The Sixth Man to Fly Across the Atlantic:
Phillip Vaitkus Interview

Although his flight didn't come soon enough to be considered the first, Felix Vaitkus's journey across the Atlantic was one of the most dramatic and daring for this time in aviation history. In part of celebrating the 90th anniversary of his flight, the Aviation Heritage Center of Wisconsin shares an interview with Phillip Vaitkus, the son of the sixth man to ever fly across the Atlantic Ocean, who offers a unique perspective of his father's journey. Born in Chicago, IL, Feliksas Vaitkus eventually settled near Sheboygan, WI. His family has Lithuanian roots, and thus he is celebrated as a Lithuanian hero.

Music by the great Lithuanian composer M. K. Čiurlionis.

Flight of the T-28s

Director, Editor

It was clear skies on a mid-summer afternoon. I’d heard there were a group of T-28 Trojans at the Sheboygan airport making a stop on their way to Oshkosh for the airshow, thought I’d visit with my T6i DSLR camera. Before I knew, I was chatting with veteran aviators. They offered me to fly backseat while they practice their show routine. Everything thereafter was shot from the hip. I tried my best to get usable footage. All the while I was being filled with inspiration for shots and visual story elements for a future aerial warfare dream production. All I could think about during this flight was making a war movie, of a squadron of fighter bombers charging in at low-level on to their target, and how lucky I was to get the chance to fly with these professionals.

Introduction

Director, Editor

An abstract short film.