Wings Across America 2008

Wings Across America 2008 (WAA-08) was a group of model airplane enthusiasts that flew a battery-powered radio-controlled aircraft (RC), designated as a park flyer, in all 48 contiguous United States with hopes to make all 50, if Alaska and Hawaii could be reached. A park flyer is a small radio-controlled plane typically flown in a field such as a local park or soccer field.

Wings Across America 2008 (WAA-08) was the creation of Frank Geisler of Gloucester, Virginia. Frank is an avid RC pilot, USAF veteran and AMA contest director who volunteers his free time to help promote the sport/hobby of radio controlled flying. When Frank discussed this project with some of his friends, it was received with such enthusiasm that the project was born of this energy. All that was needed was to find hundreds of RC pilots across the US in every state willing to fly the plane at their home field and then drive to the next pilot, thus forming a nationwide network of pilots who would fly across America.

Frank used the internet RC forums and emailed Academy of Model Aeronautics chartered clubs in search of volunteers willing to help the project come to fruition. In only 5 weeks from inception, 230 pilots had joined, representing all 48 continental United States.

This type of project had been attempted before. What sets this project apart from all the others ever attempted or completed was that the pilots hand delivered the plane from pilot to pilot; the plane was never shipped by mail to its next destination. In this way a "chain" was created of pilots that personally flew the model, then handed it off to the next pilot, all across the continental United States. In the end, the model airplane flew in all 48 states and covered a distance of over 30,000 miles.The WAA-08 Pilots MapThe WAA-08 Completed Pilots Map

It ended its journey at the home field in eastern Virginia 5 years, 145 days, 21 hours and 50 minutes after it made its maiden flight. Over 340 RC pilots registered to take part in this history making project. 248 Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) Chartered clubs hosted the adventure.

All the equipment used for the WAA-08 was donated by the participating pilots. Fortunately, one of the pilots was Bill Stevens, owner of Stevens AeroModels in Colorado Springs, CO. Bill donated a plane called the SQuiRT which stands for Simple, Quiet, Robust, Trainer. This tough little parkflyer was easy to fly and could take the abuse that over 340 pilots would dish out. With Bill's help, Horizon Hobby agreed to donate their newest high-tech radio control system to go along with the plane.

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