Longtime Fairbanks pilots win aviation safety award
Published Thursday, October 15, 2009
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FAIRBANKS — Fairbanks pilots Tim Sander and Pete Haggland won the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, a prize for pilots who have conducted 50 or more consecutive years of safe flight operations.
Fellow aviators will honor the men at a banquet in connection with an aviation conference and trade show at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge starting today.
The banquet takes place Friday at the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel.
The pilots join past award winners Noel Wien, founder of Alaska’s first airline; Randy Acord, who helped create of the Alaska Air Pioneer Museum; and Urban Rahoi, a World War II bomber pilot turned big game guide.
“It’s an honor to be included with some of the folks that are there (on the list,)” Haggland said.
The 66-year-old began working on aircraft at age 14 and learned to fly three years later in 1959. He flies for the Northern Alaska Tour Co.
Haggland has logged more than 16,500 hours in the air. All but 200 hours were in Alaska, he said.
“It’s been a fun profession,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of the country and met some awfully nice people.”
Sander, known as Father Tim, is a 94-year-old Catholic priest, flight instructor and a gold medalist in the Alaska International Senior Games.
A battle with emphysema has stymied his time in the air recently, but Sander said he is doing better.
“I sure appreciate the trouble they are going to,” he said of the Wright Brothers award. “It’s way up there.”
Tickets to the banquet are $45. Also featured at the dinner will be aviation humorist Charlie Thompson.
The Aviation North Expo starts at 7:45 a.m. The conference is $60 per day or $150 for three days.
Aircraft maintenance, aviation safety and new technology in aviation are a few of the topics to be highlighted.
The trade show portion is free to the public.
For more information, go to www.aviationnorth.org.
Community Discussion
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50 or more years of safe operation? That's an unbelievable accomplishment over terrain which is considered some of the most dangerous in the world. Consider the careers of Harold "thrill 'em, chill 'em, but don't kill 'em" Gillam, Bob Reeve, and Frank Barr among others and I can only say an extra-large and hearty CONGRATULATIONS guys!
Truly an amazing accomplishment. Well done gentlemen.
Clear skies and keep the greasy side down.
Didn't the Wright brothers crash their plane?
Several of them. Sure made for interesting historical photos.
I've just gotta ask, are you a dentist?
How does a pilot win recognition for 50 years of safe flying without an exciting story or two to tell?? I guess if he/she is still alive that might count by itself.
Pete Haggland - I would have never recognized him from the photo. When I first met Pete circa 1966 he was an extremely thin,lanky sort with reddish hair. My how time changes all of us.
Pete flew a hunting guide who I was packing for into Chandler Lake from Bettles and then later to a smaller camp site called 'Shebou' sp? lake. There was a shack there and the story was it was built by Jimmy Doolittle of WW2 fame.
Leaving Shebou, Haggland suspected we were overloaded and he might not be able to get the plane into the air. He was correct and not realizing how fast he would be able to turn the plane around and not run it into the cliff we were heading towards had me terrified when he couldn't get the plane into the air.. but he was able to change directions almost instantly and returned to shore where I and some of the gear were unloaded and Pete then flew to Bettles and promised he'd come back for me. Obviously he is a man of his word.
Nice story Amanda...keep up the good work.
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