'Wiley
Post Spirit Award'
Photo from the Bob Burk Collection
January 2 - The Curtiss-Wright Wiley Post Hangar, Inc. of Oklahoma
City announces the recent creation of the Wiley Post Commission. In
turn, the new Wiley Post Commission has created a new award in honor of
famed Oklahoma aviator, Wiley Post, in the form of the "Wiley Post
Spirit Award."
Bob Kemper, executive director, Curtiss-Wright Wiley Post Hangar,
Inc., said the purpose of the commission is to establish an annual award
that brings national and international recognition to an individual in
general aviation who best exemplifies the engineering and innovative
pioneer spirit of Wiley Post.
"In particular, we want to award the "Wiley Post Spirit Award" to
someone who hasn't the financial support of either the government or of
a large corporate backer," Kemper said. "Too often achievements in
general aviation or sport aviation are not recognized because they are
an individual’s effort, and these pilots and builders don't have the
media apparatus to make their endeavors known."
Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission Director Victor Bird said he applauds
the creation of the commission and subsequent award for recognizing the
real historical significance of Wiley Post. Post was an international
hero and was the first person to fly solo around the world in 1931. New
York City held the largest tickertape parade in history for Post in
1932. He also invented the high-altitude pressure suit, which is
considered today to be a forerunner of the modern spacesuit.
Additionally, Post discovered the jet stream in 1932 and set records
for altitude, speed and distance. He was a test pilot for Lockheed
Aircraft Co. during the 1930s and was instrumental in the design and
development of many of their aircraft - technology gained later was used
by the military during World War II and can be found today in many
modern airliners. Post died in 1935 after a plane accident in Point
Barrow, Ala., along with Oklahoma’s celebrated satirist and movie star
Will Rogers.
"Oklahoma is immensely proud of our renowned aviators and
astronauts," Bird said, "and of Oklahoma’s strong love and support of
aeronautics. The ‘Wiley Post Spirit Award’ captures that essence of
individualism and exploration that Post is known for and the Oklahoma
Aeronautics Commission supports any and all such efforts to bring honor
to those who embrace aviation."
Bird said Post and other famed aviators were recognized with state
citations as "Heroes of Oklahoma Aviation" during the state’s 100th
Anniversary of the Power of Flight in December of 2004 at Wiley Post
Airport in Oklahoma City Kemper said the Wiley post Commission’s
selection committee consist of long time aviation professionals,
aircraft builders, pilots, and a former astronaut.
The recipient of the 2004, “Wiley Post Spirit Award” Andy Keech will
be honored at a banquet on January 28th. The formal banquet
is scheduled to begin at 7 pm at the Servicenter FBO at Wiley Post
Airport, locate 7200 NW 63 Street. For more information call 405
709-1550 and ask for Donna.
The winner of the first Wiley Post Spirit Award is Andy Keech. As far
back as he can remember Andy has been interested in aircraft. By the
age of seven, he was building balsa, rubber-band-propelled model
aircraft and reading all the books a young person could find on flying.
When he was eight, he had his first flight in a barnstorming itinerant
aircraft, and from then on he had a passionate interest in aviation. He
clipped articles and pictures from newspapers and magazines to be pasted
into scrap books, and he was able to recognize any aircraft that existed
at that time.
At seventeen, he earned his first full-time employment check, part of
which was invested in his first flying lesson. He soloed later that
year, but unfortunately moved to a town that had no flying club.
However, that did not hold him back. He segued into sport parachuting
at 19, and developed a passion for the sport which lasted for the next
20 years.
During that time he became one of Australia’s pioneer skydivers. He
was, with his jump partner, the first Australian to successfully make
contact in freefall (relative work). He became a senior as well as
chief instructor, national champion parachutist and held the first two
expert parachutist licenses issued to an Australian (E1 and F1). He
competed at a world competition in Germany and was the top scorer on his
team.
Andy came to the US around this time and continued skydiving, but also
resumed flying lessons. He became one of the world’s top free fall
photographers, and produced three books on skydiving. He had
assignments with Sports Illustrated, TIME magazine, the London Times and
other publications, which took him to Africa, Europe and the Pacific as
well as all over the United States.
Andy built and jumped his own parachute, and was the first freefall
photographer to transition on to the modern, high performance ram air
parachutes. He was one of the small handful of skydivers to dive off El
Capitan in the Yosemite Valley. His El Cap number is 83 (83rd person to
freefall down that cliff face). He organized the visit to, and jumped,
in China as still photographer on the US Skydiving team in 1980. His
work hung in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington DC, and he
was honored with the Master of Sport award by the Australian Parachute
Association in recognition of his international achievements.
While accomplishing the above, he also earned the following certificates
and ratings: senior parachute rigger, commercial, single engine,
multi-engine, instrument, rotorcraft, helicopter and gyroplane.
He built and flew an ultra light, and repaired a wrecked light aircraft
which became his private plane. He also few jump aircraft, gliders, tow
planes, helicopters and auto gyros. However, it was the world of auto
gyros that began to fascinate him and eventually Andy decided to build a
new design gyroplane (Little Wing Autogyro). He worked with Ron Herron
of Searcy (AR), an airframe and powerplant mechanic, instructor,
designer to build a light, high-performance, safe aircraft, which he
called ‘Woodstock’. The collaboration took five-years.
In October 2003, Andy flew Woodstock across the U.S. and back, resetting
three trans-continental speed records. Then, in February 2004 he set a
new world distance record of 617 miles and in May, a new altitude
(26,408’) and time to climb world records. The LW 5 is unique. It is
the only aircraft to ever hold records in all parameters of
performance...speed, distance, climb and altitude. Andy now looks
forward to setting further world records.
The Wiley Post Commission believes that Andy Keech meets all the
criteria for the ‘Wiley Post Spirit Award’ by best exhibiting the
engineering and innovative pioneering legacy of Wiley Post.
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