JEDDAH: History was made when the grandsons of King Abdul Aziz and Franklin D. Roosevelt flew into the Oshkosh Air Venture show in a DC3 aircraft bearing early Saudia livery in Wisconsin on Thursday. After a rain-filled gray morning, at noon the clouds parted and moments later the aircraft carrying Prince Sultan bin Salman and Hall Delano Roosevelt, together with the man they had come to honor, Capt. Joe Grant, touched down on the main runway in front of hundreds of aviation enthusiasts.
An inside source told Arab News — “Joe flew part of the way himself — at 101 years old.” Grant was the pilot who, in 1945 after a life of barnstorming, flying for TWA and in the military, flew the DC3 that was a gift from President Franklin Roosevelt to King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud. The plane and Grant’s flight sowed the seeds of an idea that grew to be Saudi Arabian Airlines and, according to Grant himself, the Royal Saudi Air Force.
After delivering the aircraft, Grant stayed on as the king’s pilot and was responsible for training the first pilots of the fledgling airline.
“My time in Saudi Arabia was the greatest gift I could ever have been given. At the time, I didn’t realize what an opportunity it was — I thought I was just doing my job,” he said at the press conference immediately after landing.
“I have learned so much from this man over the years,” Prince Sultan said, pointing to Grant during the conference. “Joe said the secret to happiness and living longer is to keep flying.” The king’s grandson grew to become a pilot, as well as the first Arab and Muslim astronaut. Aviation also runs in Prince Sultan’s family. He said his son flew solo a week ago, “without my knowledge. And now this morning he arranged himself a test flight in the Cirrus.”
“What you’re seeing here is all about relationships, and maintaining relationships,” Roosevelt said adding that he would like to see developments between the US and Saudi Arabia on the personal level that was so in evidence at this special moment.
Michael Saba, a writer and lecturer on international relations and business matters, said that Prince Sultan did not want this historical moment seen as just a stunt. “And that certainly did not happen,” he said. “We had the new Sanford Health air ambulance flying with us carrying two disabled children aboard, whose lives had been positively affected by aviation, trailing the DC3. They came to the podium as well.”
A pick-up truck hit one of the children, 14-year-old Kristen Alstott, when she was seven. She flew five meters, landing on the pavement face first, breaking several bones. She was airlifted via fixed-wing aircraft to Sanford Children’s hospital where she spent 18 days.
Saba added that in his later life, Grant became a well-known jeweler, famous for making hideously complex 12-part puzzle rings.
“Part of the proceeds of the ring sales, and part of the book sales will go to projects that relate to children, aviation and humanitarian efforts,” said Saba who launched his third book: “King Abdulaziz... His Plane and His Pilot” during the show.
Joining the guests of honor was 26-year-old Jessica Cox who holds the distinction of being the only armless licensed woman pilot. She also has a black belt in taekwondo and is a swimmer and dancer. Saba noted that not only did she fly her own aircraft, but did so without the aid of prosthetic devices or any special conversion of the craft. “People such as this are not disabled people — they are enabled people,” said Prince Sultan during the press call. “The term ‘disabled’ is becoming increasingly archaic when we see people like this.”
As if to prove the point, Cox quietly assembled Grant’s complex puzzle rings with her feet during a celebratory banquet the previous evening, which included celebrity pilots Harrison Ford, Academy Award winner Cliff Robertson and hotel magnate William Barron Hilton, a pilot of 63 years standing.
During his eventful day, Grant said he was particularly pleased to meet Capt. Chesley Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles who famously ditched an Airbus A320 with 155 people on board in the Hudson River in January without losing a single life. “Now that was a piece of real piloting,” said Grant. With his history, he should know.
