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Gus McLeod:
On April 5, 2000, Gustavus "Gus" McLeod took off in this Stearman on a quest to become the first person to fly to the geographic North Pole in an open cockpit plane. To accomplish this feat, the Stearman's utilized a Continental R670 series engine and every seam and opening was covered to ward off the cold. To ensure that he would have enough fuel to get the plane from station to station while in Canada, the front cockpit was enclosed to support an extra fuel tank for the plane's long flight. One of his final tasks before leaving was to change the plane's registration number to N8N9, with "NP" standing for "North Pole".
The flight to the pole lasted twelve days, and was documented by a film crew from National Geographic, who followed McLeod in a chase plane. Temperatures at times reached -50 degrees Fahreheit, freezing his instruments and his body despite a specially designed six-layer flight suit. Despite the odds, McLeod reached the geographic North Pole at 9:07pm on April 17, 2000.
After circling the pole three times, he began the long flight back to Maryland. A short time into the return trip, his engine sputtered and died, forcing McLeod to land his planes on an ice floe. Left with no choice but to abandon the plane, he climbed into the chase plane that had been documenting his flight and returned to the US.
Returning to rescue his plane weeks later, McLeod found it had drifted 80 miles toward Norway. When engine repairs were completed, he flew the Stearman to a military base in Alert, Canada. Only eight hours after McLeod was airborne, the ice floe that had held his plane sank into the ocean. He landed safely in Canada, but with harsh weather closing in, it looked as if the historic plane would be stranded for some time.
With assistance from the National Air and Space Museum, the New York Air National Guard and the US Air Force, the Stearman was flown from Canada to New Jersey by way of Thule, Greenland. The Naval Reserve at Andrews Air Force Base then brought the plane to Maryland, where the trip had originated. On September 23, 2000, McLeod flew his history-making plane for the last time into the College Park Airport and donated it to this museum. |