About Wings Across America 2008 A group of model airplane enthusiasts will fly a battery powered Radio Controlled (RC) airplane designated as a parkflyer in all 48 contiguous United States. A parkflyer is a small RC plane typically flown in a field such as a local park or soccer field. The
name they have given this adventure is Wings Across America 2008 or WAA-08 for short.
This type of project has been attempted before, but what sets this project apart from all the others
ever attempted or completed is that the pilots will hand deliver the plane from pilot to pilot. The
plane will never be shipped by mail to its next destination. This method will be creating a
"chain" of pilots that personally fly, then hand off the model to the text pilot, all across the
continental United States. In the end, the model airplane will have flown in all 48 states and
cover a distance of over 14,000 miles along the way. It will end its journey at home field about
12 months after it made its maiden flight in eastern Virginia.

Currently, over 260 pilots have registered to take part in this history making project. WAA-08 is the brainchild of Frank Geisler of Gloucester, Virginia.
Frank is an avid RC pilot who also enjoys discussing flying with people all over the USA using the RC Forums on the World Wide Web. When Frank discussed this project with some of his on- line friends, it was received with such enthusiasm that the project was born of this
energy. All that was needed were hundreds of RC pilots across the US in every state willing to fly the
plane at their home field then drive to the next pilot, thus forming a nationwide network of pilots who would fly across America.

The equipment used for WAA-08 has been donated by the participating pilots. Fortunately, one
of the pilots owns Stevens AeroModels in Colorado Springs, CO. Bill Stevens donated a plane
called a SQuiRT which stands for Simple, Quiet Reliable Trainer. This tough little 38" wingspan
parkflyer is easy to fly and should take the abuse that over 260 pilots can dish out. Bill also
talked his Horizon Hobby sales representative into donating their newest high-tech radio system
to go along with the plane. Batteries and a charger were donated by Common Sense RC. To
insure the batteries for the plane were safely transported, Big Al's Hobby Supply from Tupelo,
MS, donated a Lipo sack.

 

 

 

 

 The RC community has really embraced the idea of flying this plane across America. There are
so many wonderful and generous people involved in the radio controlled airplane hobby. No
other hobby has so many people willing to help folks involved in the hobby and out of it. We
have seen RC pilots donating to people with losses in natural disasters, personal losses, including
but not limited to sending RC related equipment to our Military deployed in the war on terrorism. The sense of camaraderie demonstrated by the pilots in this project has been outstanding. The RC community is always looking at ways to promote the hobby and introduce the fun, excitement, and learning opportunities this hobby has to
offer to young adults. What better way is there then to fly a model airplane around the USA?