On Sunday, July 30, Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels accomplished a feat very few pilots have done. They circumnavigated the globe in a single reciprocating engine airplane. They were welcomed home at 9:00 AM at the Eastern Iowa Airport by a crowd of enthusiastic supporters at a pancake breakfast on the UPS tarmac. Jill Olsen, Bob Mollman. John Bender and Erik Miles represented the Marion-East CR Rotary club. Here are some pictures to give you a sense of the event.
Rotarians from Districts 5970 and 6000 as well as EAA and other community members welcomed Peter and John back with a pancake breakfast. Many pictures were on display as well as memorabilia collected along the way.
The plane landed from the west and rolled onto the UPS tarmac.
There were family and very excited spouses welcome back Peter and John. Deb Ockenfels helped keep us informed as to the pilot's progress.
People were very interested in the plane and how it made it all around the world.
John and Peter paid for the trip themselves so Rotary's Polio Plus campaign would receive all donations matched by the Gates Foundation. Several sponsors also helped support the trip monetarily and with expertise and equipment. Rotary District 5970 and 6000 supported the trip as Rotary International was unable to officially back this daring effort.
The pilots made friends in many countries as shown by the flags on their plane and names on a banner they took with them. The exact amount raised to end polio may never be exactly known however it was very significant. Let's End Polio Now.