Wings of Flight

Wanderland and Wings of Flight

The DC-3 Edventure Platform – Telluride and the Four Corners

Start and End Dates:   September and October, 2012; Call to arrange dates for your group.

Duration:    6 days, 6 nights

Location:    Phoenix to Telluride, and beyond.

Price starting at:    $6,900

Program Type:     Aviation and Overlanding Adventure, Educational, Lodge Based

Meals:    Included.

OVERVIEW
Your adventure starts as soon as you step onto the hot Arizona tarmac and your host directs you to the most unique craft you’ll probably see on the runway that day:  a fully restored and gleaming 1943 DC-3.  You climb the short stairway and board and are pleasantly surprised by the appointments in the comfortable living-room atmosphere of the main cabin.  The plane was refitted and used as a swanky corporate airliner shuttling execs around the country.   After takeoff the lounge levels off and our educational staff and flight attendants begin to circulate about the cabin.  We will treat you to a view of the massive features of Arizona and the Four Corners, plateaus, craters, jagged mountains, volcanoes, monuments, and spectacular canyons — all from 20,000 feet up and in historic 20th Century comfort. Our DC-3 adventures transport you back to the heyday of early aviation.

Wanderland.org and WingsofFlight.org are partnering up to provide this experiential learning program aboard a fully restored historic airplane, the DC-3.

Our destination is the Northwest edge of the Colorado Plateau.  The massive volcanic event that left a land full of smoking calderas in the distant past today has produced the lush San Juan Mountains, a jagged spur of the Rockies in SW Colorado.  Telluride is a feisty little mountain clave of adventure enthusiasts sporting a unique hospitality.  Our overland trek begins here and will introduce you to the gems of this area such as boreal forets, mountain meadows where elk roam, wide grasslands, ancient pueblo cultural centers, and historic mining and railroading towns.    (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan_Mountains)  Our goal to support the UNESCO Word Heritage project will have us learning and exploring Mesa Verde National Park as well as the amazing density of archaeological sites in the Four Corner Region.   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesa_Verde_National_Park)

Background

In our goal to collaborate with not for profit organizations Wanderland is excited to be developing these tours with the Wings of Flight Organization.

Eco-Aviation?  It has been said that if one were to design an economical modern aircraft, the DC-3 would be the template.  Its twin Pratt-Whitney engines are hallmarks of reliability and efficiency.  These craft were the workhorse of the commercial aviation industry during the 50’s and 60’s.  In the defense of the United States and Europe these planes, their missions, and their captains are lauded for their bravura, reliability and versatility.  In peacetime these planes circled the globe integrating the modern network of global humanity.

So, are we ecologically friendly here?  We are well aware that fuel consumption is a consideration in any project that claims to be eco-friendly.  Yes, flying this plane consumes fuel and other resources.  We have done the math.  The fuel needs of the itinerary are far below those commercial air travel would have, with 100 times the maneuverability.  Since we have a base price of full occupancy, 12 people, the plane never flies empty.

Low and slow, these planes practically glide:  see the landscape and learn about its significance from an eagle’s-eye view.  Our coordinators and guest speakers are expert at identifying the landforms you’ll see below, explaining the rugged patterns below and their geology, making the vistas come alive with significance.

Education

The Wings of Flight Organization is an educational not for profit that raises awareness of historic aviation in the US.  Wanderland educational staff join forces with them to weave together a land-and-air partnership.  Overflights of the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Meteor Crater, Canyon de Chelly, and the San Juan Volcanic Field will set the tableau for our land-based portion.  On the ground we will explore the San Juans and the mining history and continue to the ancestral puebloan sites of Mesa Verde and Yellowjacket.

CURRICULUM — Historic Aviation; Geography of AZ, CO, NM; The Colorado Plateau; Mining Hx in the San Juans; Ancestral Puebloan Pre-History in the Four Corners;  Flora and Fauna of the San Juan Basin.  Thermal Features.

Please Contact Us for a Complete Itinerary.