74-year-old pilot stops in Eastport on four-point trip

EASTPORT – You will not find a 74-year-old Rockville, Md., man sitting on his front porch rocking his way into retirement.

But you will find Allen Rothenberg high in the sky, rocking in a vintage 1948 Ercoupe.

Wednesday, Rothenberg completed the final leg of his four-point compass trip around the country when he landed at the city’s municipal airport.

And he did it in a tiny airplane powered by a single 90-horsepower engine.

The blue and white beauty is named the “The Little Deuce Coupe.”

“This is one of one of the last points on my compass point trip around the United States,” Rothenberg said as he explained his presence in this seaside community.

Rothenberg, who is the chief operating officer of Piano Craft in Gaithenburg, Md., began his trip in that city on May 15. He plans to be home in time for his 75th birthday on June 13.

After he left Maryland, he followed the compass south to Key West, Fla., before heading west to San Diego, Calif.

“I landed there at the Imperial Beach Naval Air Station – that is the southwesternmost point. I had to get special permission [to land there],” he said.

From there he flew to a small airport near Seattle, Wash., the northwest point on his journey. “I got stuck in Seattle with their typical weather for a couple of days, but had a delightful time with some friends,” he said.

From there he flew over the Cascades and over Glacier National Park. “That was very exciting, all the snowcapped mountains,” he said.

After that, he flew to Whetstone International Airport in Del Bonita, Mont.

“Whetstone International Airport is exactly on the Canadian border and I was greeted there by a Canadian on this side,” he said, pointing to his left. “And an American on this side,” he added, nodding his head to his right. “And gophers in the runway in the middle.”

Rothenberg said he chose Eastport because it was the “northeasternmost and easternmost [airport] in the United States.” He said he also was aware that the city was known for lobsters that were “big enough to eat his airplane.”

The senior citizen said the trip was seamless except for a faulty radio. He replaced the radio in Concord, N.H.

Other than that minor problem, he said, the plane performed like a gem, cruising at 105 mph.

But Rothenberg chuckled when he talked about gasoline prices. He said the highest he paid for airplane fuel was $3.35 a gallon.