Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West

45 years of research and field experience!

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G. Pat Macha
Mission Viejo, CA

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I am available for public speaking on the topics of aviation history, archaeology, and safety. My programs feature color slides, artifacts, and graphics. I enjoy speaking to audiences of all ages, junior high to senior citizens. Human interest stories highlight all presentations.
 

SCHEDULED SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS 

  • 6/17/08 Orange County Sheriff’s Aero Squadron Reserve Unit at O. C. Great Park 7:00 PM
  • 10/9/08 Riverside County Amateur Radio Association
  • 11/11/08 Gertrude Tompkins Silver Memorial and WASP Tribute, Proud Bird Restaurant LAX 11:00 AM

SPEAKING EXPERIENCE

  • The Adventurer's Club of Los Angeles
  • March A.F.B. Officers Club
  • Northrop Corporation Boosters Club
  • Western Museum of Flight
  • Tustin Unified School District
  • Author's Day Speaker - Long Beach City School District
  • Ocean View School District
  • Huntington Beach City Schools
  • San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Aero Squadron
  • Experimental Aircraft Association Chapters: Long Beach, Compton
  • Fighter Pilots Association, El Toro M.A.S.
  • Rockwell International Management Club
  • Parker Hanafin Management Club
  • Curtiss Wright Historical Foundation
  • Civil Air Patrol Squadrons
  • San Diego Air & Space Museum
  • Orange Coast College, FAA Pilot Safety Workshop
  • B-17 Combat Crewmen and Wingmen
  • National Aerospace Education Conference
  • Ventura County Aviation Association
  • Museum of Flying Santa Monica
  • Natural History Society of Orange County
  • San Diego Flying Club - Plus One Flyers
  • American Legion Post 266
  • Old Bold Pilots Association
  • Red Baron's Luftwaffe
  • San Bernardino National Forest Off Highway Volunteer Group
  • Palos Verdes Breakfast Club
  • Grampaw Pettibone Squadron Association of Naval Aviation
  • Commemorative Air Force 3rd Pursuit Squadron, Cable Airport
  • Ding Hao, 3rd Pursuit Squadron, Upland
  • Military Officers Association of America
  • 8th Air Force 2nd Division Association Debriefing Team
  • International B-24 Liberator Club
  • MOAA South Coast Chapter
  • Saddleback Kiwanis Club
  • Aerospace Club of Leisure World, Laguna Niguel
  • United Methodist Men's Club of Torrance
  • Exchange Club of Newport Harbor
  • Del Amo Flyers
  • Southern California Prospectors Club
  • Western Museum of Flight - Flight Forum
  • Retired Public Employees Association
  • Little Landers Historical Society
  • Bolton Hall Museum
  • Newport Harbor Yacht Club
  • Airventurers of Southern California 5/21/98
  • Barnes & Noble Huntington Beach 7/29/98
  • Skylarks Flying Club 5/19/99
  • Cleveland National Forest Annual Volunteer Workshop 2/10/07
  • American Aviation Historical Society SoCal meeting 2/24/07
  • American Legion Post 295 & Chapter 78 Special Forces Association 3/10/07
  • La Cresenta Valley Historical Society 3/19/07
  • Rancho Palos Verdes Peninsula Seniors 4/25/07 (AM)
  • Society of Allied Weight Engineers
    4/25/07 (PM)
  • Los Angeles Breakfast Club 5/16/07
  • 82nd Airborne Association on 6/12/07
  • Qualcomm Sorento Valley, San Diego  7/18/07
  • San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Aero Squadron, Rialto 8/15/07
  • Los Angeles Chapter of the American Helicopter Society El Segundo 9/19/07
  • Silent Electric Flyers of San Diego, San Diego Aerospace Museum 9/25/07
  • Costa Mesa Historical Society 10/14/07
  • Kiwanis Club of Santa Ana 11/28/07
  • Rotary Club of Mission Viejo 12/4/07
  • Optimist Club of Pacific Palisades 2/5/08
  • Professional Business Group at the Ebell Club in Fullerton 3/6/08
  • Sierra Club, Cresenta Valley Chapter 3/11/08
  • Mohahve Historical Society in Victorville 3/27/08
  • California State Park Rangers Association, Lake Tahoe 4/1/08
  • High Desert Flyers Apple Valley Airport 5/7/08

ASSOCIATIONS

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Pat Macha in right seat of Beechcraft D-18 N480DB of Alaska Coastal Airlines en route from Juneau, Alaska to Ford's Terror Wilderness in 1995.

 

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N480DB and DHC-2 Beaver at Ford's Terror at start of five day expedition.

 

 

 

 

Click for larger view!

David Schurhammer and G. Pat Macha just after speaking at the Flight Forum sponsored by the Western Museum of Flight in April 2006. Dave spoke about his efforts to return personal effects from WWII crash sites to next of kin. Dave is well known for his work in this field.

PUBLICATIONS

TELEVISION

  • History Channel program "Broken Wings", hosted by Pat Macha.
    This History Channel exclusive DVD can only be purchased at the History Channel web site.

    BROKEN WINGS joins noted California aviation archeologist Pat Macha as he tries to piece together the answers to mysteries like the 1957 loss of Lt. David Steeves and an USAF Lockheed T-33 Jet; the 1944 disappearance of a P-51 and WASP pilot Gertrude Tompkins Silver, the Army's only female World War II pilot to remain unaccounted for.

DVD

  • Host of Wreck Finding (50 minute video). This DVD can be purchased on this site.

EDUCATION

  • Masters of Arts degree - Azusa Pacific University
  • Bachelor of Arts degree in History - California State University at Long Beach

FIELD WORK AND RESEARCH TRIPS

  • United States:  Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada,
    New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington
  • Canada, Mexico, Russia, Switzerland, United Kingdom

 

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