Anniversary Flight At Pearson Field
Here in Fort Vancouver at Pearson Field, I am attending an historic event.
Alexander Pearson, for whom the airfield is named, was a trailblazer in early aviation with many "firsts" to his credit...including the first aerial survey of the Grand Canyon. Pearson Field has been an important aviation hub since the turn of the last century and is still in use.
This week marks the 100 year anniversary of the first airmail flight, presided over by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918. In honor of that history-making departure, three classic airmail biplanes from 1931 are flying the West Coast airmail route from San Diego, California to Everett, Washington. Forty-one Stearman Speedmail biplanes were built. Seven still grace the skies. Three of them landed at Pearson Field today and were warmly greeted.
I took the opportunity to chat with one of the pilots, Addison Pemberton in front of his Stearman 4DM Senior Speedmail.
A thing of beauty, this vintage biplane with wooden wings came in for a perfect landing.
Remarkable aircraft, intrepid pilots and an historic airfield in Vancouver, Washington.
Following day I returned to Pearson Field where the pilots were getting ready to take off for the next stop on their journey, Olympia, Washington. I mailed a letter to myself at the temporary post office set up for the event, The Airmail Centennial Station. From there, Addison Pemberton, Pilot, United States Air Mail Service, loaded my letter onto his plane, which subsequently was delivered to my home mailbox with beautiful commemorative stamps.
My letter flew in a 1931 open-cockpit, wooden winged, fabric covered classic airmail biplane.
Check out the 1940 Waco UPF-7 single engine, 2-seat biplane, parked in front of the hangar. She was flown here for the centennial commemorative event. What a beauty!
1940 Waco UPF-7 Only 600 built in Troy, Ohio Took Over 6500 hours to restore this biplane
