Page 27 - April 2015 Volume 9, Number 4

was Teterboro, N.J. – more than 6,000 statute miles to the east. Ahead of them lay nearly 3,000 miles of the vast Pacific followed by another 3,000 miles of American soil. On January 12, Odom taxied into position on Runway 8 at Hickam Field. The takeoff was uneventful, and good weather made the long, eastward traverse of the Pacific relatively easy.
Unfortunately, after crossing the West Coast and penetrating well inland, he encountered severe weather
William Odom and the famous “Waikiki Beech” posed for the camera after their record-breaking flight from Hawaii to New Jersey in March 1949. The Model 35 Bonanza eventually was donated to the Smithsonian Institution and as of 2015, was on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum’s F. Steven Udvar Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. (EDWARD H. PHILLIPS COLLECTION AND TEXTRON AVIATION)
near Reno, Nev. Unable to circumnavigate the storms, and after carefully considering fuel consumption, Bill made a 180-degree turn and landed at Oakland 22 hours and six minutes after leaving Hickam Field. He had
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