Jerry Thuotte at the Port Townsend Aero Museum (Washington State) sent photos and the background on their Pilgrim project. Jerry says:
Our Pilgrim project was donated by a gent from Tucson, Arizona. It was flown into a hillside, during white-out conditions, somewhat east of Nome, Alaska. This happened in 1943, and was a “total” loss, as they say. The pilot and a mechanic were the only persons on board. Amazingly, they survived, and even more amazing, they trudged out 80 miles before being picked up. This was in the Alaska winter, by the way.
No, the “Aero Museum” kids are not involved in the Pilgrim project at this time, mainly because the current work is being conducted off-site, as opposed to on the grounds of the Aero Museum. But we are making some progress due to the efforts of two gentlemen who wish to remain anonymous at this time.
There are actually 3 remaining Pilgrims . One is in a museum in Alaska, one in California, and ours. Ours was a Pan American Airplane, flying cargo and people throughout Alaska, before crashing. Our intention is to chip away at this project with the goal of restoring it to flying condition.
The airplane in California was used by Admiral Byrd on his trip to the South Pole, and is currently undergoing restoration.
