Feb. 2, 2019 at 6:40 p.m. they concluded their journey of visiting 53 airports.
9:30 a.m. Cooper and Woods took off from Orangeburg Airport.
responsible for the snacks, and he would be the crew chief, baggage handler, pilot and flight attendant as appointed by Cooper. Cooper took on the task of mapping out the flight plan using Foreflight and the Sectional Aeronautical Chart. With more than 50 airports to cover in two days, it was critical to ensure the routes were the quickest and shortest distance, with the least amount of back tracking. Prior to the trip, they contacted a few of the airports to determine their hours of operation and if closed at their intended arrival, where the stamps were kept. No way were they going to arrive at an airport and not be able to get their passports stamped. They set out from Pickens County Air-
port (LQK) at 7 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 1, fully fueled and loaded with snacks and excitement, ready to go. It was a beautiful day for flying, and if you hear Woods and Cooper talk about the trip, fun is an understatement. Due to the proximity of some of the airports from one another, they certainly could not gain any altitude. The journey from Charleston Executive Airport (JZI) to Charleston International (CHS) to Mt. Pleasant (LRO) saw some attention getting traffic patterns. This stage was covered in less than one hour (actually 59 minutes) from touchdown, going into the terminal, getting the passport stamped and getting back in flight. Other stops included a little more conversation at times, and it is possible Woods may have had to encourage Cooper to move along.
At 9:30 p.m. after visiting 30 airports in 14.5 hours, the pair was met by Cooper’s wife and son and taken to his deer camp in Orangeburg. They both admitted they were pretty tired, however a good night’s sleep saw them ready to continue their adventure. Both expressed the incredible amount of exhilaration and eagerness as they could not wait to see what the day would bring them. With their passports stamped at Orangeburg Municipal Airport (OGB), Cooper
Competing with C-17s, commercial aircraft and corporate jets from JZI to CHS was found to be a little harrowing. The mutual respect these men share allowed for complete confidence in one another as co-pilots. There was 100 percent trust in both sets of eyes and concentration. This is not a friendship to be taken lightly.
Palmetto Aviation Page 7