PHILADELPHIA PILOT FORCED DOWN BY STORM
Ike Blair, flying a Piper Cherokee on an air freight mission from Philadelphia to University Park, while passing over the Susquehanna River, Thursday morning, encountered thunderstorms and rain from a cold front moving in from the west.
Mr. Blair made a 180 degree turn towards the Ravine Omni Tower atop Peter’s Mountain, south of town. He landed at Kessler Airport, where he was met by Gene Bendigo, who granted him the use of his telephone.
After communicating with his employer, he called the Harrisburg-York Airport and was advised of bad weather for the balance of the day. Mr. Blair then filed a flight plan to return to Philadelphia.
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Article from the West Schuylkill Herald, 9 October 1963, via Newspapers.com.
Note: Not much time after the incident, Kessler Airport, located about 2 miles southwest of Tower City, was renamed Bendigo Airport.
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