Mom's Log
Day 12
Wednesday, June 8
Kansas
TV and newspaper people met at Beech Factory and landed five planes. Martha in 1939 Tiger Moth - Sid Tucker pilot. Beech Factory people very excited – all joined in the pledge etc. At the Beech Factory a very tall student pilot veterinarian – came into to TV scene with Martha, after Martha approached him and found out he was lost. He took the pledge and she interviewed him on TV. Great fun and color!!
Much different reception from yesterday’s tour. Gerald Griggs in his 1937 Aeronca K flew Martha to Riverside Airport to see Lear Jet pilot training facility called “Flight Safety” where jet pilots are trained to fly at $300/hr. Gerald Griggs teaches here. Martha used the Learjet simulator $3,000,000 computer generator for 45 minutes –no charge – she did loops – rolls – buzzed towers and runways and crashed. She logged the time in the back of her logbook.
Kay Alley a 99 and corporate pilot from Kingman Airport, Kansas who also flies for Angel Flight, which donates their flying services to cancer patients and their families for necessary hospital treatments. She met Gerald Griggs and Martha and Gerald Dowd at the Learjet Factory and all went to lunch.
Kay took controls of simulator for 15 minutes. They talked with John Holmes – head of Flight Safety at Learjet. Kay is sending me a tape. Kay drove back to Riverside, Kansas and Gerald Griggs flew Martha to Pond Creek, Oklahoma in his 1937 Aeronca K. Temperature outside was 110º. The little 65-horsepower plane put-putted to Pond Creek, Oklahoma 80 miles south of Wichita. (1/3 of Wichita population is employed at Boeing 727, Learjet, Beechcraft or Cessna.)
At 70 mi./hr. until 5,000 [feet altitude] where it was cool. They landed at Pond Creek after flying over 100 miles past huge farms in Kansas and landed in a grass strip. A Grumman Ag Cat spray plane – pilot 31 yrs old – and 5 farmers asked what they were doing there. Martha asked if this was David Kirk’s place. They said he was their competitor crop duster and that he was in Nebraska. Jim D. took Martha to town and treated her to a soda pop and ice cream cone. Martha showed the farmers the Flying Mag. article and they said “wow” a celebrity! Martha was given the use of Jim’s pick-up truck and his sister’s house for the night. His sister was a still at work but the house was open. The town is quaint-night out of a 1950’s movie. 1950 cars, old signs-ghost town atmosphere. Tomorrow Jim is going to teach Martha to cropdust and she will fly to Will Roger Airport at noon and go to Amelia Earhart’s Memorial in Oklahoma City – home of the 99’s.