Men Celebrate Success Of WI Charity Flight
By Aero-News Associate Editor Rob Finfrock
It was a daunting mission... but for a VERY good cause: take one
Cirrus SR22, fill it with two eager pilots, and set out to land at
all public, paved airports in the state of Wisconsin, as well as
the Air National Guard Base at Volk Field... and, do it all in one
day.
Dr. Bruce Kaufman is on staff at the Children's Hospital of
Wisconsin. Matthew McDaniel is a licensed ATP/CFII at Progressive
Aviation Services. Earlier this year, the two set out to raise
funds for programs at the hospital, by attempting to establish a
national flying record.
The two decided to call their adventure the "Romp Around
Wisconsin." One day, one plane... 104 airports.
"Matt and I have decided to tap into our love of flying, and
combine it with our devotion to children, to create a different
kind of fundraiser," said Dr. Kaufman on the 'Romp' website
(available at the FMI link below).
After an earlier attempt in May was thwarted by weather (after
the two had already landed at 40 airports), Kaufman and McDaniel
took to the skies Tuesday in the Cirrus, dubbed "Blue Kids One", in
another quest to raise money for the hospital... and, establish a
record.
The result? After 17 hours, three fuel stops, and 2,119 Nautical
Miles... the two landed at their 104th and final Wisconsin airfield
at 9:15 pm Tuesday night.
Unlike the last attempt, "[t]he weather gods were smiling on us
for sure," the men wrote to ANN. "Lots of strong weather to contend
with, but just as we'd get to the edge of it, our routing would
have us turning and going away from it."
"We only made ONE change to our entire plan... we pushed our
first fuel stop out from airport #31, to airport #32, due to fog
lingering at #31," Kaufman and McDaniel added. "However, that fog
had moved away from that airport by the time we got there. So, we
were able to do our landing there and then fly on to the next
airport to land and refuel."
Highlights of the trip
were "way too many to mention." And the lowlights? A brief weather
scare, as they watched storms building in Minnesota and move
towards WI... and, "17 hours and only three bathroom
opportunities!!"
Of course, it wasn't ALL about establishing a new record (all
the numbers cited are still subject to verification by the National
Aeronautical Association)... most of all, it was about helping the
young patients at the hospital.
"As of this writing, we have raised $8,410 for the kids," the
men wrote. "We hope ... to reach and surpass our goal of $10,000
very soon."