Historic Aircraft To Cross The Country September 10-15

Boeing and Jeppesen will sponsor the 2008 transcontinental airmail re-enactment, a five-day cross-country trip that commemorates the 90th anniversary of air mail service in the US and honors pioneers of commercial aviation. Bill Boeing, Jr. is also personally sponsoring the flight.

The trip will be comprised of a flight of three -- a historic 1928 Boeing 40, a 1927 Boeing Stearman C3B and 1930 Boeing Stearman 4E. The flight has been authorized by US Post Office to carry official US mail between New York and San Francisco.

Barring weather delays or other issues, pilots Addison Pemberton (B-40 pilot,) Larry Tobin (C3B) and Ben Scott (4E) are scheduled to lift off from New York's Republic Field (FRG) at 9:30 am on September 10, arriving in Bellefonte, PA by late morning. The planes will depart that airport later in the day, arriving at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL) by early evening.

Over the next four days, the planes will stop in Bryan, OH (OG6); Chicago Lansing (IGQ); Iowa City (IOW); Omaha, NE (OMA); North Platte (LBF); Cheyenne, WY (CYS); Rawlins (RWL); Rock Springs (RKS); Salt Lake City, UT (SLC); Elko, NV (EKO); and Reno (RNO).

On September 15, the final day of the scheduled trip, the planes will depart Reno en route to Hayward, CA (HWD) for San Francisco, where the planes will land at San Francisco International (SFO) or Chrissy Field.

Early in the 20th century, before today's complex system of airports and airways existed, a few brave pilots accepted the task of flying across the country, from one small town to another, to deliver mail from the east coast to the west coast and back. Because there existed only very basic, open cockpit airplanes, and information about airports, weather and navigational facilities was limited at best, the job was dangerous.

As many as 30% of airmail pilots were killed in weather-related accidents during some winters. Without these pioneering pilots, today's sophisticated aviation infrastructure, and the global commerce enabled by it would not exist.

Captain Elrey B. Jeppesen was one of these pilots. The company that bears his name was founded in 1934, and today is a subsidiary of The Boeing Company... making their sponsorship of the event quite fitting.

The public is invited to come out and meet the pilots at their stops, to honor the courageous individuals who made possible today's global aviation system.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.jeppesen.com