Blaine pilot plans to land world record for takeoffs

BLAINE – Flying a plane is one thing. Setting a world record is another.

For Walter Mosher, the two just seem to go together.

Mosher, 30, of Blaine, will attempt to set the world record for the most takeoffs and landings from the same runway during a 24-hour period on Saturday, Nov. 23. He will make his flight at Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle.

Mosher has been flying for six years, and, about three months ago, he bought a Cessna 150.

The father of three isn’t sure what prompted his interest in flying, but he suspects it has something to do with living in Caribou as a boy, so close to Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, and going to air shows at the base.

“It just blossomed from there,” he said this week. “I’ve always dreamed of flying.

“I use [flying] for therapy,” he said. “It’s a utopic feeling.”

Secure in his ability to fly, Mosher said it wasn’t long after he bought his plane that he started thinking about setting a world record in some area of aviation.

He settled on takeoffs because it could be done right away with the least amount of preparation.

“This one takes a ton of endurance, but little planning,” he said.

The current record listed in the Guinness Book of Records is 297 consecutive takeoffs and landings set on Oct. 6, 1999, by Phil Harris and Kate Fraser at Archer Field Airport in Queensland, Australia.

Flying alone, Mosher plans to take off at 4:30 a.m. and expects to have the record broken in 10 to 12 hours. During that time, he will fly in a figure-eight pattern about 150 feet to 200 feet over the airport. He will have to stop every 31/2 hours for fuel.

“After the first 100 landings, I should be able to get into a rhythm,” he said.

To break the record, Mosher must use the same plane and same runway. Any change, and he will have to start over.

“Needless to say, if I’m going to start on one [runway], it’s going to take a hurricane for me to switch over [to another one],” he said.

While there’s always the chance of a mechanical problem, a mechanic will be on site. The weather could be a problem, but Mosher said it would have to be severe for him to cancel his flight.

In preparation for his flight, Mosher has lined up five people to tally his takeoffs and landings, which must be documented for the record book. He also will have two video cameras on the ground and another one in the cockpit.

“I’m pretty excited,” Mosher said. Then he confessed: “It could turn into nervous anxiety.”