Reeve Lindbergh
Tripp greets Pilot Richard
Gilson at the Caledonia
County
State Airport
Tuesday.
Symbolic Lindbergh Flight
Makes Short Stop in Lyndon
By S H A R Y N W E I N E R
L Y N D O N V I L L E - Even though it
was a May evening, a steady cold
wind blew across the landing strip at
the Caledonia County State Airport
as a single-engine plane approached.
It passed overhead, and the wings
tipped back and forth greeting the
people waiting below. Defying the
stiff winds, the plane landed with
grace and precision.
After taxiing quickly toward the
hangar, the door opened and pilot
Richard Gilson emerged and immediately embraced his waiting
friend, Reeve Lindbergh Tripp of
Passumpsic.
Gilson explained that this is a 60th
anniversary symbolic flight of
Charles Lindbergh's historic transAtlantic flight. "The nice part is that
the airplane is really symbolic of the
later-year concept of Lindbergh efficiency — doing more with less. I t is
twice as fast, it can fly twice as high,
and it is twice as efficient." stressed
Gilson. "Just as Lindbergh's flight
was the beginning of international
air travel, this flight should be the
beginning of personal international
travel," he added.
Gilson began the flight Tuesday
morning in Orlando, F l a . to the
sounds of band music and national
press-coverage. Orlando is the home
of Mooney Aircraft Corporation, the
manufacturer of the plane and sponsor of the flight. E n route to Lyndonville, Gilson flew the "Mooney" over
Roosevelt field (the field from which
Lindbergh began his flight) and
landed at Republic Field on Long
Island for fuel and oxygen.
Today, Gilson flies from Lyndonville to Canada and will continue to
Ireland. " I f I have good winds from
Canada it should take eight hours to
get to Shannon Airport in Ireland. I f
not, then I ' l l land in Reykjavik.
Iceland." From either Ireland or
Iceland, the flight will conclude at
LeBourget airfield in Paris, where
Lindbergh landed 60 years ago.
On May 2 1 , 1927, 25-year-old
Charles Lindbergh flew 331^ hours
non-stop from New York to Paris,
which was the first solo transAtlantic crossing.
"Dick will try and set a world
speed record for this type of aircraft," emphasized Reeve. This is
also the first time anyone has symbolically recreated Lindbergh's
flight.
T h i s single-engine, 252 T S E
Mooney is a regular production
model which achieved an average
airspeed of 250 mph on the flight
from Orlando and peaked at 300
mph. (Typically, a single-engine
plane reaches speeds of 150 to 180
mph). According to Gilson, this plane
is "unusual because it doesn't have
auxiliary fuel tanks." The tanks are
in the wings and hold 110 gallons of
fuel. It has 210 horse power, gets 20
miles per gallon, and can be purchased for $150,000. "Anyone can buy or
rent one," quipped Gilson. The tail
section of the plane is decorated with
a Lindbergh
commemorative
emblem.
Gilson is a former recipient of a
Lindbergh Fund grant, and now
serves on its board of directors.
Reeve is the vice president of the
fund.
Commemorative events are also
being held in Minnesota, 82 cities
across the United States, and a
week-long celebration in Paris from
May 17 to May 22.
The Lindbergh Fund is a "non
profit organization which provides
grants for projects aimed at pursuing
Lindbergh's philosophy of balancing
nature and technology."