AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2020 - 46

PILOT BRIEFING
PEOPLE

A modern-day 'Flight of Passage'
Two brothers embark on a challenging cross-country
BY SHEILA HARRIS

NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Hans Graybill and his
17-year-old brother Arthur had never read
the book Flight of Passage when they began
planning their flight in a 1968 Cessna 150
from their rural southwest Missouri home
to the Grand Canyon. Their story, however, seems remarkably similar to that of
the Buck brothers, and their appearance
every bit as youthful.

After 70 flight hours, Hans, who earned
his pilot certificate in July 2019, was ready
to test his newfound freedom and explore
the country, but he wanted his brother
along. Although Arthur had not yet taken
formal flight instruction, he had picked up
information from watching his brother,
and Hans knew Arthur's navigational assistance would prove invaluable. Because
neither young man had been away from
home before, they could lend each other
moral support on their adventure.
46 | AOPA PILOT November 2020

Their father, Wilbur Graybill, owner
of a farm and a commercial overhead
door business, encouraged his two oldest
sons in their endeavor. With 11 children at
home, it was an opportunity Graybill himself had not received. He was, however,
responsible for infecting his sons with the
aviation bug. After a 70-mile, round-trip
flight in a neighbor's Aviat Husky A1-B in

happy to give them a chance to spread
their wings."
First, a destination was chosen.
"We chose the Grand Canyon, mostly
because it sounded like a nice area, and
we'd never been there before." Hans said.
"And because February was the best time
for us to take a vacation, we had to choose a
destination that would be compatible with
flight during that season."
Two months of planning
for the trip then began, during which Hans celebrated
his twentieth birthday. Routes
were carefully chosen, based
on projected winds and temperatures for the climate
and season. The altitude tolerance of the Cessna was
tested at home, by taking it
up to 12,200 feet for a brief
period. It responded well.
With two cylinders rebuilt
at its last annual inspection,
the airplane appeared to be
HANS AND ARTHUR
mechanically sound.
Graybill flew from their
home in Missouri to the
The Cessna's 500-pound
Grand Canyon.
useful load presented a challenge. After fuel, oil, and the
2018, Graybill was smitten. He went home, boys' weights were taken into consideration,
downloaded a simulator app, and began fly- only 72 pounds of additional baggage could
ing in the privacy of his home. A month or be taken. With an overnight stay in the botso later, he purchased the 1968 Cessna, tom of the canyon planned, a sleeping bag for
began flight instruction at Aurora Aviation each was a necessity. However, there would
in Aurora, Missouri, and earned his private be no tent for this duo. They did find room,
pilot certificate shortly thereafter, followed though, for the beautiful but lightweight hikclosely by Hans.
ing poles that Arthur had carved, one from
"Hans and Arthur work tirelessly oak, one from pine.
alongside me on the farm and in my busiTheir mother, Joanna, excited about
ness," Wilbur Graybill said. "They deserved her sons' adventure, shopped for the groa vacation. They'd earned it, and I was ceries they would need.

AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2020

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