And His Sons Will Fly It After Him

Emboldened by Charles Lindbergh's 1927 solo flight from New York to Paris, Theodore Gildred Sr. decided to leave a mark of his own in the aviation world -- and he decided to fly to Ecuador to do it, in a high-winged Ryan Brougham monoplane dubbed "Spirit of Goodwill." That was 1931... and this Friday, his son Theodore E. Gildred will make sure the family tradition continues.

That's when Gildred, former US Ambassador to Argentina, will take off from San Diego's Lindbergh Field for an eight-day, 4,200-mile flight to Quito, Ecuador... just as his father did before him, 75 years ago.

"The 2006 'Spirit of Goodwill' flight to Quito, Ecuador... commemorating the 75th anniversary of my dad's flight, will be a 'Twice in a Lifetime' experience for me having had the chance to recreate the same adventure in 1981," Gildred writes on his website.

For the 1981 flight, Gildred piloted a 1942 Stinson Reliant, dubbed "Ecuador II," on loan from the San Diego Aerospace Museum. The elder Gildred owned one of the world's first Stinson dealerships, and he had also spent considerable time in South America.

"It will mean even more to me, this time around, because my sons, Ted and Stephen, will be flying with me -- as a prelude to the Ecuador IV flight that they have promised to do in 2031, on the 100th anniversary of their grandfather's epic flight," Ambassador Gildred added.

After stops in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, Gildred's flight is scheduled to land in Quito on March 31 at 10:52 am -- 75 years to the minute after his father's arrival in Quito. After a brief respite in Ecuador, Gildred will then continue on to Buenos Aires, Aregentina.

Ambassador Gildred's method of transport will be a little more comfortable than his last chariot -- and far more luxurious than his father's original ride of choice. For the 10-day trip, Gildred and his sons will fly a modern Pilatus PC-12 turboprop named, appropriately enough, "Ecuador III."

Erik Lindbergh -- grandson of Charles Lindbergh, and an accomplished pilot and artist in his own right -- will also be aboard the flight, according to a Pilatus spokesman.

Gildred says the flights duplicating his father's trip dramatize the advances made in aviation since the 1920’s, when his father learned to fly in San Diego.

But it's clear this trip means far more to Gildred than simply duplicating his father's flight in a newer airplane... especially as he looks on to the 100th anniversary flight, to be flown by his sons (right, with their father).

"My son Ted just happens to be 23 years older, to the day, than his brother Stephen so they have a special bond to start with which will, I'm sure, create a wonderful memory and a tradition, after they make their flight that will last for generations of Gildred's to come," the former ambassador said.

FMI: www.ecuadorgoodwillflight.com