitting.
Still looking like a Wednesday arrival in Oklahoma City at
Wiley Post Airport. While in Salt Lake I can be reached at (801)
715-8688 Room #219. As always, warmest regards to all our supporters, fans and staff. Robert November 11, 2000:
On Friday I departed Seattle for Baker
City, Oregon.
Intense snow showers in the mountains stopped
me from reaching Baker City.
As an alternate I rolled into Walla
Walla, Washington, stuffed the frigid King in a nice WWII hangar,
and headed a hotel.
Saturday I was back at the airport in 27-degree frost
preparing the Stearman for departure, destination, Boise, Idaho.
The weather today was much better but
very cold.
At higher altitudes through mountain passes
the temps were in the teens.
I am unable to stay warm no matter what
I wear, and I wear enough clothes for an army in the artic.
I am shortening the legs due to the cold down to 2 or 3 hours.
Fortunately, I am getting great tailwinds and making 140
mph groundspeed often.
Tomorrow it is on to Salt Lake for
the night.
Monday I will fly the tall leg through the snow covered
Rockies to Denver Centennial Airport.
I should be home very soon.
It looks like
Wednesday.
I will keep everyone posted, as I get closer.
It will be very easy to
have a weather delay.
All is going well, just very cold, each
minute seems like an hour.
What the heck.
I can be reached in Boise, Idaho
208-342-1044 Room 227 Robert Arrives In Lower 48! November 7, 2000: Robert touched down today at 3:00P.M. PST in Seattle Washington. Robert plans to be in the Seattle area for two to three days. He can be reached at (206) 762-0300 room #201.
November 6, 2000:
The Stearman and I left Ketchikan at 1 PM local
time enroute to Port Hardy, Canada.
Pictured here with me is
my brother John, and his daughter Claire, who recently
moved to Ketchikan. The flight to Port Hardy was uneventful,
except for occasional low ceilings due to rain showers. My
phone number in Port Hardy is 250-949-9434 Room 14.
Next stop Seattle.
Interesting link to pictures of Robert
in Ketchikan, AK November 5, 2000:
I awoke to a beautiful Alaska sunrise through
the hangar apartment window.
In the distance snow capped jagged mountains
glistened in the morning sun. Winds calm, temperature a nice
30 degrees, I prepared the Stearman for the 410 mile leg to
Ketchikan.
All morning, a WWII C-46 roared in and out delivering
14,000-pound loads of diesel fuel to a logging operation up the
coast by Icy Bay.
At 12:15 The King and I headed south for
another day of playing in the surf, scouting icy blue glaciers,
and negotiating some of the worst weather of the trip. The
majority of the trip was though narrow mountain waterways. The
rain and cloud cover were often reducing visibility to below acceptable
levels. It was down and dirty on the deck, I was determined to
get to Ketchikan.
After four trying hours I finally arrived at the Ketchikan
Airport. The strip is located on an island
only accessible by ferryboat. The weather was very poor and
the sun had set. It’s always a satisfying feeling to feel the
wheels roll onto the runway after a tough flight.
The weather forecast for tomorrow’s flight
to Port Hardy is very poor, but most likely flyable. The schedule
to Seattle and beyond must be kept, the world record is still
in reach. November 1, 2000: At 12:45 we rolled the Stearman out of the heated PenAir Hangar in King Salmon under 27 degree partly cloudy skies. Today's destination is Anchorage, Alaska, 280 miles northeast. Departure was in light winds but after 30 minutes of flight the headwinds were blasting and slowing us to a ground speed of 75 mph. The Stearman hates headwinds. We crawled over snow covered rock fields, frozen lakes, and snow crusted mountain passes to the Cook Inlet. Cook Inlet is a large waterway that leads into Anchorage. After 3.5 hours of scenic majesty, I reached Anchorage International. As directed by ground control, I taxied to the base of the control tower dodging 747 exhaust blast. There, I met and cleared customs while four radial engine DC-7s were landing and departing, one of my favorites. The press surrounded the King and I in full force thanks to Orin Seybert, owner of PenAir and head of the local aviation museum. The customs people were very nice and I was soon back in the cockpit taxiing to the museum hangar were the Stearman will be hangared and massaged until the next mission. On Friday the museum is having an open house showcasing the Stearman. I plan to depart Saturday morning, weather permitting, for a coastal destination to the south, most likely Yukatat. Baring the cold temps all is well with the Stearman and I. The natural beauty flows like an endless river under the wings of the Stearman. Effortlessly, the Stearman takes me through Gods country day by day, mile by mile. The Stearman is strong, I am weak. Sincerely, Good Weather in the Aleutians! October 30, 2000: Robert is taking advantage of the good weather that has set in along the Aleutian chain. He arrived yesterday in Dutch Harbor around 5:30pm local time after a short 31/2 hour flight from Adak. Robert plans to depart Dutch Harbor today, skip Cold Bay, and proceed direct to King Salmon, Alaska. Robert Receives Warm Welcome in Adak, Alaska October 28, 2000: The Stearman and I departed Shemya this afternoon for Adak with a great send off from the Shemya crew. Shemya is a huge ex-military installation now operated by a civilian contractor. Shemya is a nice facility staffed with very helpful people happy to see the Stearman. On the second day there, the wind gusted 45 to 70 knots all day long. Walking to the truck was a true experience in the gusting winds. One minute the sky is virtually clear and the next it is a hard snow. Today, I follow the Aleutian Island chain to Adak. Each island is very beautiful with rocky beaches, waterfalls, and snow capped mouton peaks. The islands are basically uninhabited except for special locations like Adak. I was not sure what to expect on arrival into Adak. I flew off the ocean and crested a ridge to find the airport to be a massive ex-Navy installation with dual runways and housing for 6,000 people. During the cold war, Adak was an active submarine base and top secret listening station. Now, it is all but abandoned and operated by 150 civilians. On arrival they ushered me into a huge hangar, handed me a beer, and set up heating equipment to keep the Stearman engine and interior warm. Just plain great folks! I have met people in Shemya and Adak from, Ada, Broken Arrow and Pauls Valley. It is definitely a small world. I am writing this message from the home of the airport manager. In the kitchen there are six locals drinking beer and smoking. They are laughing and telling tales of the days work, unloading a Russian tanker of 4 million gallons of diesel fuel, the winter heating fuel supply. Tomorrow I plan to
depart for Dutch Harbor. High pressure is building in the area
and the weather is improving. |
