Rebholz and Fossett recreate history

On 3 July, pilots Steve Fossett and Mark Rebholz safely set down on a golf course in Ireland in the replica Vickers Vimy after successfully crossing the Atlantic to commemorate the 1919 Alcock-Brown flight. The pair lifted off from St. John's, Newfoundland, at 7:20 pm local and touched down at Clifden, Ireland, on 5:04 pm local to the cheers of 2000 on-lookers. Rebholz used a vintage sextant and compass for navigation, wanting to navigate the flight the way it was originally done. Alcock and Whitten-Brown flew the Atlantic in 16-hr 20-min, while the recreation took about 45-min longer. The two British pilots landed the Vimy in a hog where it promptly tipped on its nose.

Fossett holds numerous aviation records and stated, "This was an endurance test. This airplane is very primitive. You have to keep your hands on the controls at all times." Rehholz commented that he had "intentionally minimized the instrumentation on the plane" in order to replicate some of the challenges faced hy Alcock and Whitten-Brown. However, the use of a modern radio did make them a hit more at ease.

"On the way over, we were in contract with all the commercial airlines flying overhead," said Mark. "That is a comforting feeling, talking to other people while you are flying." Both pilots were wearing all-weather survival gear in case they had to ditch in the Atlantic. "We were doing not what would be called a safe flight, hut basically a flight that was under control with an acceptable risk," said Fossett.

Copyright Challenge Publications Inc. Sep 2005
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