RFD to Unveil Display of Two Replica Planes
The Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) will be unveiling a new display at the RFD Terminal Building, 60 Airport Drive, Rockford, Illinois, Thursday, June 16, at 4 p.m. The display will feature two built to scale replica model airplanes. The first is the Greater Rockford flown by Bert “Fish” Hassel and the second, the Mary Jo airplane, which was originally manufactured in Rockford.
The Greater Rockford was built by Bert Hassel in the 1920s as a plane that would be able to fly a shorter Arctic route, following the curvature of the earth. He planned to fly from Rockford to Greenland, Greenland to Iceland and Iceland to Stockholm, Sweden. His first attempt, in 1928, from the Rockford Airport in Machesney Park was unsuccessful and their second was thwarted by fuel issues and had to make an emergency landing on an ice cap in Greenland. The Greater Rockford stayed on that ice cap in Greenland until 1968 when the Hassel family airlifted the plane back to Rockford for restoration. The Greater Rockford is permanently housed at Midway Village Museum.
“RFD is the perfect place to house these magnificent replicas’ that are such an important part of Rockford’s aviation history,” said Mike Dunn, Executive Director of the Chicago Rockford International Airport. “We are happy to work with Midway Village on this project and look forward to exposing the community to this unique exhibit.”
The model of the original Mary Jo, a Rose Parrakeet biplane, also on display in its restored state at Midway Village, was a single-seat sporting biplane produced in small numbers in the United States during the 1930s. The original airplane was built by Anthony D. Ingrassia at Blackhawk Aviation in Rockford, Illinois, in 1947.
Along with the unveiling, there will be a giveaway of two ticket vouchers on Elite Airways to Ft. Collins for one fortunate attendee. Must be present to win.
About RFD
RFD is served by three airlines: Allegiant, Apple Vacations and Elite. RFD serves nine nonstop destinations including Cancun, Ft. Myers, Las Vegas, Denver/Ft. Collins, Orlando, Phoenix, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana and Tampa Bay. RFD was named the 2013 Primary Airport of the Year by the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Aeronautics. For more information on RFD and flight schedules, visit FlyRFD.com.