Trio tracks Lewis and Clark journey by air

Great Falls, Montana. As the trio took in the sight of this breathtaking image the challenges faced by the Corps of Discovery were easily visualized.

By Chris Pagano ~ Southeast Missourian

"It's truly an awesome country that God has blessed us with," remarked Stan Crader, a Jackson resident who, along with his flying buddies Dr. John Hall of Cape Girardeau and Tom Jones of Cincinnatti, set out from Cape Girardeau Regional Airport on Aug. 2 to embark on a journey similar to that of Lewis and Clark. Their flight direction to the north and west, marked by overcast skies and dark threatening clouds, did not concern them. Problems they might encounter with weather could easily be solved by landing the Cessna 172 four-seater or just going around the weather.

Love of flying, a desire to share in the explorers' journey and honoring the pair that made it all possible, Orville and Wilbur Wright, were what a doctor and two chainsaw distributors had in common. Ordinarily the three flew planes that tackled distance quickly. Crader, who said he could do the same trip again tomorrow remarked, "We used a lot less fuel flying the Cessna."

The Cessna's ability to fly low and slowly enhanced visibility, allowing the men to appreciate the dangers of Indians, primitive conditions and bad weather faced by the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Remarkable cooperation from air traffic controllers (ATC) allowed the crew to share many of the same geographic locations documented in Lewis and Clark's journals.

Lasting impressions

"The ATC complied with our request to stay centered over the river and even allowed us to fly in restricted airspace," said Crader. Realizing the progress civilization has achieved since then, Hall remarked, "What does the next 100 years have in store?"

"John and I sat at a flight training course nearly a year ago and were talking about going on a trip. The discussion led to the upcoming 100th anniversary of the birth of flight and the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The conversation concluded with, 'let's do it next August,'" said Crader. Motivation was sparked by reading "Flight of Passage" by Rinker Buck and "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose.

When the third crew member, Jones, got wind of the plan, Crader said, "His eyes glazed over. I knew he was in." Crader assigned tasks for each crew member: himself as navigator, Hall as pilot and Jones as historian.

Considerable doubt in getting the Cessna 172 four-seater plane to fly at high altitudes was expressed by the local flying community. At times the crew referred to the plane as "an animal," especially when pushed to maximum altitudes of 11,000 feet. For the most part, flight began at 6 a.m. while visibility was ideal, leaving the afternoon free for sightseeing on the ground. The craft's lack of speed made it perfect to focus on points the Corps of Discovery traversed two hundred years earlier.

Variance in terrain made an outstanding impression on the crew. Hall remarked, "It was almost one continuous lake from the Nebraska line up to eastern Montana." Vast expanses of farmland stretched far and wide -- work for combines numbering more than 50 on a single farm.

A surprise to Hall and Crader, Jones brought along a handheld global positioning system. Serving as historian, Jones coordinated Lewis' and Clark's journal entries with areas they flew over, pointing them out along the way.

Coincidences, mainly associated with weather, that matched Lewis and Clark's experiences left the crew covered in goosebumps. Some entries may have even prepared them for what lay ahead: journal entry from Lewis, 7/19/1805: "Every object here wears a dark and gloomy aspect, the towering and projecting rocks in many places seem ready to tumble on us ... from the singular appearance of this place I called it the gates of the rocky mountains."

Each day a great vacation

Flying through this gap of mountains, just south of Great Falls, Mont., the crew endured a bumpy ride, considered well worth it.

The friendliness they received at fixed base operations and from suppliers of food, lodging and ground transportation in tiny airports, was another pleasure that added to the trip.

The adventurers spent eight days and 43 hours flying, covering 5,324 miles. "Each day would've been a great vacation," said Crader. The first day they spent 10 hours in flight, concluding the day's activity at Bismark, North Dakota. The remaining seven days were limited to about four hours flying time:

Day 2 -- Great Falls, Mont., Lewis and Clark National Forest nearby.

Day 3 -- Pasco, Wash.

Day 4 -- Astoria, Ore., Ft. Clatsop National Memorial, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood National Forest nearby.

Day 5 -- Bend, Ore.

Day 6 -- Missoula, Mont., Lewis and Clark National Forest, Yellowstone Park, Sacagawea Park nearby.

Day 7 -- Alliance, Neb.

Day 8 -- Cape Girardeau, Mo.

The group's next planned trip, a journey to Alaska, won't measure up in historical significance but surely will present another adventure.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133