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Maximilien "Max" Conrad, (January 21, 1903 - 1979)known as the "Flying Grandfather", was a record-setting aviator. In the 1950s and 1960s, he set nine official light plane world records, three of which still stand at the end of 2008. For his efforts, he was awarded the Louis Blériot medal in 1952 and the prestigious Harmon Trophy in 1964. Winona Municipal Airport, also known as Max Conrad Field, in Winona County, Minnesota is named in his honor.

Biography

Conrad was born on January 21, 1903 in Winona, Minnesota, where he later attended Cotter High School, graduating in 1921.

In 1929, while Conrad operated Conrad Flying Service, a woman was killed at Frontenac, Minnesota when she walked into the spinning propeller of Conrad's aircraft. He had jumped out to try and stop her, but was stuck in the head himself. Conrad took months to recover.

One of Conrad's students during 1940 was Arthur "Art" Donahue who, as a teenager, he learned to fly at Conrad Flying Service. After learning how to fly and becoming Minnesota's youngest commercially certificated pilot at the age of 19, Donahue worked for Conrad helping to run the flight school until he left to join the Royal Air Force. He became one of only seven American pilots to fly for the RAF during the Battle of Britain, earned ace status and was later killed in combat over the English Channel.

Conrad's brother was killed in a plane crash.

On March 24, 1957, Conrad left Logan International Airport for his 25th Atlantic crossing.

Record flights

Flights from Casablanca

From June 2-4, 1959 Conrad flew Comanche 250 N110LF on a record-setting non-stop flight from Casablanca, Morocco to Los Angeles, a distance of 7,668 mi (12,340 km). Having removed the interior seats and replaced them with fuel tanks, the aircraft was loaded 2,000 lb (910 kg) over its production gross weight limit when took off from Casablanca.

A few months later, on November 24, 1959 Conrad set another record flying from Casablanca to El Paso, Texas in the same aircraft, with a flight time of 56 hours.

Around-the-world record

For his March 1961 west-bound around-the-world record flight, Conrad left from Miami in a PA-23 Aztec named New Frontiers (registration N4445P) on February 27, 1961 and touched down again in Miami on March 8. His average speed on the flight was 123.19 mph (198.26 km/h). During the flight, he made stops in Long Beach, California, Honolulu, Wake Island, Guam, Manilla, Singapore, Bombay, Nairobi, Lagos, Dakar, Amapa, Brazil, Atkinson Field (British Guyana), Port of Spain (Trinidad), and crossed the equator twice.

On the flight, Conrad was accompanied by Joan Merriam Smith.

FAI certified world records

Conrad set nine official aviation world records (as recognized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale or FAI, the aviation world record adjudicating body).

Date	Aircraft	FAI Class	Record Event	Record
1 May 1952	PA-20-135 Pacer	C-1b	Distance	3,962.744 km (2,462.335 mi) Los Angeles CA - New York NY
4 June 1959	PA-24-250 Comanche	C-1d	Distance	12,341.26 km (7,668.50 mi) Casablanca - Trinidad - El Paso - Los Angeles
26 November 1959	PA-24-180 Comanche	C-1c	Distance	11,211.83 km (6,966.71 mi) Casablanca - El Paso TX
4 July 1960	PA-24-180 Comanche	C-1c	Distance over closed course	11,138.72 km (6,921.28 mi)} Minneapolis MN - Chicago IL - Des Moines IA
8 March 1961	PA-23 Aztec	C-1	Speed around the world, westbound	198.27 km/h (123.20 mph)
8 March 1961	PA-23 Aztec	C-1d	Speed around the world, westbound	198.27 km/h (123.20 mph)
26 December 1964	PA-30 Twin Comanche	C-1e	Distance	12,678.83 km (7,878.26 mi) Cape Town - St Petersburg FL
4 February 1968	PA-23 Aztec	C-1d	Distance over closed course	6,357.48 km (3,950.35 mi) Chicago - Milwaukee
7 September 1968	PA-23 Aztec	C-1e	Distance over closed course	8,549.2 km (5,312.2 mi)

Other flights

Vinson Massif controversy

In 1967, Conrad was involved in a controversial attempt to climb Vinson Massif. Vinson is the highest mountain in Antarctica, located about 1,200 km (750 mi) from the South Pole. That year, a team of climbers sponsored by the American Alpine Club and the National Geographic Society, and supported in the field by the U.S. Navy and the National Science Foundation Office of Antarctic Programs. At the same time, an unauthorized attempt was announced by Woodrow Wilson Sayre, who was planning to fly in a Piper Apache piloted by Conrad with four companions into the Sentinel Range to climb the Vinson Massif. Sayre had a reputation for problematic trips as a result of his unauthorized, unsuccessful, and nearly fatal attempt to climb Mount Everest from the north in 1962. His unauthorized incursion into Tibet led China to file an official protest with the U.S. State Department. However, the attempt did not materialize. Conrad had difficulties with his plane, and according to press reports at the time, he and Sayre were still in Buenos Aires on the day the first four members of authorized team reached Vinson's summit.

• crash at the south pole[1]
• website developed
• winona paper search

Awards

On August 8, 1965, Conrad was named that year's winner of the Harmon International Aviation Trophy, (although the New York Times indicates that Joan Smith also received the trophy for the flight, the official Harmon Trophy site does not list her). The Harmon trophies are described by the Clifford B. Harmon Trust as "American awards for the most outstanding international achievements in the arts and/or science of aeronautics for the preceding year, with the art of flying receiving first consideration."

• pdf of aopa pilot article, 11/99 [2]

Further reading

• Sally Buegeleisen, Into the Wind, The Story of Max Conrad, 1973, Random House, New York, ISBN 0-394-46306-4.

External links

• Memorial website
• PA-24 Comanche information, including the three record flights from Aviastar
• Obituary for Ethel Meyer Finley, one of Conrad's students who later became a WASP

Conrad, Max