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 | Wednesday, September 5, 2001
Wow what a day!
This morning we arose in Westchester County, New York at 5:30 a.m. and drove to the airport to begin this grand adventure. We were greeted there by a crowd of well-wishers with an absolutely spectacular morning as a backdrop. After a crowd and press briefing there was a send-off ceremony and we lifted off the ground at 7:15 a.m. We were cleared to head west and west we went, flying over the Hudson River on Amelia?s exact route. I recalled Amelia?s description of her flight?s beginning as she recorded it in her diary back in 1928. The experience was very much the same now as then.
Things went very well this morning. We actually ended up cruising at between 90 and 95 miles an hour, while he had anticipated an average speed of 82 to 87 m.p.h. on our flight plan. We had very little head wind so we arrived in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, nearly 40 minutes early.
As I circled the field in Bellefonte, I noticed a several lines of cars parked in the grass next to the hangar. Upon touchdown I heard claps and cheers as the Avro taxied in. Frankly it was somewhat emotional. I waded into a crowd of smiling faces, flashing cameras and outstretched hands. Hot coffee and doughnuts awaited me, and it was a good thing as I had not eaten breakfast and the early morning air at 3,000 feet had chilled me to the bone!
No sooner has I gotten out of the cockpit than the Mayor of Bellefonte approached me and handed me the Keys to the City. They must have some pretty big doors in Bellefonte because this beautiful brass key was nearly eight inches long. and must weigh as much as one hundred regular keys. It was really great. They also gave me an engraved plaque commemorating Amelia?s original visit as well as our re-creation of that visit to Bellefonte. Then there was the official town ball cap and a large bottle of Bellefonte Spring Water, which I must say was promptly enjoyed. We had so much fun that we didn?t want to leave Bellefonte. But the flight must go on and so we did.
It was on to Pittsburgh where we arrived at the Allegheny County airport in one hour and fifteen minutes. When we pulled in we couldn?t believe our eyes. There were literally hundreds of people waiting for us! Again the crowd cheered as we taxied up. We were supposed to hold a small press conference inside the historic old WPA air terminal (Allegheny County airport used to be the main airport in Pittsburgh), but I was never able to get further than ten feet from the airplane. I was interviewed by four TV stations, the newspaper, which had just run a great article about the flight yesterday, and must have signed two hundred autographs! We have these wonderful little booklets describing the flight that we give away and they seem a natural place to plant a greeting and autograph; there must have been a lot of people there because we ran out of the four hundred booklets we had with us (more are on the way).
A relative of one of the men that worked on Amelia?s airplane when she landed in Pittsburgh was there with pictures of Amelia and her Avian taken back in 1928. I rode around in a Ford Model ?A? someone had brought out and actually met some people who had seen Amelia Earhart in person. Pittsburgh is a great place!
It is hard to describe ones feelings after a day like today. Gratitude perhaps for great people like Amelia Earhart, for the wonderful country we live in, and for the people we are meeting, young and old who are coming out to be a part of this story.
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