Flight of Discovery Visits Salmon
Tuesday, June 15, 2004 at 12:25 PM
Flight of Discovery leader and instigator Mike Harding told those gathered at the Meriwether Theater that the expedition is taking directions from the President of the United States, "…not the current one but the one that was around 200 years ago. Basically our job is to explore the Missouri River." Harding lives in San Diego where he is a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment control
As in the days of the original expedition these explorers are collecting samples of water, soil, vegetation, minerals and noting animal populations. Unlike the first Corps, every member of this team is a scientist, as well as a pilot. There are geologists, biologists, hydrologists and even food historians. The group is getting no financial assistance and is paying for the trip out of their own pockets. There is however, a great deal of research assistance in capturing this environmental snap shot in time by way of school children living in proximity to the famous route.
One of the Flight of Discovery's missions is to involve young people all along the Lewis and Clark Trail. This is being done with an expedition gift of a Trunk of Discovery, which has been given to 15 school systems, including Salmon. Mr. and Mrs. Tom Eames of Twin Falls sponsored the trunk given to local students. . The data collected will be compared to that moment in time 200 years ago. The trunk is geared for students from the third grade through high school and contains four modules. There is a Critter Kit that has a list of every animal mentioned by Lewis and Clark. The student's assignment is to see how many of those animals, as well as animals not listed, can be found in their particular area. There is a Rock Hounds section that provides information on minerals and rocks mentioned in the Journals and clues for identifying the specimens students find. There is a Flight Bag containing all the tools for a student pilot…charts, checklists, cloud charts. Harding said it is not their intention to make pilots out of the students, it is to use flight planning as a teaching tool. The last component of the trunk is called Lost Plants so named because of the many plants lost either during the expedition or after. There is a list of plants for students to find and identify. Each trunk has field guides and a GPS unit. Harding said the students will go down in history for their work. Each document of lists has a place for the participant's name, date and location and what that particular student found and identified.
Flight members have been visiting schools along the way giving talks on math, sciences and meteorology using aircraft operations as the conduit.
Leadore teacher Shane Matson and two of his students presented Harding with water samples and insect specimens they had collected along with a piece of Agate rock from the original expedition's flag unfurling site. Matson said that the weather this spring curtailed class plans for extensive field trips however once school resumes in the fall the research work will begin again.
Harding said the trip was planned two years ago but diverted because of the California fires and the emergency need for tour member's scientific expertise. The scientists were actively involved in aerial reconnaissance of the burned areas, habitat restoration and remediation to prevent further damage from mudslides and other fire aftermath threats. That same environmental assessment expertise is being used along the Lewis and Clark trail and he commented that to their surprise they are not finding as many environmental changes as they expected.
Each team member has studied the Lewis and Clark Journals from his or her own scientific perspective and is now seeing the actual terrain from an average altitude of 1500 feet.
The planes being used are small fixed wing and helicopters which all allow for low level observation.
There are approximately 28 people involved in this historic flight. Harding labeled the traveling scientists "practical ecologists." Professional titles include Fluvial Geomorphologist, Zoologist, Estruarine Scientist (aquatic vegetation), Anthropologist, Agronomist, Geologist, Flight Surgeon and Resource Conservationist to name a few. Flight of Discovery includes a flight and aircraft ops crew that arranges all the logistics needed at each airport and thoroughly examines weather reports, flight plans and charts before each day's adventure begins. Others are in charge of aircraft servicing and ground support caravan crews are in charge of earth bound logistics as well as food preparation. There is even a Flight of Discovery dog. He is a Great Dane by the name of Sigfried. He had to take a break from the hectic flight schedule so he did not accompany the team to Salmon. Harding said many children are hesitant to write to scientists but they do write to Sigfried through the Flight of Discovery web site www.flightofdiscovery.com Harding said they want to know about the custom and culture of each community along the trail and urged local residents to send stories to that Internet address.
The Flight of Discovery began at Clark County Airport near the Falls of the Ohio on June 1, after five days of participants having to dodge tornadoes while attempting to reach the agreed upon starting point. Once airborne over the flooding Ohio River the tour was on its planned schedule until Great Falls, Montana where weather delayed its arrival in Salmon by one day. Harding said the pilots were thrilled when they flew over Lemhi Pass knowing full well the significance of that crossing to the Corps of Discovery in 1805.
The Friday arrival in Salmon was day 12 of the trip. From here they headed for Lost Trail Pass, Lolo Pass, the Clearwater River, the Dalles, the Columbia River Gorge and on to the final destination of Astoria, Oregon.
Harding said this is a three-year project and that next year the flying tour will begin in South Dakota and make more leisurely stops along the trail taking more time to meet people
In 2006 the Flight of Discovery will follow Lewis and Clark's return trail all the way to Washington D.C., stopping enroute to share the information collected.
Even though Salmon was not revisited by the original Corps, Harding said Flight of Discovery participants will make a return trip here…to collect the research being done by local students. Harding said the purpose of the data is to establish a habitat index to track changes over the years not only of plants, minerals and animals but of people as well….and it will create a base line from which future environmental evaluations can be done.
The distance it took the Lewis and Clark Expedition three years to traverse the Flight of Discovery is doing in three weeks. Professional photographer Brian Forrest is documenting the trip and it's estimated he and the team members are taking from 800 to 1000 pictures a day.
And yes, there will be a book.
Appropriately, the Flight of Discovery power point presentation was the first official event to be held in the Meriwether Theater at the Sacajawea Interpretive Center.
City Administrator Jay Townsend presented each flight member with a Sacajawea signature poster and thanked them all for making Salmon a stopping point on their historic trip.
Salmon Air sponsored a BLM Dutch Oven Gang dinner, served against a backdrop of Sacajawea Peak and the toe tapping tunes of the Old Time Fiddlers.
Flight of Discovery touches down
By TONY SPILDE, Bismarck Tribune
The late-afternoon sun made a giant shadow of George Schreyer's biplane, which raced down the runway below him, neck-and-neck with a windblown tumbleweed hell-bent on victory.
Schreyer's white plane bounced around in the stiff wind like a butterfly, and he didn't bring her down until his third pass. Concerned passengers from eight other airplanes looked on, and applauded when the WACO's wheels touched down at the Mandan Airport.
Schreyer was the last of a group of nine planes to land Monday afternoon, a major traffic jam for the tiny airport north of town. In the planes (and two helicopters that would arrive later) were 31 pilots and scientists. They're using aircraft to retrace the trail of two of this country's most famous explorers.
Call it the Spirit of St. Lewis and Clark.
Actually, it's already got a name. The Flight of Discovery. The crew began their trip at the Falls of the Ohio River in Indiana on June 1, and landed Monday in Mandan. They'll stop in New Town today before flying on to Wolf Point, Mont., and points west.
The mission of the Flight of Discovery is one of education, according to Missouri geologist and crew member Phyllis Steckel. Scientists on the trip are documenting the land, plants, animals and people along the trail, and will compare their findings to the information brought back 200 years ago by the Corps of Discovery. Botanists, zoologists, ecologists, geologists, biologists and anthropologists make two or more stops a day to research, Steckel said.
The expedition, which will wrap up June 13 in Astoria, Ore., was the creation of Michael Harding, an environmental scientist and pilot from San Diego.
"(Lewis and Clark) could only see up to the next bend, but we can see it all," Harding said. "Everyone expects us to say that things have changed so much. But that really hasn't been the case."
Obvious advancements of technology and civilization aside, the land, flora and fauna along the Missouri River haven't changed a great deal, Harding said. But the scientists are noting which species have come and which have gone. And they're getting help in that endeavor. A major function of the Flight of Discovery was to provide schools along the route a trunk of educational materials, including a GPS and materials for collecting plant and animal data. The information from the schools -- including those in New Town and Twin Buttes -- will be collected and published after the expedition.
"You can see how excited the kids get," Steckel said. "You light some fires with this."
Each member of the Flight of Discovery is volunteering his or her time and money. A second phase of the project will take place next year, which will include a three-day stay in Mandan, Harding said. The third and final phase will occur in 2006, when the crew will fly the route from Astoria to Washington, D.C. As with the first expedition 200 years ago, the members will present their findings in the nation's capital.
Meanwhile, though, the crew took in some sights Monday, including the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and Fort Mandan, in Washburn.
At this point 200 years ago, the Lewis and Clark expedition stopped overnight and found their camp to be "a den of rattlesnakes." Hopefully, the North Dakota hospitality was less venomous.
For more information about the trip, check out http://www.flightofdiscovery.com.
(Reach Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tspilde@ndonline.com.)
Pilots retracing Lewis & Clark route
The Associated Press, The Forum
Published Tuesday, June 08, 2004
MANDAN, N.D. – The late-afternoon sun made a giant shadow of George Schreyer's biplane, which raced down the runway with a windblown tumbleweed.
Schreyer's white plane bounced around in the stiff wind, and passengers from eight other planes applauded when its wheels touched down at the Mandan airport.
Schreyer's was the last of nine planes to land June 7 – a major traffic jam for the tiny airport north of town. In the planes, and in two helicopters that would arrive later, were 31 pilots and scientists using aircraft to retrace the trail of that explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark took nearly 200 years ago.
The Flight of Discovery crew began its trip at the Falls of the Ohio River in Indiana on June 1. A stop was planned June 8 in New Town before the group continued on to Wolf Point, Mont., and points west.
The expedition is to wrap up June 13 in Astoria, Ore.
"(Lewis and Clark) could only see up to the next bend, but we can see it all," said Michael Harding, an environmental scientist and pilot from San Diego. "Everyone expects us to say that things have changed so much. But that really hasn't been the case," he said.
The scientists are noting which species have come and which have gone. They plan to provide schools along the route with educational materials for collecting plant and animal data.
Members of the Flight of Discovery are volunteering their time and money. A second phase of the project next year will include a three-day stay in Mandan, Harding said.
The third and final phase, in 2006, will take the crew from Astoria to Washington, D.C.
A bird's-eye perspective on Lewis and Clark's trip
Posted on Sunday, 6/6/2004
By Rick Ruggles
The Sunday Omaha World-Herald
The Lewis and Clark expedition lives on, inspiring children's curiosity and serving as a
reference point for scientists, a modern-day group of explorers said Saturday in Council
Bluffs. The Flight of Discovery, a nonprofit group retracing by air the path of Lewis and
Clark, stopped off Saturday afternoon at Council Bluffs' Western Historic Trails Center.
Michael Mann, a biologist on the journey, told about 30 in the center's auditorium that the
answer to the question of why they're doing it by plane, not foot, is simple. "They all
have regular jobs," Mann said of the flight's 30 participants. "They volunteered for this
trek." They are using eight airplanes and two helicopters on their journey, which started
in Indiana Tuesday and will conclude in Astoria, Ore., June 12. They're taking soil and
plant samples, conducting experiments and shooting video to demonstrate how the country has
changed since the journey 200 years ago. They're also speaking to groups and children along
the way, as well as donating "trunks of discovery" filled with books and other materials to
schools, museums and organizations. Also on the team is Sigfried, a 150-pound Great Dane
and "dog of discovery," who serves as the mascot. Sigfried is the counterpart to Seaman, the
dog that accompanied Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. Children can e-mail questions to
Sigfried, via the Flight of Discovery's Web site at www.flightofdiscovery.com. The concept
for the Flight of Discovery was attributed to Michael Harding, a San Diego environmental
consultant who is on the journey. So is his son, physicist Lee Harding. The endeavor
combines history, science, flight and education. It is designed in part to trigger children's
interest in one or all of those areas. The Flight of Discovery continued on to Sioux City,
Iowa, Saturday night.
Retracing Lewis and Clark's route - from above
Posted on Sat, Jun. 05, 2004
Flight of Discovery scientists make a stop in Kansas
By MICHELLE BURHENN
The Kansas City Star
ATCHISON, Kan. - Twenty-six scientists and pilots landed at Atchison on Friday, their sixth
stop along the Lewis and Clark Trail.The team, part of a project called Flight of Discovery,
is recreating the Corps of Discovery's trek 200 years later. But instead of taking more than
three years to complete the journey, they are traveling by air in 12 days.
Eleven aircraft landed at Amelia Earhart Airport. They launched the trip Tuesday from
Clarksville, Ind., and planned to land in Astoria, Ore., about June 12 after making 25 stops.
The group is tracing the trail by following river corridors. It is conducting scientific
investigations to collect present-day cultural, biological and geological information.
"We're trying to look at differences between what it is like now versus what it was like in
Lewis and Clark's day," said John Egan, an ecologist from Tucson, Ariz.The scientists are
taking aerial photographs and collecting samples of soil and plants. When the trip is over,
the Smithsonian Institution will hold some of the team's findings."Lewis and Clark's findings
really weren't used much," Egan said. "We'd like to have a little more of a shelf life.
"Expedition leader Mike Harding conceived the idea for the trip about two years ago. He
worked to assemble a team of scientists, many of whom are also pilots, from a variety of
backgrounds. Once the team was assembled, the members took a crash course in Lewis and Clark
history."He is very conscious of national history and doesn't want it to be forgotten," said
Lee Harding, a physicist and Mike Harding's son. "He really sees the value of this as an
educational tool.
"The scientists will make stops along the way to meet with children who are using the team's
Trunk of Discovery educational series to help them learn more about the Lewis and Clark
expedition.
Food historian Jeanette Egan's presentation on the expedition team's diet is usually a class
favorite.
She said children are shocked to learn that the explorers ate about 9 pounds of meat every
day, totaling about 6,000 to 8,000 calories a day. Luckily, she said, the modern-day
travelers are not eating the food the team ate 200 years ago.
"They had this soup called portable soup," she said. "It must have tasted like Elmer's glue."
A $1,000 grant from the Alfred L. and Constance C. Wolf Aviation Fund helped finance the
trip, but the team also secured sponsors and paid out of pocket. Each team member contributed
$100 a day to help pay for fuel. Team members estimated that the trip cost more than $50,000.
Lewis & Clark Flight of Discovery to Land at Western Historic Trails Center June 5, 2004
State Historical Society of Iowa
For immediate release May 12, 2004
KC Collins Hummel, 712-366-4900
Michael V. Harding, 619-222-9862
Patricia Cooney-Nida, Ph.D. (800) 547-6339
Council Bluffs, Iowa-The Western Historic Trails Center located at 3434 Richard Downing Ave.
(Exit 1B off I80/29) will welcome the Flight of Discovery to Council Bluffs June 5 at 10:00
a.m. The Flight of Discovery, a team of general aviation pilot/scientists, will fly the river
corridors and overland routes of the Lewis and Clark expedition during the 200th anniversary
of the search for the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition will depart from
Clarksville, Indiana at the Falls of the Ohio on June 1, 2004 and arrive two weeks later in
Astoria, Oregon.
The Flight of Discovery is composed of geologists, agronomists, botanists, ecologists and
anthropologists. Corps members will document cultural and environmental changes along the
route that have occurred over a two hundred year period by employing scientific method and
procedures, with reference to the 200-year old historical record contained in the journals,
correspondence, notes and samples assembled from 1804-1806 by the Corps of Discovery.
The purpose of the expedition is to connect people on and off the Trail with established
history and their environment through the utilization of familiar and available technology.
To achieve this goal, the expedition has donated a "Trunk of Discovery" to a number of school
districts and educational institutions along the route of flight including the Western
Historic Trails Center.
The Trunk of Discovery, valued at more than $1,000, is used to enrich classroom activities
and field work, giving students the opportunity to collect scientific specimens for a
national collection commemorating the scientific goals of the Corps of Discovery. Each Trunk
contains a variety of educational materials and tools, including a Global Positioning
Satellite device (GPS), binoculars, pilot's weather computer, plant press, and mineral test
kit. Emphasis is placed on the sciences of ecology, geology, zoology, botany, mathematics,
meteorology, biology and the scientific disciplines that President Thomas Jefferson
instructed Meriwether Lewis to investigate during the 1804-1805 mission.
Flight of Discovery Expedition Leader and environmental scientist Mike Harding of San Diego,
California conceived the trunk program as a way to help students "participate in a modern day
voyage of enlightenment." Harding notes, "Real improvements in the quality of life come
through education and improving people's awareness of the environment in which they live."
"The challenge of our expedition," adds Carol L. Forrest, P.E., Logistics Director, "is to
establish the amount of change from 'baseline' conditions that has occurred since the
original Corps of Discovery expedition from 1803-1806. Documenting these changes will
constitute an environmental barometer that can aid future decision-makers - today's students
- in addressing natural resource conservation/protection strategies and policies." More
information and regular updates on the expedition's progress can be acquired from the
expedition's website, www.flightofdiscovery.com.
The program by Flight of Discovery and the Western Historic Trails Center are free and open
to the public.
Pilots retracing route of Lewis and Clark
06:18 PM MDT on Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Associated Press - KTVB Idaho
MANDAN, ND -- Nine planes and 31 people are retracing the trail that explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark took nearly 200 years ago.
The Flight of Discovery crew began its trip at the Falls of the Ohio River in Indiana on June 1st.
They landed yesterday in Mandan, North Dakota, and planned another stop in the state today.
The crew travels next to Wolf Point, Montana, landing in Astoria on Sunday.
The scientists aboard the planes are noting which species have come and which have gone.
They plan to provide schools along the route with educational materials for collecting plant and animal data.
Members of the Flight of Discovery are volunteering their time and money.
The third and final phase of the journey, in 2006, will take the crew from Astoria to Washington, D-C.
Group following Lewis and Clark land in Great Falls
KULR-TV
June 10 - A group of pilots and scientists retracing the Lewis and Clark expedition have landed in Great Falls.
GREAT FALLS (AP) -The Flight of Discovery group is making the trip in eleven planes and two helicopters. Their journey began June 1st in Indiana. It's expected to end early next week in Astoria, Oregon. At Wednesday's stop in Great Falls, the group feasted on wild game at a banquet. They also marveled at how much some of the country hasn't changed in the two centuries since Lewis and Clark explored the area.
 Expedition Leader
Mike Harding
teaching flying
and math
Flight of Discovery to Follow Lewis & Clark Route
April 23, 2004
The Flight of Discovery, a team of general aviation pilot/scientists, will fly the river corridors and overland routes of the Lewis and Clark expedition during the 200th anniversary of the search for the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition will depart from Clarksville, Indiana at the Falls of the Ohio on June 1, 2004 and arrive two weeks later in Astoria, Oregon.
The Flight of Discovery is composed of geologists, agronomists, botanists, ecologists and anthropologists. Corps members will document cultural and environmental changes along the route that have occurred over a two hundred year period by employing scientific method and procedures, with reference to the 200-year old historical record contained in the journals, correspondence, notes and samples assembled from 1804-1806 by the Corps of Discovery.
The purpose of the expedition is to connect people on and off the Trail with established history and their environment through the utilization of familiar and available technology. To achieve this goal, the expedition has donated a "Trunk of Discovery" to a number of school districts and educational institutions along the route of flight.
The Trunk of Discovery, valued at more than $1,000, is used to enrich classroom activities and field work, giving students the opportunity to collect scientific specimens for a national collection commemorating the scientific goals of the Corps of Discovery. Each Trunk contains a variety of educational materials and tools, including a Global Positioning Satellite device (GPS), binoculars, pilot's weather computer, plant press, and mineral test kit. Emphasis is placed on the sciences of ecology, geology, zoology, botany, mathematics, meteorology, biology and the scientific disciplines that President Thomas Jefferson instructed Meriwether Lewis to investigate during the 1804-1805 mission.
Flight of Discovery Expedition Leader and environmental scientist Mike Harding of San Diego, California conceived the trunk program as a way to help students "participate in a modern day voyage of enlightenment." Harding notes, "Real improvements in the quality of life come through education and improving people's awareness of the environment in which they live."
"The challenge of our expedition," adds Carol L. Forrest, P.E., Logistics Director, "is to establish the amount of change from 'baseline' conditions that has occurred since the original Corps of Discovery expedition from 1803-1806. Documenting these changes will constitute an environmental barometer that can aid future decision-makers - today's students - in addressing natural resource conservation/protection strategies and policies."
More information and regular updates on the expedition's progress can be acquired from the expedition's website, www.flightofdiscovery.com
Contact:
Michael V. Harding, Expedition Leader, (619) 222-9862
Patricia Cooney-Nida, Ph.D. Education and Communications Director (800) 547-6339
 Expedition Leader
Mike Harding
presents TOD to
Blair Baldwin
OMSI Teacher Earns National Recognition for Lewis & Clark Lessons
Special ceremony to be held at OMSI on Thursday, April 1
PORTLAND, Ore., (March 31, 2004) - OMSI lead science teacher educator Blair Baldwin is one of a small handful of Oregon educators to be honored by the national Flight of Discovery organization for his work in bringing to life the lessons of Lewis and Clark's historic expedition. In recognition of his outstanding work at OMSI, Baldwin will receive a "trunk of discovery,"
valued at more than $1,000, at a special ceremony at OMSI tomorrow, Thursday, April 1 at 10 a.m. Taking part in the event will be Mike Harding, Flight of Discovery Expedition Leader and Sigfried, a Great Dane and the official mascot of the expedition.
In addition to receiving the trunk-filled with sophisticated equipment like a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) device and pilot's weather computer-Baldwin's students will be given the opportunity to collect scientific specimens for a national exhibition commemorating the
bicentennial of the Corps of Discovery mission.
"OMSI's class, The Science of Lewis & Clark, will link students in Oregon to students along the Lewis & Clark trail across the nation through the Flight of Discovery," said Blair Baldwin, who has been teaching the Lewis & Clark class since 2002. Baldwin wrote several original pieces to supplement the existing Lewis & Clark curriculum. The curriculum was created by National
Geographic, Public Broadcast Service and other educational outreach components of Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Organizations.
Pat Nida, of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, who helped the Flight of Discovery prepare curriculum for the trunk, nominated Blair Baldwin for the award. Nida chose the schools and institutions that exhibited excellence in science education and where she thought the materials would be best used. "The Flight of Discovery has asked me to put these trunks all along the Lewis & Clark trail. Jefferson High School is exploring this educational opportunity and was the first school in Portland to receive a "trunk of discovery". OMSI, who received the second trunk in Portland, will take the Science of Lewis and Clark statewide so the exploration doesn't stop at this pilot school, with Blair Baldwin onboard, it will be taken all over the state."
Samples collected by Oregon students will become part of a national display compiled by Flight of Discovery, an organization of world-class pilots and scientists who will fly the river corridors and overland routes of the Lewis & Clark expedition, beginning in June, 2004.
Log onto www.omsi.edu or call 503-797-4000 for general OMSI information. OMSI is located at 1945 S.E. Water Ave. on the east side of the Willamette River in downtown Portland.
Genevieve Marrin
Public Relations Manager
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
1945 SE Water Ave
Portland, Oregon 97214-3354
503.797.4537
 Roger Fraser
displays TOD
at San Diego
Aerospace Museum
Woodburn Teacher Wins National Recognition for Lewis & Clark Lessons
March 16, 2004
(Woodburn, OR.)-Woodburn High School science teacher David Ellingson is the first Oregon educator to be honored by the national Flight of Discovery organization for his work in bringing to life the lessons of Lewis and Clark's historic expedition. In recognition of his outstanding work in the classroom, Ellingson will receive a "trunk of discovery," valued at more than $1,000, at a special ceremony at Woodburn High School on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 at 9 a.m. Taking part in the event will be Woodburn Mayor Kathy Figley, School Superintendent Walt Bloomberg, and Principal Laura Lanka. In addition to receiving the trunk-filled with sophisticated equipment like a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) device and pilot's weather computer-Ellingson's students will be given the opportunity to collect scientific specimens for a national exhibition commemorating the bicentennial of the Corps of Discovery mission.
Ellingson was nominated for the award by Pat Nida, of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, who helped the Flight of Discovery prepare curriculum for the trunk. "Ellingson's classes are an outstanding example of how to engage students in where they live and do it in a way that translates hands-on activities into rigorous work that meets federal standards," says Nida. She notes that Ellingson has taken his students camping in Astoria where Lewis and Clark spent a rainy winter; collecting plants and rocks in The Dalles; and meeting with a noted cartographer in Vancouver. According to Nida, Ellingson also has been able to draw parallels between the multi-cultural make-up of the Corps of Discovery and his own class which has a mixture of Anglo, Hispanic, and Russian students.
Following the ceremony, Ellingson will teach a sample lesson that draws on multi-cultural material. He'll use the books and equipment in the Flight of Discovery trunk in future lessons that draw on ecology, geology, zoology, botany, and biology: some of the disciplines that President Thomas Jefferson instructed Meriwether Lewis to investigate during the 1804-1805 mission. Samples collected by the class will become part of a national display compiled by Flight of Discovery, an organization of pilots and scientists who will fly the river corridors and overland routes of the Lewis and Clark expedition, beginning in June, 2004.
Contact:
Jeanine Hohn, Woodburn School District, 503-981-2810
Laura Lanka, Woodburn High School, 503-981-2602
Rhonda Barton, NW Regional Educational Laboratory, 503-275-9520
 Rich Steckel
with High Flyers Club
at Washington, MO
Flight of Discovery is a 2003 Recipient of a Grant from the Alfred L. and Constance C. Wolf Aviation Fund
May 1, 2003
Mike Harding, Expedition Leader, announces that the Flight of Discovery is a 2003 Recipient of a Grant from the Alfred L. and Constance C. Wolf Aviation Fund
The Flight of Discovery is a team of general aviation pilot/scientists who will fly the river corridors and overland routes of the Lewis and Clark expedition - the Corps of Discovery - during the 200th anniversary of the search for the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition is composed of geologists, agronomists, botanists, ecologists, health professionals, and anthropologists - most of them pilots and members of the Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the International Erosion Control Association (IECA). The flight is slated to depart from the Falls of the Ohio (JVY) on June 1, 2004.
The purpose of the expedition is to connect people with established history and their environment through the utilization of familiar and available technology. Flight of Discovery corps members will document and evaluate environmental changes along the route that have occurred over a two hundred year period by employing scientific method and procedures while referencing the 200-year old historical record contained in the journals, correspondence, notes and samples assembled from 1804-1806 by the Corps of Discovery.
Another objective of the expedition is to demonstrate the utility of general aviation aircraft and private pilots as effective tools for environmental assessment. "The Flight of Discovery will also show the skill level of ordinary general aviation pilots to accomplish a cross-country expedition through flight by visual references (VFR) and the application of the principles of proper flight planning, safety and cockpit resource management," says Lorraine Evernham, Communications Director. "The expedition will utilize 5 to 6 single-engine aircraft with good short field take-off and landing capability. A chase plane will accompany the journey to carry supplies and equipment."
"The journals of Meriwether Lewis, Patrick Gass and other Corps of Discovery members provide a literary snapshot in time of a young country stretching its imagination and geographic boundaries," adds Carol Forrest, Logistics Director. "As a cartographer, William Clark created a road map for America that became the conduit for continental change. Our members hope to contribute a small, but unique aerial retrospective to the national conversation on two hundred years of American history."
A web site for the expedition (http://www.flightofdiscovery.com) is under construction and will be going live in May 2003. The web site will allow for public participation in the pre-flight development and planning process, tracking of the flight itself in real-time and post-flight follow-up. Information about The Wolf Aviation Fund can be found at (http://www.wolf-aviation.org).
For more information about the Flight of Discovery contact:
Mike Harding, Expedition Leader
Flight of Discovery
1202 Novara Street
San Diego, CA 92107
Tel: (619) 222-9862
Fax: (619) 222-9923
email: hawkeye157@aol.com
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