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PRESS RELEASE CONTACT Allen W Rothenberg FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE Home: 301-984-3478/
Work:
301-840-5460 11400
Strand Drive, # 13 Rockville,
MD 20852 DATE: APRIL 18, 2004 Less than 3 weeks until I
start. I would love to see some
coupers at my stops. Allen HEADLINE: Pilot to Fly Around the US in 56 Year Old Airplane BODY: Allen Rothenberg will take off from Montgomery Airpark in Gaithersburg on May 15th flying a 1948 Ercoupe with minimal instruments in an attempt to fly solo around the lower 48 states. He’s planning to land at the farthest Northern Eastern, Southern and Western airports as well as the intermediate compass points of Southwest, Northwest, Northeast and Southeast. He will also touch down at the geographic center of the country. Rothenberg plans to return to Gaithersburg on June 13th to celebrate his 75th birthday. The airplane has a 90 horsepower engine. It cruises at airspeed of about 100 miles an hour and carries sufficient fuel to remain in the air for approximately 4 hours. A tiny two seater, the Ercoupe was built in Riverdale, Maryland. It is like a convertible and may be flown with the top open or closed. It has a magnetic compass, an altimeter and a vertical speed indicator that tells how fast the plane is going up or down. There are also some engine instruments. A tachometer measuring the revolutions of the engine, oil temperature and pressure gauges, and an ammeter measuring the battery function. Recent additions necessitated by our country’s security requirements include a radio to communicate with airports and air traffic controllers and a transponder that sends a distinct signal so that those on the ground won’t send some friendly F-16s to accompany him. In his only concession to modern direction finding instruments Rothenberg will carry a Garmin GPS that is designed to assist in navigation. It is the same GPS that may be used in automobiles and boats. He will fly clockwise around the country. Although the range of the airplane will require many additional landings for fuel, the trip will definitely include a stop at Key West, Florida, The Southernmost airport. From there West to Imperial Beach NOLF a field operated by the Navy near San Diego. That airport is on the Pacific coast about a mile from Mexico. It is the Southwestern most airport. Because it is a military field special permission is required to land there. Navy Chief Petty Officer Timothy Briggs, another Ercoupe owner and member of the Ercoupe Club, stationed nearby, is working on obtaining that permission. North to Quillayute Airport in Washington, which is both the farthest West and farthest Northwestern airport in the lower 48. Point Roberts, Washington, is home to another Ercoupe owner. It is a little known point of land completely surrounded by Canada and water and is next on the route before heading to the Port of Del Bonita, Montana. Whetstone International Airport, in the Port of Del Bonita, is exactly on the 49th parallel of latitude, the US-Canadian border. Rothenberg notes that Whetstone, despite its International designation is an unattended airstrip. The official FAA listing of the airport advises that there are gopher holes in the 65 –foot wide turf runway with red balls marking the power line at the end of the runway. It is farthest North of the airports. If you could put a fulcrum under the country it would balance under Smith Center, Kansas. It is the geographical center of the lower 48 United States. It is next on the trip before proceeding to Oshkosh, Wisconsin and back to the rim of the U.S. Oshkosh is a fun stop. It is the home of the Experimental Aircraft Association and Museum and is the location of an annual pilgrimage of small plane owners. The Ercoupe Rothenberg is flying was once owned by the EAA. From there, on up to Sault Ste. Marie and, following the Canadian border to central Michigan, around the Great Lakes to Eastport, Maine. Eastport is the farthest East and the farthest Northeastern airport in the continental US. After a stop in Portland, Maine to visit his grandsons it is on to Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the Southeastern most airport, before retuning home to Gaithersburg. Rothenberg estimates the trip will cover about 13,000 miles. If he is lucky and averages a 100 miles an hour it will take him 130 hours of flying. Total time for the trip is a guess since he will only fly when the weather is categorized as visual flying conditions. Although he is qualified to fly by instruments in multi-engine airplanes, the Ercoupe’s capability, and his choice, is to fly this trip in visual flying conditions. Meaning in fog, low clouds, heavy rain, hurricanes and tornadoes he will stay with his airplane on the ground. No see – no go. He is bringing some books and local travel guides. All of this assumes that the Ercoupe will not require anything more than the 5 oil and filter changes he is planning on. When asked why he is undertaking a trip that is bound to test both him and the airplane, Rothenberg smiled and pointed to the license plate on his car. It reads, “Whi Not.” END Photo of pilot and
airplane are available. More information
about the Ercoupe on www.ercoupe.com |
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PRESS RELEASE
.APRIL 8, 2004, PILOT TO FLY AROUND US Page 3 |
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