Marjorie van Vliet
Encyclopedia
Marjorie van Vliet (1923 15 June 1990) was a teacher from Warwick, Rhode Island
in the United States
, who, aged 55, learned to fly and decided to undertake projects to promote world peace
and related causes through her flying.
, van Vliet looked for further flying-related challenges. As a more ambitious goal, she decided to fly across the Atlantic Ocean
to the Soviet Union
to promote world peace, possibly continuing on around the world and returning via the Pacific Ocean
. The Cold War
, however, was still ongoing and despite many efforts over several years to promote her idea, obtaining permission from the Soviet Union proved insurmountable.
A retired USAF
colonel
, Frank E. Martineau, promoted this campaign and accompanied Ms Van Vliet. Martineau was an experienced pilot who had flown bombing missions during World War II
and later flew for the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Now aged 69, he had logged 5,400 hours flying time with instrument flying
experience. According to periodic newsletters her association published at the time, Van Vliet, then 67 years old, believed his experience would significantly enhance her safety during the arduous and ambitious two-week flight.
to Yeager Airport
, the single-engine Mooney
M-20E that van Vliet and Martineau were flying from Columbus, Ohio
to Charleston, West Virginia
crashed into wooded terrain in light rain, turbulence and fog. Both suffered fatal injuries and perished in the crash.
report issued in 1992, the probable cause of the crash was Fog.
, had finally approved van Vliet's request for the World Peace tour flight over their territory (with Martineau as copilot), just prior to the Grand Tour flight.
In 1991, van Vliet was honored by being inducted posthumously into the International Forest of Friendship
in Atchison, Kansas
.
Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who, aged 55, learned to fly and decided to undertake projects to promote world peace
World peace
World Peace is an ideal of freedom, peace, and happiness among and within all nations and/or people. World peace is an idea of planetary non-violence by which nations willingly cooperate, either voluntarily or by virtue of a system of governance that prevents warfare. The term is sometimes used to...
and related causes through her flying.
Touring for peace
After founding a "World Friendship Association" and flying some domestic flights to promote world peace and fight child abuseChild abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
, van Vliet looked for further flying-related challenges. As a more ambitious goal, she decided to fly across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to promote world peace, possibly continuing on around the world and returning via the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, however, was still ongoing and despite many efforts over several years to promote her idea, obtaining permission from the Soviet Union proved insurmountable.
Planning the Grand Tour of the "Lower 48"
The idea was to criss-cross the continental United States (the "Lower 48") in a single two-week period, landing at each state capital to promote her association's messages.A retired USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, Frank E. Martineau, promoted this campaign and accompanied Ms Van Vliet. Martineau was an experienced pilot who had flown bombing missions during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and later flew for the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Now aged 69, he had logged 5,400 hours flying time with instrument flying
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....
experience. According to periodic newsletters her association published at the time, Van Vliet, then 67 years old, believed his experience would significantly enhance her safety during the arduous and ambitious two-week flight.
Accident
Ultimately, after successfully landing in 47 states, the journey ended in tragedy just one mile short of the final stop. On the morning of June 15, 1990, while executing an instrument approachInstrument approach
For aircraft operating under instrument flight rules , an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft under instrument flight conditions from the beginning of the initial approach to a landing, or to a point...
to Yeager Airport
Yeager Airport
Yeager Airport is a public-use airport located three nautical miles east of the central business district of Charleston, a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. It is owned by the Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority...
, the single-engine Mooney
Mooney Airplane Company
The Mooney Aviation Company, Inc. is a U.S. manufacturer of single-engined general aviation aircraft. Mooney has been a leader in civil aviation even though the company has gone bankrupt and changed ownership several times...
M-20E that van Vliet and Martineau were flying from Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
to Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
crashed into wooded terrain in light rain, turbulence and fog. Both suffered fatal injuries and perished in the crash.
NTSB accident report
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
report issued in 1992, the probable cause of the crash was Fog.
Postscript
As another irony, the Soviet Union, by now in perestroikaPerestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
, had finally approved van Vliet's request for the World Peace tour flight over their territory (with Martineau as copilot), just prior to the Grand Tour flight.
In 1991, van Vliet was honored by being inducted posthumously into the International Forest of Friendship
International Forest of Friendship
The International Forest of Friendship is an arboretum and memorial forest beside Lake Warnock in Atchison, Kansas. It is a memorial to the men and women involved in aviation and space exploration, and open to the public daily....
in Atchison, Kansas
Atchison, Kansas
Atchison is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Atchison County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Atchison County...
.