Mira Slovak, exactly who since a young journey pilot when you look at the 1953 escaped Communist Czechoslovakia of the hijacking his or her own commercial trip to West Germany, died on the Summer sixteen from the his domestic into the Fallbrook, Calif. Slovak, just who proceeded to be an excellent hydroplane rushing champion, good stunt flyer and a journey pilot, is 84.

The main cause try tummy cancer tumors, told you David Williams, the new professional manager of your own Hydroplane and Raceboat Art gallery during the Kent, Wash. Williams got questioned Slovak many times in recent years for a good arranged bio.

Slovak, following in the early 20s, is actually the latest captain of a great Czechoslovak Airlines DC-step three when, to your nights March 23, 1953, the guy and a few someone else on-board accomplished this new hijacking. They had invested days believed they.

Once takeoff, along with 20 passengers up to speed, Slovak secured their co-airplane pilot out from the cockpit. Then he took the new airplanes towards a sharp dive to aid subdue anybody else and to shed the new plane so you’re able to less than 1,100000 feet, where radar won’t locate they.

The fresh airplane, planned so you’re able to fly away from Prague in order to Brno, Czechoslovakia, arrived at a military base during the Frankfurt around an hour later on. Slovak told you he’d navigated the night time airline with the assist out of moonlight significantly more than and neon bulbs of enterprises below, electric facts which he had joined south-west.

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Asking for governmental asylum, he had been expected in European countries plus the United states for some months just before being allowed to alive freely in america. But his condition since a Communist very first prevented him regarding providing a professional pilot’s permit, Williams said. Therefore Slovak discovered one way to travel one called for couple credentials: dusting vegetation.

Up until the several years are complete, he’d flown crop dusters when you look at the efforts across the West, doused wildfires on sky and spent some time working given that your own pilot getting Bill Boeing Jr., boy of your Boeing Organizations originator.

Boeing lead your so you’re able to hydroplanes

Of the late 1950s, Slovak try skimming over the water’s epidermis at the more 150 miles per hour en route in order to sporting events-page glory, a number of they in the helm of Boeing’s motorboat, Miss Wahoo.

Into the 1958, Slovak claimed a nationwide title driving Skip Bardahl, owned by an effective Seattle oils organization. The next seasons he had been operating Miss Wahoo as he acquired the new President’s Glass toward Potomac Lake inside Washington, D.C. He went on racing because of 1967, effective another national championship. (He got their history lap inside a beneficial hydroplane at the age 81, interacting with 140 yards.p.h.)

Inside the 1959, as he visited work for Continental Air companies given that a good airplane pilot; he paid off, relatively talking, carrying out just the periodic stunt during the an excellent biplane. Flying less than bridges, ugly and you will palms overhead, try how he casual. Their adventurous feats attained your the new moniker the fresh new Traveling Czech.

Mira John Slovak was created to the October. twenty five, 1929, about town of Cifer, that has been after that during the Czechoslovakia that’s now during the Slovakia. Their moms and dads was in fact producers who hid Jewish refugees for the Nazi field. Slovak informed Williams one a rail range holding Jews so you’re able to attention camps passed near the property. The guy remembered providing smokes and you can eating so you’re able to Nazi troops to earn the faith, then offering smoking cigarettes and eating for the Jews with the train.

The guy joined the latest Czechoslovak Air Force after The second world war, as he try 17, and you may flew bombers on 19. He had been marketed in order to master during the 21, simply since the the latest Communist regulators is actually replacement officers exactly who was lined up with Allied forces in the war. Once he was 21, he was piloting commercial flights to own Czechoslovak Airlines.

He could be survived by their spouse Ingrid Bondi, an old airline attendant getting Continental with who he existed for almost 3 decades. Slovak’s a couple marriages concluded inside the divorce proceedings.

Williams said Slovak got flown 38,five hundred hours in different planes, whether or not quite often was with the a lot of time pathways having Continental. He generated over 800 Pacific crossings toward airline in advance of retiring for the 1986. The guy later brought in and marketed planes, many produced in Czechoslovakia.

Slovak endured multiple crashes in the ships and you can planes. During the hydroplane racing the guy broke a supply, a feet and his straight back; lost much of their white teeth; and damaged their kidneys before he was of their 30s. The guy invested his down-time believed their come back to brand new seat, although certain opposition into the liquids died rushing.

Within the 1968, the guy installed a system out of a Volkswagen Beetle to the a glider and you may travelled they more 8,000 miles, regarding West Germany to help you California. He damaged 19 feet regarding runway during the their last interest, Santa Paula. check this site out He spent a couple of days inside a great coma.

“I am in love with one individual,” Slovak informed Football Portrayed in 1966. “That is Mira Slovak. I do not want to eliminate myself, however, some thing may seem when you fuss that have price. What the law states out of averages captures upwards.

“United states,” the guy additional, “was indeed banged-up, burned, bounced up to. All of us are prepared to face the consequences. You will find i am also, however, I usually come back for lots more.”