Locating the final resting place of Gerard Vultee of Vultee Aircraft

[crawler#976]

After reading the article on Mr. and Mrs Gerard Vultee's final flight, I was intrigued. (http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&SubsectionID=114&ArticleID=43609)

Many of us in Arizona have been to Vultee Arch in Sedona, but don't know the story behind it. After doing some research, myself and Mitch Lopez took the time to find the wreck site. The area is now in a wilderness area, so access is via shanks mare. The views are stunning, the site sobering. Only a hundred feet from the edge of the cliff, a few more feet of elevation made the difference between life and death. You have to wonder what the future would have held for Gerard Vultee - he was a brilliant designer. As the leader in low wing aircraft design, and the urgency of WII, we'll never know, but I suspect he would have made a difference in things. The plane he was flying is beautiful - here's an example of his work, and the same type of aircraft he was flying.


Thanks to Mitch for joining me for the day!

 

[1leglance]

Very cool use of our rigs and hiking to get to see history come real.
Thanks for the write up Mark and looking forward to checking this out myself.

Like so many things in life a little thing becomes a big thing in the end....a few feet of elevation. Beautiful airplane for sure.

 

[VDBAZFJ]

Wow! I had not heard of this. That would be a very neat place to see I'm sure.

I love old aircraft. I used to paint them for a Cessna dealership in Tucson. Most were typical 210, etc but once in a while we would get an oldie or ww2 era plane. That part of the job I loved!

 

[verdesardog]

haha, I had to look up shanks mare online.....

The way to Vultee Arch is on FR152, Vultee Arch Road (Previously called Dry Creek Road), a real suspension buster. Not difficult just rough and unmaintained. There is sizeable parking space at the end of the road and room for dispersed camping. There is also a nice rock art site past the end of the road on the way to Vultee Arch called the Cave of Many Hands. There should not be many other vehicles there as the forest service has put in a nice paved parking lot at the begining of the road and few people venture past the small rock berm they have placed across the road at the end of pavement.

Bring insect repelant!

 

[crawler#976]

If you were to attempt to get to the wreck site from Vultee Arch, it would require technical skills well beyond that of the average hiker. The only trail from the bottom of the canyon to the top of the mesa is off Hwy 89A. We accessed the area via Woody Mountain Rd., FR 231.

 

[4x4x4doors]

haha, I had to look up shanks mare online.....

I started to comment on it yesterday. Expression that my MIL used (upstate NY roots) but I'd not heard elsewhere.

 

[crawler#976]

Shanks Mare was a common term in a cowboy's vocabulary. Dang near was an insult to a horseman...

 

[YukonRob]

Thanks for sharing. Some of the most...unusual...aircraft were created by his company.

 

[Flymaui]

Thanks for the post! I had never heard of Vultee Arch, but I'm a huge Stinson fan-will have to make a trip out there sometime!

 

[Lars70]

airplanes- the alternative overland vehicle

Thanks for the thread. Being an aviation enthusiast, I enjoyed learning about Gerard Vultee. I am surprised at how few aviation related posts show up on this board, given the adventurous nature of the community. Apart from literally allowing you to travel "over land", personal aircraft are fun for a host of other reasons- not the least of which is aerial reconnaissance for future trips. Among other things, I used the plane I built to get me to Overland Expo last month

 

[VDBAZFJ]

^^RV-?

 

[Flymaui]

Here's my Stinson L-5, otherwise known as a Flying Jeep!

 

[Lars70]

^^RV-?

RV-7. 180HP injected Lycoming, Hartzell constant speed prop. Burned 8.8 GPH @ 170KTAS enroute to OE.

 

[crawler#976]

Here's my Stinson L-5, otherwise known as a Flying Jeep!

Awesome! Similar to a Cubby in performance?

 

[Flymaui]

Similar, 190 hp though, so a little faster.