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Dane Larsen, a 16-year-old Canyon Lake resident, just broke the world speed record for making a coast to coast round trip in a Robinson R44 Raven helicopter. Dane and the three other members of his team, Chief Pilot Johan Nurmi, Charles Martin and Travis Reid, also 16, left Brown Field, just south of San Diego, on April 5 at 5 p.m.According to Dane’s parents, Doug and Karma Larsen, the four-man crew made the trip in 70 hours, breaking the old record set by Canyon Laker Paul Chennette by over 18 hours. The trip included 20 fuel/food stops and several unexpected delays.
Following Interstate Hwy 8, it was dark by the time they made their first fuel stop in Arizona, according to Karma. They proceeded across Arizona and New Mexico to the middle of Texas before it was light again. They were forced to follow the freeways, as they navigated by sight.
“Once it was light again, they were able to enjoy the incredible views of the varied countryside from Texas to Alabama, and seeing all the animals and their activities was like watching the Discovery Channel,” says Karma. “Dane says he was able to see alligators and water moccasins when they flew over the Mississippi River. The phrase ‘flying Vietnam style’ was mentioned at this point.”
Reaching Columbus, Georgia after nightfall, the team was forced to follow the freeway north to Atlanta before continuing back south and east to Savannah.
Visibility during this part of their trip became more and more diminished. Once landed in Savannah Hilton Head Airport 29 hours into their journey, they were forced to wait out the low clouds.
After wandering around the airport looking for shelter, the team stumbled across an armed and jumpy soldier in a military section they had accidentally entered, according to Karma. Dane says that, when he stuck out his hand to thank the soldier who had given them directions, the soldier stepped back and drew his gun on him. Dane told his parents this was a little unsettling since the soldier was barely 5-ft. tall and stumbled backwards under the weight of the gigantic AR15 gun with its grenade launcher. Later, finding an area with recliner chairs, the team was able to get some much-needed rest.
Twelve hours later they were back in the air, commencing their return flight. Making a straight shot across Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, they again had views of the countryside. Around dusk, Dane’s mother sent him a text, concerned for his welfare, as the GPS tracking system connected to his cell phone showed that they were set down beside the freeway near Minden, Louisiana.
Dane responded that they had stopped at a truck stop “to check oil” and were eating Subway sandwiches, compliments of the truckers. He mentioned that in Louisiana they had first-hand experience of “Cajun” communications, where people would only say the first half of a word.
Flying through Texas in the dark, they got a thrill in Abilene when the tower asked them to “follow the three F16s” onto the runway. They were given a warm welcome and free pizza and drinks by this partially military airport. This was a pleasant contrast to the other airports where food was only available from vending machines, Dane told his parents.
They continued through the night across Texas, encountering a slight delay in Big Spring when the gas service they had prearranged to open for them could not be contacted. By the time they reached the border of Texas and New Mexico it was light again. The trip across New Mexico and Arizona went quickly, with moderate tail winds. By early afternoon, however, the winds were picking up and they faced strong headwinds coming across California.
The team’s landing at Brown Field was heralded by banners, balloons and cheers by friends and family. San Diego’s KUSI Channel 9 was there to interview them (see the news feature at http://www.kusi.com/news/local/17406594.html). CBS Channel 8 showed up as well for some video clips. A similar fanfare of family, friends and media welcomed the team back to French Valley Airport from which they are based.
Family and friends had been able to view the team’s progress through a tracking system connected to Dane’s cell phone. Their position, altitude, speed and heading were posted every few minutes on a tracking website. This showed their path on a hybrid (satellite/street) style map (Google Earth), which could be viewed from far away to very close-up. The team’s path was monitored by people around the world, from Dane’s father working in Hong Kong to friends in Europe.
“The feeling of being right there with the team provided reassurance for and camaraderie between all those who supported the team,” says Karma.
The weather throughout the trip was fairly accommodating. Avoiding the tornados from the prior week and a weather system that closed in behind them, they had good luck along with their careful planning.
Dane and Travis kept spirits lifted with their “captain’s chatter,” referencing flight attendants, tray tables, seatbacks, the use or misuse of the onboard lavatories and penalties for tampering with the smoking devices. Their humor was an excellent antidote to the extremely cramped quarters, it was later learned.
Dane is known by many of his peers through his involvement with Canyon Lake Little League, as well as high school football and golf. He is also a member of the Canyon Lake Police Explorers. He attended Canyon Lake Middle School and Temescal Canyon High School until transferring this year as an 11th grader to a home school program, from which he expects to graduate in the next few months.
He started flying helicopters on his 15th birthday a year and a half ago, and his passion to fly has grown along with his skills, says his mom. Dane and Reid are student pilots at the USA Academy of Aviation owned by Nurmi and his wife, Monica Bergenstrom, at French Valley Airport.
As a supplement to his flight lessons, Dane volunteers at the Wings and Rotors Museum in French Valley, where he has gained in-depth knowledge of helicopter mechanics. He must wait until his 17th birthday this summer to get his private pilot’s license, but he is ultimately focused on getting his commercial pilot’s license. He eventually hopes to fly for the Riverside County Sheriffs; but in the meantime, he is getting as much flying experience as he can.
Currently, Dane is looking for sponsors to support him on another record flight attempt. The World Record Helicopter Team, which was founded by Nurmi, is planning to circumnavigate the world in a helicopter. They hope to break the speed record and at the same time draw attention to the Christian Foundation for Starving Children. Further information on this trip can be found at http://www.worldrecordhelicopterteam.com/news.php.
Next month Dane plans on participating in the “Flying Thunder Flight to the Wall,” a trip planned by the Wings and Rotors Museum in conjunction with the Rolling Thunder, the museum’s four combat-certified, Vietnam era helicopters. The trip is a parade of motorcycles and Huey helicopters, which will be traveling from California to Washington DC in honor of the American War Veterans. Participants have been given permission to make a fly-by of the Vietnam Wall on May 25. More information on this trip can be found at http://www.flyingthunder.org/.
