The City of Yuma's 1,010 Day Flight

In 1949, Yuma, Arizona, was a little city in trouble.  During the war, the Air Guard and the Proving Grounds had facilities there.  With the end of the war, however, they pulled up stakes and left, leaving a dying economy.  But, the citizens knew something about their part of the country - they have about 365 days of sunshine a year - more than just about anywhere else - perfect for flying airplanes.  So, a plan was devised to bring the Air Force back.

Take a few minutes and watch this video.  It tells the story better than we can and we think you will like the vintage film used to help tell the story.

We took the opportunity to go to Yuma City Hall and see the Aeronca Sedan aircraft that was used in the flight as well as a replica of the Buick refueling car.  What this video doesn't tell about is the 1999 50 year celebration the city put together with the newly restored plane.  In addition to our pictures, we have added couple of pictures of the celebration and reenactment from a website about the feat.

The pilots at the 1999 50th Anniversary of the flight of The City of Yuma