Keith - Crete2Cape in 1929 Biplane
Donation protected
My name is Terri, and on behalf of my entire family, I am trying to help my amazing brother - yes, AMAZING! - Keith, in obtaining donations to assist with an incredible journey of a life-time. He will be flying his 1929 Travel Air BiPlane from the Greek Island of Crete to Cape Town, South Africa, as one of 2 U.S. teams (#8 Team Barnstormers) participating in the Crete2Cape Vintage Air Rally. A rally such as this has not been done before. Ever.
Outline of his journey:
• Find the right plane - Obtained June 2016
Keith searched the entire country for anyone that owned the type/year of plane he was looking for. Spoke to all of the owners that he could get in touch with, traveled to check out many of the planes, finally finding the perfect plane on an island off the coast of Washington state. Thank you, Rod, for giving him this unbelievable opportunity, and helping him to complete the first step in achieving his dream!
• Rebuild motor, and check out every inch of plane
He worked day and night, most of the time, with little or no sleep, and lost weight... just to make sure that he met the deadlines in making this trip a reality.
• Start trip from SoCal to Florida (Departed Aug 27th)
He and my husband, Kevin, began the first leg of the trip across the US, meeting incredible people and hospitality at every airport they stopped at along the way. Thank you to ALL of you - for trusting them with your vehicles to get something to eat, providing them a place to sleep and shower, and hangars to allow them time to work on, clean or go over the plane before the next take off!
• Arrive at destination in FL (Sept 4)
Amidst the devastation of bad weather, they have made it to FL.
• Disassemble plane, crate, and ship to UK
• Travel to Europe, put plane back together
• Fly BiPlane from UK to Crete
• Begin journey from Crete2Cape (Nov 12th - 5 Week Tour)
• Follow the footsteps of the pioneering flights in the 1920s – the teams connect some of the most beautiful and evocative points in Africa. Flying low along the Nile from Cairo to Khartoum, past the highlands of Ethiopia before the plains of Kenya and the home of African aviation in Nairobi. Then off again past Kilimanjaro into the Serengeti – and on to the spice island of Zanzibar. After a short pause to enjoy the Indian ocean, the tour continues, crossing Zambia to Victoria Falls, before heading to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. The final days take them into, and across, stunning South Africa – to the Cape, journey’s end.
• Arrive in Cape Town 5 weeks later
• Disassemble plane, crate, and ship back to California
Funds will be used for:
• Airplane Fuel
• Shipping of Plane from US to Europe, and from South Africa back to the US
• Insurance
• Plane Parts and Supplies
• Travel Expenses to and from CA to FL, and Europe to Crete to Cape and back to CA
With an extreme passion for flying, Keith will fulfill his dream of completing this endeavor, and return to the US, to share the wonderful feeling of flying in an old open biplane, with others by starting a flight tour company. He wants to share his love for flying and the incredible feeling one gets when experiencing the flight.
For ALL of those that he has met, those that have shared his passion for flying, helped him with repairs to the plane, took the time to educate him, trusted their vehicle to him, opened their home or business to him, donated funds, filled his plane with fuel, waved as he flew by, or just shook his hand, and greeted him with a smile....he will be FOREVER GRATEFUL to you for adding extraordinary value to his dream come true! THANK YOU from the bottom of his heart, and from his entire family - a lot of us at that! :)
Outline of his journey:
• Find the right plane - Obtained June 2016
Keith searched the entire country for anyone that owned the type/year of plane he was looking for. Spoke to all of the owners that he could get in touch with, traveled to check out many of the planes, finally finding the perfect plane on an island off the coast of Washington state. Thank you, Rod, for giving him this unbelievable opportunity, and helping him to complete the first step in achieving his dream!
• Rebuild motor, and check out every inch of plane
He worked day and night, most of the time, with little or no sleep, and lost weight... just to make sure that he met the deadlines in making this trip a reality.
• Start trip from SoCal to Florida (Departed Aug 27th)
He and my husband, Kevin, began the first leg of the trip across the US, meeting incredible people and hospitality at every airport they stopped at along the way. Thank you to ALL of you - for trusting them with your vehicles to get something to eat, providing them a place to sleep and shower, and hangars to allow them time to work on, clean or go over the plane before the next take off!
• Arrive at destination in FL (Sept 4)
Amidst the devastation of bad weather, they have made it to FL.
• Disassemble plane, crate, and ship to UK
• Travel to Europe, put plane back together
• Fly BiPlane from UK to Crete
• Begin journey from Crete2Cape (Nov 12th - 5 Week Tour)
• Follow the footsteps of the pioneering flights in the 1920s – the teams connect some of the most beautiful and evocative points in Africa. Flying low along the Nile from Cairo to Khartoum, past the highlands of Ethiopia before the plains of Kenya and the home of African aviation in Nairobi. Then off again past Kilimanjaro into the Serengeti – and on to the spice island of Zanzibar. After a short pause to enjoy the Indian ocean, the tour continues, crossing Zambia to Victoria Falls, before heading to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. The final days take them into, and across, stunning South Africa – to the Cape, journey’s end.
• Arrive in Cape Town 5 weeks later
• Disassemble plane, crate, and ship back to California
Funds will be used for:
• Airplane Fuel
• Shipping of Plane from US to Europe, and from South Africa back to the US
• Insurance
• Plane Parts and Supplies
• Travel Expenses to and from CA to FL, and Europe to Crete to Cape and back to CA
With an extreme passion for flying, Keith will fulfill his dream of completing this endeavor, and return to the US, to share the wonderful feeling of flying in an old open biplane, with others by starting a flight tour company. He wants to share his love for flying and the incredible feeling one gets when experiencing the flight.
For ALL of those that he has met, those that have shared his passion for flying, helped him with repairs to the plane, took the time to educate him, trusted their vehicle to him, opened their home or business to him, donated funds, filled his plane with fuel, waved as he flew by, or just shook his hand, and greeted him with a smile....he will be FOREVER GRATEFUL to you for adding extraordinary value to his dream come true! THANK YOU from the bottom of his heart, and from his entire family - a lot of us at that! :)
Organizer and beneficiary
Terri Kossuth-Poynter
Organizer
Mission Viejo, CA
Keith Kossuth
Beneficiary