Flight Came On The 100th Anniversary Of The Accomplishment

In 1913, just 10 years after the Wrights first flight at Kitty Hawk, NC, 21-year-old Logan A. (Jack) Vilas was the first person to fly an airplane across Lake Michigan. The flight took place on July 1, and it was the first time most people in Chicago had ever seen a seaplane. Vilas was only the sixth person in the U.S. to obtain a seaplane rating.

The flight took an hour and 40 minutes, according to a report appearing in the South Bend (IN) Tribune. And on the 100th anniversary of the flight, it was recreated by Vilas' granddaughter ... 61-year-old Faith Vilas.

Faith Vilas said the navigation for her grandfather had been pretty simple. "Keep the smokestacks of Gary (IN) on his left," she said he was told by navigator Will Bastar of Benton Harbor, MI.

Vilas reportedly received a "hero's welcome" in Chicago after his 54-mile crossing from Silver Beach in St. Joseph, MI. Faith made the trip in just 45 minutes, about half the time it took her grandfather. She and Derek DeRuiter, who owns Northwoods Aviation in Cadillac, MI, flew an amphibious Cessna 185 belonging to Northwoods Aviation in clear weather across the lake.

But it was not all clear, smooth air. The Windy City lived up to its name, and there was choppy water in the landing area when the two arrived in Chicago. Faith Vilas said they had to make three approaches before making the water landing. Her option, she said, was to "punt and land at the airport."

(Line on map shows rough approximation of route of flight.)

FMI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Archbold_Vilas