NEW ATTRACTIONS AT LAKE RAWLINGS
The Board of Directors of the Rawlings Quarry Diving Company approved the construction of a bathhouse at Lake Rawlings, which was completed in August 2008. Mr. Errol Duplessis, President and CEO of Lake Rawlings, stated: “This is what everyone has been asking for the past 10 years. We will break ground before the end of March 2008, with completion expected sometime in July 2008”. The bathhouse will house seven private bathroom units, each unit containing a shower, toilet, urinal, face bowl, mirror and seat bench, plus a utility room. The bathhouse will also have an HVAC system, and will be operational seven-days a week, all seasons.
March 1st and 2nd, 2008
Lake Rawlings is proud to announce their newest attraction, a Nomad 22 twin-engine airplane sunk at a depth of 60’. The plane was mounted on a wooden framed pedestal standing 6’ off the bottom of the lake. Staff and volunteers sank it on Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2, 2008. “We are proud to display it as our prized trophy for the lake”, said Errol Duplessis, President and CEO of Lake Rawlings. “When in operation, the airplane supported two 400 HP engines, and it was used to transport 8-10 passengers amongst the islands in the South Pacific.” Duplessis said the airplane was built in Australia, and it is 50’ long with a wingspan of 55’. It was eventually brought to the United States and used in service to carry passengers amongst the islands of the Florida Keys. The plane was purchased from Dave Waechter of Capitol Divers in Raleigh, NC, who purchased it to sink in Fantasy Lake; it never made that lake. The plane was re-named the “Miss Laurie” to honor the crew from Brooke Fire & Rescue who helped with the preparation of getting the plane ready for sinking. Brooke Fire & Rescue also dedicated their time to build the pedestal that the “Miss Laurie” is resting on, George Langford, the Fire Chief of Brooke Fire & Rescue also lead his team, to pull the plane into deep water, prior to transporting it to the final resting place. Due to depth and colder water requiring a 7mm wetsuit or drysuit, plus a hood, the certification level recommended for this dive is was advanced diver.
Getting the airplane into the water was a most formidable task. First, the plane had to be thoroughly cleaned, with all the wiring, doors, most windows and joystick removed for diver safety. Next, the plane was pulled to the waters edge by using a rope wrapped around a heavy bolder and tied onto the nose wheel of the plane. Again, we want to thank all those volunteers from Brooke Fire & Rescue who gave their time and skills to the prep work that needed to be completed. A pedestal was designed by civil engineer Jim Rohrmoser, and constructed by George Langford and his crew. The wings were pushed into the small west cove, and rested at a depth of 48’. This was done prior to the weekend of the sinking.
We next arranged for several teams of divers to come back to the lake on Saturday, March 1, 2008 in order to pull the plane to a depth of 15’, using the same technique discussed above, and to sink the pedestal. The L-shaped dock was moved out of the way for a clear passage to move the plane and the pedestal. The pedestal was sunk Saturday afternoon, and the plane was prepped for moving on Sunday morning. On Sunday, March 2, 2008, it was a thrilling sight to see the plane move from the waters edge to deeper water; it was amazing to watch. At first, the plane floated. Then the wind turned it 180 degrees, so that the nose pointed to the north. Then the plane sank, slowly, and landed on all three wheels. Next, liftbags were put in place for transporting the plane to the mouth of the small cove between the west wall and “Wayne” the small bus. The plane moved, and was then lowered to a depth of 30’, to make ready for the final descent using one 2000 pound liftbag, and two smaller 500 pound liftbag. Divers led by Keven Young, Scott Kane, Chief George Langford and others slowly released the air from the 2000 pound liftbag; the 500 pound liftbags remained inflated. In spite of this gallant effort, the plane slowly nose-dived to the bottom of the lake without stopping, with no damage to the plane. All of this activity was documented in digital motion and still images.
The wings will be moved next to the airplane and attached at a later date. Volunteers who are certified as advanced diver or higher shall be designated as honorary crew members of the final flight club upon completion of this task.
Crew members of the Last Flight Club, who participated on the final flight of the “Miss Laurie”, were the following divers:
Errol Duplessis, Honorary Captain
Laurie Adams, Honorary Co-Captain
Keven Young, Captain
George Langford, Co-Captain
Tony Brandenburg
Justin Chambers
Harry Franklin
Paul Gonzales
Clifton Hicks
Jim Ickes, Jr.
Scott Kane
eSophia Kapranos
Robert Minnick
James Moody
Major Brian Moore
Scott Moring
Malena Sharkey
Tracey Sicks
Robert Minnick, Photographer
Scott Moring, Videographer
Malena Sharkey, Photographer
We would also like to thank those volunteers of Brooke Fire & Rescue for all the work they did in preparing the plane for sinking.
George Langford, Fire Chief
Laurie Adams
Blaine Vipperman
Justin Chambers
Diana Cox
Ray Valequez
Jarred Slaughter
Tracy Sicks
Mission Accomplished!