Couple flies coast to coast in homebuilt
August 14, 2012, 02:04 pm
Many avid pilots dream of flying across the country in their homebuilt aircraft, but for Albert and Sharon Gardner, a couple from Yuma, Arizona, that dream turned into a reality. Last summer, the couple flew nearly 12,000 miles, landing in 100 cities in 37 states, in their home built RV-10, General Aviation News reported.
Albert had a long-standing goal to land his plane in every contiguous state of the union after he had landed his goal in every state west of the Mississippi. He and his wife began discussing the possibility of the journey and decided that 2011 was the year they would land in every state.
Albert began the trip with his friend Bob.The two flew to Vernal, Utah, landing in 13 Utah airports in what Albert said was the most takeoffs and landings he'd ever undergone in one day.
After Vernal, the two headed to the Experimental Aviation Administration's AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The event is the world's largest air show and a popular place for aviation fans to show off their homebuilt aircraft.
After Oshkosh, Bob went back to Arizona and Sharon joined Albert for the rest of the journey. She was using five weeks of accrued vacation days to accompany her husband on the trip.
“While planning the itinerary we were eager to include a flight up the Mississippi River, a flight down along the Hudson River to see how they looked from the air, and to visit with many friends and family,” Sharon said, the source reported. “We did meet our goal of completing landings in every state in the Union, and concluded the summer trip with flights to several western states where we had already made landings, primarily to visit with family and friends. We ended up flying from coast to coast and from the Mexican border to Canada - and all the country in between!”
The EAA estimates there are tens of thousands of homebuilt aircraft across the world and many have made it across the globe. The Voyage in 1986 was first airplane to ever fly around the world on a single tank of fuel.
After completing their trip, Albert and Sharon returned to Yuma. Sharon continues her same work and Albert works at the Yuma County Airport, where he is the vice president of airport authority.
Pilots, especially those considering a similar journey, should consider pilot insurance before taking to the skies.
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