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Flight From San Diego to Quito, Ecuador Ted Gildred
Preserves Family Tradition with Two
Sons and Lindberg’s
Grandson in Cameron, Mont., (March 22, 2006) ? Sun West Ranch owner and seasoned pilot Theodore “Ted” Gildred II will commemorate the anniversary of the Spirit of Goodwill Flight made by his father in 1931 by following in his flight path 75 years later. This Friday, March 24, 2006, Gildred II will take off from San Diego on a 4,200-mile commemorative flight to Quito, Ecuador. The original flight, known as the Spirit of Goodwill, was piloted by Theodore Gildred Sr. in a Ryan B-5 Brougham, named the Ecuador, and took 18 days to complete. The inspiration for the original journey by Gildred Sr. was Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 flight from New York to Paris. The 75th Anniversary of the Spirit of Goodwill Flight kicked off with a Gala event on February 25, co-sponsored by The San Diego Aerospace Museum and Institute of Americas in the Museum’s Pavilion of Flight. Jay Leno hosted the evening’s events. In a memorable evening, aviation enthusiasts and Baseball Hall-of-Famer and “Mr. October” Reggie Jackson were in attendance. This will be Gildred II’s second commemorative Spirit of Goodwill flight. Exactly 50 years after the flight of his father, Gildred II recreated the same flight in a 1942 Stinson Reliant, a plane from the collection at the San Diego Aerospace Museum. The Ecuador II took off on March 13, 1981 and landed on March 31, 1981 in Ecuador. This year, Gildred II is scheduled to depart from Jimsair at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field on March 24. Accompanying him in his Pilatus PC-12 turboprop named Ecuador III will be Gildred II’s sons, Ted Gildred III and Stephen Gildred, who plan to commemorate the same trip again on the 100th anniversary. In addition to the men in the Gildred family, Erik Lindbergh will be onboard to commemorate the flight made by his grandfather. More information about the flight can be found at www.ecuadorgoodwillflight.com. In addition to the strong tradition, Gildred II believes that these flights accentuate the advances made in aviation since the 1920s when his father was learning to fly. “The 2006 Spirit of Goodwill flight to Quito, Ecuador in Pilatus N373KM named the Ecuador III, commemorating the 75th anniversary of my dad’s flight, will be a twice-in-a-lifetime experience for me having had the chance to recreate the same adventure in 1981,” Gildred II said. “It will mean even more to me this time around because my sons, Ted and Stephen, will be flying with me as a prelude to the Ecuador IV flight that they have promised to do in 2031 on the 100th anniversary of their grandfather’s epic flight.” In addition to Gildred II’s aviation accomplishments, he is a visionary, traditionalist and conservationalist in all aspects of his life. Gildred II and his wife Heidi are developers and owners of Sun West Ranch in Cameron, Mont. where they pioneered the shared-ranch concept, creating a harmonious, land-sensitive community within a beautiful natural setting. Gildred II is a former United States Ambassador to Argentina, and he was instrumental in founding the Institute of the Americas at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). About Sun West Ranch Sun West Ranch is the antithesis of a “typical development.” From its active community outreach to its public stand on conservation and preservation, Sun West Ranch strives not to just simply develop a new community, but to preserve a thousands-of-years-old legacy and ranching way of life for generations to come. For more information, visit www.sunwestranch.com. About the Institute of the Americas About the San Diego Aerospace Museum |