Inspired by some great caches that were placed in the valley along the same theme (now archived): Spirit of Wenatchee, Pangborn, and Belly Landing.
ATTENTION: Doing this multi will entail going into some buildings. The hours are posted in red, below the historical info, next to the building name.
This multi will take you on a trip around Wenatchee and East Wenatchee, and will take a bit of time. But if you love history, then this Multi is for you!
In 1931, Clyde "Upside Down" Pangborn (a NW native, born in Bridgeport, WA and raised in ID - his mom and brother lived in Wenatchee at the time of the epic flight) and Hugh Herndan II set out to break the round the world record. Instead, they ended up completing the first non-stop flight across the Pacific, landing in (what is now) East Wenatchee. They flew in a bright red Bellanca "Skyrocket", which they named "Miss Veedol". The flight took 41 hours and 13 minutes, was over 4,558 miles, completed on October 5, 1931.
While on their flight around the world to beat the record, they got stuck in mud in Siberia. Because of this, and already being behind (Herndon got lost over Mongolia while Pangborn slept), they knew they couldn't beat the record. They heard that there was a $25,000 prize offered by a Japanese newspaper, for the first non-stop flight across the Pacific. They decided to try for it. While flying over Japan, they took pictures, some of them were unintentionally over military installations. Because of that, and because their papers had not been filed by the Embassy in Japan, they were arrested upon landing in Tokyo, Japan. They were kept under house arrest for almost 2 months, tried and convicted of espionage. They were given the choice of 205 days of hard labor, or paying a $2,000 dollar fine. They decided to pay the fine, and were told that they would only have one chance at their take off, and if they didn't make it, their plane would be impounded.
They moved Miss Veedol to Sabishiro Beach, near Misawa, Japan. This was a spot where others had taken off, trying for the record. The airplane was loaded with about 930 gallons of fuel, and weighted over 9,000 pounds, more than 3,500 pounds over the manufacturer's gross weight maximum. In order to add some miles to their flight, they rigged the landing gear to come off in mid-flight after take off, using cables. This would add approximately 600 miles to their flight.
After a close take off, and flying for about 300 miles, Pangborn released the landing gear. They came off, but the bracing rods remained, posing the dangerous risk of puncturing the fuselage upon landing. Pangborn climbed the plane from 14,000 feet to 17,000 feet, where the air would be free of ice. Pangborn had spent many years as a barnstormer and wing walker before this flight, and he put it to good use now. Braving darkness, the cold, and 100 mile and hour winds, Pangborn climbed out barefoot on to each wing strut and released the rods.
Herndon's main task was to transfer fuel between the tanks. Twice, he had trouble remembering, and the second time, the engine completely quit. Without an electric starter, Panborn was forced to dive from 17,000 feet to 1,500 feet, before the engine was able to catch.
Upon sighting Canada, Pangborn decided to take a nap, leaving the controlls to Herndon. Herndon was supposed to wake him when he saw Vancouver, B.C.'s lights. He missed Vancouver, and then Seattle as well, before Pangborn awoke. Since they had already missed landing in Seattle like they had planned, they decided to try and make it to Boise, ID. This would break the current distance record. But they found Boise fogged in, so Pangborn decided to head back to Fancher Field (at the time, called the Chamber of Commerce airfield, or the Municipal airport) in (what is now) East Wenatchee, an area that he knew well. He knew that the Wenatchee Valley was likely to be clear of fog, unlike other areas (300 days of sunshine a year). Coincidentally, his mother and brother and two reporters from the awarding Japanese newspaper were waiting for them, assuming that they would land in Pangborn's family's town.
Early the morning of October 5, 1931, Miss Veedol came in for a belly landing. To keep the nose up, Herndon climbed into the tail of the plane, and Pangborn stopped the engine to try and keep the propeller horizontal. The propeller caught on the ground anyway, and almost tipped the plane forward. The bent propeller was the only major damage, along with a bump on the head for Herndon. They were greeted by throngs of people. That afternoon, Wenatchee held a parade for them, starting on Wenatchee Ave. near the bridge, and ending at Memorial Park. All the businesses in town were encouraged to close early for the celebration.
Miss Veedol was shipped to Seattle, where new landing gear and a new propeller were installed. Pangborn and Herndon were also treated to a parade in Seattle. Then they flew on to New York, to officially finish their round the world flight.
Unfortunately, because Herndon financed the project, he took the majority of the prize money. However, Pangorn was later awarded the most prestigious aviation trophy, the Harmon trophy, for 1931. Instead of allowing Pangborn to fly around the country with Miss Veedol on a post record breaking flight tour, Herndon sold the plane to make some extra money. Sadly, the plane was taken on a flight across the Atlantic to Italy, and lost south of the British Isles. The only thing remaining of Miss Veedol today, is her propeller on display at the Wenatchee Valley Museum. Today, the flight is largely unremembered in general (except in the Wenatchee Valley!), even though the flight was almost twice as long as Charles Lindbergh's record breaking first non-stop flight across the Atlantic four years before. No other flight flew as far non-stop for another three decades, until jet airliners were used.
Recently, Pangborn's cousin, JR Roberts, worked with the Wenatchee EEA chapter to make another Miss Veedol. Since the Bellanca Company wouldn't release their plans, the group reverse engineered the plane. Check out this website for great info, including historical photos and photos of the new plane. The new Miss Veedol has flown in different historical and aviation celebrations. She has visited Wenatchee during the annual Wings & Wheels Festival, a festival dedicated to the record breaking flight.
In order to complete this Multi-cache, you'll need to visit seven places total in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee, that have monunents/historical info about this record breaking flight. At each stop, you'll need to read the info there, and use it to get the coordinates to each stage and then the final cache. Hint for driving/gas challenged cachers: There are clues in the cache description below that can help you find the info for the multi. But I challenge you to go to each site, you won't know what you're missing by not seeing some of these places in person.
There are several places in the Wenatchee Valley that showcase information about the Pangborn flight.
Here are the stops, in no particular order (one is optional):
Fancher Field: An old hanger, with a mural of Pangborn, Herndon, and Miss Veedol.
Wenatchee Valley Museum: Has a whole room devoted to Pangborn, Herndon and the flight. Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00am - 4:00pm
East Wenatchee Municipal Court Building: Has a 12 foot long radio controlled Miss Veedol replica hanging from ceiling, as well as many pictures, framed newspaper articles and info in foyer. Hours: Weekdays, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Wenatchee Valley Mall: Inside the Main entrance is another 12 foot long Miss Veedol replica, and a historical informational sign on the wall. Hours: Monday - Saturday, 11:00am - 8:00pm, Sunday - 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Eastmont Community Park: There is a playground that is Miss Veedol themed, with a historical marker.
Pangborn-Herndon Memorial Park: Has a large monument in honor of the flight.
Ballard Park: Has a 6 foot long replica of Miss Veedol and a plaque.
Bridge of Friendship Garden: A garden planted to honor our sister city, Misawa, Japan, where Pangborn and Herndon took off from for their record breaking flight.
Final will be: N 47° 2A.BCD W 120° 16.8EF
Go to the starting coords, N 47° 25.350, W 120° 18.657
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00am - 4:00pm
You have two options: I am no longer asking cachers to go inside the museum, because there is a charge, and there is no longer a free day a month. But if you can, visit the Pangborn/Herndon exhibit inside because they actually have the only part of the plane remaining.
If you do not want to go inside the museum, go to the historical marker by the sidewalk (it has no relation to Miss Veedol). How many words are in the title, including the symbol? ____ = A.
If you go inside the museum, go to the room devoted to Pangborn and Herndon. Notice the timeline spread out around the middle of the floor around the map. Stand in front of Miss Veedol's bent propeller, and look at the nearest timeline pages. Find the one titled, "Khabarovsk to Tokyo". What number precedes these city names? ____ = A.
Proceed to N 47° 25.223 W 120° 17.787
Looking at the historical plaque, find the first number in the description: October _. What is this number? ____ = B.
Now go to N 47° 24.500, W 120° 16.466
How many times can you find "Miss Veedol" in the plaque (including pictures): ____ = C.
At this point you have two options. There are two locations that have a 12 foot model of Miss Veedol. The first site has less info, but is open longer. The second site has more historical info and objects, like a tiny museum, but has shorter visiting hours. You choose which location to go to, each gives the same answer for letter D.
First site: N 47° 24.746' W 120° 17.416
Hours: Monday - Saturday, 11:00am - 8:00pm, Sunday - 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Walk through the entrance and straight forward, until you see Miss Veedol above you. Look forward and slightly left, to find a historical informational sign. Ho many trees are in the pictures in the sign? ____ = D.
Second Site: N 47° 25.037 W 120° 17.366
Hours: Weekdays, 8:00am - 4:30pm
On the back wall of the foyer, there is a framed painting of Miss Veedol. How many birds are in the painting? ____ = D.
Now proceed to N 47° 25.119 W 120° 16.899
Find the plaque with four people named, "Ito". How many numbers do you see on this plaque? ____ = E.
Drive to N 47° 26.911 W 120° 16.480
How many doors are under the mural (include all small and large ones)? ____ = F.
Proceed to the FINAL cache location.
| Pangborn Airport: |
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| Bridge of Friendship Garden: |
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| Fancher Heights Monument: |
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| Ballard Park: |
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| Pangborn Water Tower: |
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| Fancher Field Mural: |
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| City of East Wenatchee inside: |
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| Wenatchee Valley Cultural Center inside: |
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Several good links for info:
Historical info about 2/3 down the page
U.S. Centennial of Flight info
Arlington Cemetery, Pangborn
Free museum admission on 9/25/10
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.