From the Navajo Airlift to Rapid-Response Rescues AZ Pilots Kept on Their Toes
It was busier than usual for the Civil Air Patrol this year, with volunteers assisting the 38th Navajo Christmas Airlift and others homing in on a downed airlift participant. Last November, a pair of aircraft were hauling the mail from Arizona to Gallup, New Mexico to deliver donations to the Navajo Nation. While passing the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona, one aircraft, piloted by one half of the father-son delivery duo, suffered engine malfunction and landed in a wooded area. His son remained in the area, circling the scene and maintaining watch over the sight until he had to press on due to fuel concerns.