Adventure USA Part 2 - 1,200 miles in the air
Here ist Part 1! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WDHQMHED4g
Do you want to have the “Stearman Crew” experience too? Then click here: http://www.stearman-crew.de/
Departure airports: Hanover Airport, Hodenhagen Airfield and Celle Arloh Airfield
Photos: Thomas Schüttoff
A flying adventure in the USA – the Stearman Crew now owns a Beechcraft D18 and is about to experience a new chapter in the land of superlatives. It all starts with a hearty breakfast. The crew makes plans.
O-Ton Wilfried Brauckmann – hobby pilot
“Now we’ll drive out to the airfield. And then head south so we can break in the aircraft a bit.”
The 1st leg of the trip? from Rockford to St. Louis, Missouri
The weather is patchy.
O-Ton Thomas Schüttoff – aircraft expert
“The greatest hazard when flying by visual flight regulation is bad weather. But this aircraft is equipped to fly with instruments too. And most of the crew is licensed to do so.”
Then fog from the Missouri River and curious people at the airfield.
St. Louis is not just any old city – in 1927, the legendary Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic non-stop in the “Spirit of St. Louis,” an aircraft named after sponsors from this city.
And this guy is not any old pilot – he’s Albert Stix, the owner of a huge collection of historic aircraft.
O-Ton Roman Niedworok - pilot
“These are rarities you probably wouldn’t find all in one place anywhere in Europe. And they’re all still airworthy.”
Looking at all the airplanes can be exhausting. The barbecue is just the thing now. Served up with a tip for our next stop.
Tullahoma, Tennessee
The aircraft and its pilots find lodgings here.
The Beechcraft Heritage Museum will have to wait until tomorrow.
The Parish family has collected a dozen Beechcraft which hail the history of aviation.
O-Ton Thomas Schüttoff – aircraft expert
“What Walter Beech did? He created a business plane, a four-seater with a closed cabin and retractable landing gear. Back in the 1930s, it was way ahead of its time. And the one that followed the Beech 17 was our own Beech 18. It took off for the first time in 1936.”
This red Beech, built in 1946, became a factory aircraft for Boeing after being in private ownership for a few years.
Flying with the simple technology of the 1920s and 30s still works today.
Now it’s time to start on the last leg:
From Tullahoma to Lakeland, Florida
At 9,000 feet in the Beech 18 it’s cold, loud and because of the updraft, pretty wobbly.
O-Ton Bernd Huke – hobby pilot
“After flying for so long you simply enjoy it. If the plane starts shaking around a bit in the air, it’s like in a car on a bumpy road. You get used to it. I don’t mind it at all.”
I do, but the view makes up for a lot.
The Gulf of Mexico is the sign that we are getting close.
In Lakeland Sun and Fun, a huge international vintage airplane convention awaits us.
O-Ton Roman Niedworok - pilot
“It’s so great it worked out. That was on my wish list. It’s like celebrating Christmas and Easter all at once.”
O-Ton Wilfried Brauckmann – hobby pilot
“And it’s simply fantastic to fly here in America, with its large open spaces, and so many possibilities.“
My American adventure ends here but the Stearman Crew is in for their greatest challenge.
And this is what happens next
Across the Atlantic to Hanover – a journey which takes the aircraft and its pilots to their limits
