MIDDLETON, WIS. – A former Madison, Wisconsin resident and the former owner of Morey Airplane Company and Morey Airport in Middleton, Wis., Field Morey of Medford, Oregon, and Conrad Teitell of White Plains, New York, have accepted the challenge of flying a general aviation airplane to all 49 state capitals in the lower 48 plus Alaska within a two-week period of time. Morey and Teitell are making the flight to raise public awareness about the importance of smaller airports to communities and the nation’s air transportation system.
Called the “Capital Air Tour,” the pilots will use Morey’s 2013 Cessna Corvalis TTx, departing Tuesday, September 16, 2014, and landing in several states each day.
The idea of flying the Capital Air Tour came to Teitell when he wanted to “raise the bar” after he and Morey completed Teitell’s quest to fly from the highest airport in the U.S. to the lowest airport in 2013.
“It was Conrad’s idea to land at every state capital in the lower 48 and Alaska,” Morey explained, “but I thought we should do it all in two weeks to show off just how capable and technologically-advanced a modern private airplane can be.”
Throughout his career, Morey has been at the forefront of technological advances in general aviation aircraft and avionics, and is THE instrument pilot and instructor.
Morey, a Certified Instrument Flight Instructor and highly rated in single and multi-engine piston aircraft, as well as gliders and tail-draggers, is an expert in adventure flights, and has instructed hundreds of instrument student pilots on exciting “real world weather” flights to Alaska, the Rocky Mountains and the Idaho backcountry through his company, Morey’s West Coast Adventures (http://www.ifrwest.com).
Because the entire flight will be tracked using an onboard Spot Generation 3 GPS tracking device showing the real-time location of the aircraft, the flights offer teachers a chance to give lessons in time, distance and U.S. state capitals. A complete itinerary with a tentative schedule, along with the tracking map, is available on the flight’s web page at www.ifrwest.com/cat.
Each day along the Capital Air Tour route, Morey and Teitell plan to hold media interviews in cities where that day’s series of flights conclude. They will be distributing information from the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA) to help demonstrate the value of local airports, while allowing the press to get a close-up look at the airplane being used for the flight.
“The Cessna Corvalis TTx is the fastest single-engine, fixed gear production aircraft on the market,” Morey said, “and it has a maximum cruising speed of 235 knots. With that level of performance, we are able to plan a mission profile for the Capital Air Tour that involves covering over 12,000 miles with stops at 57 airports in two weeks.”
Morey’s Cessna Corvalis TTx is equipped with a Garmin G2000 “glass cockpit” that includes NEXRAD radar for storm avoidance, anti-ice equipment, and terrain and traffic avoidance devices, along with the latest autopilot technology essential for avoiding crew fatigue. Morey said that their flight plan is subject to diversions caused by unsafe weather conditions.
“September is the heart of hurricane season and that could be the biggest influence on our route,” said Morey. “A major route decision will be made prior to leaving Wisconsin on September 20th as we prepare to continue east. The remaining route of our flight plan will all depend on the weather moving up through the Gulf States along the Atlantic Coast at the time.”
For more information, visit www.ifrwest.com/cat.
