July 1, 2013, Tucson, Ariz. – Faith Vilas successfully made a water landing near Chicago’s Navy Pier this morning, recreating the flight her grandfather and pioneer aviator Logan A. (Jack) Vilas made July 1, 1913 to become the first person to fly an airplane across Lake Michigan.
Vilas, a Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, made the flight to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her grandfather’s groundbreaking feat.
She flew a Cessna 185 seaplane from Southwest Regional Airport in St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Mich., to the Navy Pier in Chicago Ill.
“I am so glad to complete this journey successfully on the 100th anniversary of my grandfather’s landing – at that time, the longest flight over water in aviation history,” Vilas said. “This is the culmination of years of work on the part of admirers of Jack’s accomplishment, and it is great to complete this effort on behalf of family and friends, and especially in honor of my grandfather, Jack Vilas.”
Vilas held a press conference in the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom before heading off to a reception in the Navy Pier Lakeview Terrace attended by family, friends and well-wishers.
The 64-mile Lake Michigan flight, accomplished under windy conditions, marks the successful end of two years of training and preparation for Vilas, whose future aviation goals are aimed even higher.
She is eager to go up into space as part of PSI’s Atsa Suborbital Observatory project that will see scientists and students operate a telescope while aboard a reusable spacecraft, XCOR Aerospace’s Lynx. Vilas is a founder of and Project Scientist on the Atsa project.
Atsa will provide low-cost space-based observations above the limiting atmosphere of Earth, while avoiding some operational constraints of satellite telescope systems such as the inability to observe objects close to the Sun.
“It will be fantastic to fly and use the Atsa in suborbital space,” she said. “Open human spaceflight is our future.”
Visit http://www.psi.edu/news/vilasflight.html to see photos from today’s flight.
THE PLANETARY SCIENCE INSTITUTE
The Planetary Science Institute is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to solar system exploration. It is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, where it was founded in 1972.
PSI scientists are involved in numerous NASA and international missions, the study of Mars and other planets, the Moon, asteroids, comets, interplanetary dust, impact physics, the origin of the solar system, extra-solar planet formation, dynamics, the rise of life, and other areas of research. They conduct fieldwork in North America, Australia and Africa. They also are actively involved in science education and public outreach through school programs, children’s books, popular science books and art.
PSI scientists are based in 18 states and the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Latvia, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
For more information visit our website at www.psi.edu
NAVY PIER
A Chicago landmark since 1916, Navy Pier has evolved from a freight passenger ship docking facility to the Number 1 tourist attraction in the Midwest, drawing more than eight million visitors annually. Navy Pier currently encompasses more than fifty acres of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants, family attractions and exhibit facilities, making it a tourist and visitor hub. For more information, visit our website at www.navypier.com
