7 year old escapes from Alcatraz

[Stinger]

Boy Swims From Alcatraz to San Francisco

By KIM CURTIS, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 6 minutes ago



A 7-year-old Arizona boy swam from Alcatraz Island to the city in 47 minutes Monday, where his father lifted him from the chilly waters.

Braxton Bilbrey was joined by his coach and two other adults for the estimated 1.4-mile swim. The second-grader was greeted at the finish by reporters, photographers and well-wishers.

"I think it's pretty cool," the wetsuit-clad boy said shortly after his father grabbed him under the arms and out of the water, which was in the mid-50s Monday.

Braxton said his next ambition is to swim the English Channel.
Stacey Bilbrey originally wasn't sold on the idea of her son swimming from Alcatraz, but she accepted it once he proved he was dedicated to his goal.

"For a 7-year-old to be that motivated and stick with a goal that long is amazing," she said.

Alcatraz, once a notorious federal prison that housed some of the nation's infamous criminals, including Chicago mobster Al Capone, is now a tourist site that attracts about 1 million visitors a year. It also draws a fair share of swimmers who attempt the crossing as part of the annual Escape from Alcatraz triathlon.

Braxton, who lives in Glendale, Ariz., got the idea when he saw a magazine story about a 9-year-old boy who made the swim. Johnny Wilson, a fourth grader from Hillsborough completed the swim in 53-degree waters last October.

Coach Joe Zemaitis said Braxton, who has completed several short-scale youth triathlons, planned to rest up after his swim.

"He did great," said his dad, Steve Bilbrey. "He looked so strong. He did so awesome. I'm so proud of him."

Link

[Thig Lyfe]

Here's who everybody is thinking of...

Jessica Whitney Dubroff (May 5, 1988 – April 11, 1996) was a 7-year-old pilot trainee who was attempting to become the youngest person to fly a plane across the United States when, 24 hours into her flight, her small plane crashed after takeoff from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Dubroff was born in Contra Costa, California. During her flight, which included several stopovers, Dubroff became an instant media celebrity. Her flight was vigorously followed by supporters and media outlets such as CNN, ABC, FOX and others who monitored her flight every day for the duration of her trip, reporting each time she landed or took off, until the tragic ending of her "Sea to Shining Sea Flight."

Dubroff took off from Cheyenne in heavy rain and a sudden storm. These weather conditions contributed to the plane's crash within a few minutes of takeoff. Jessica Dubroff, her father Lloyd Dubroff, and her flight instructor Joe Reid (who was legally the pilot in command for all her flights and was apparently manipulating the controls during this particular flight) were killed in the crash. She spoke to her mother on the telephone moments before the crash with the last words, "Mom, do you hear the rain? Do you hear the rain? I just want to take off in the plane."

The National Transportation Safety Board investigation concluded that pilot Joe Reid had made an "improper decision to take off into deteriorating weather conditions when the airplane was overweight and when the density altitude was higher than he was accustomed to, resulting in a stall caused by failure to maintain airspeed. Contributing to the pilot in command's decision to take off was a desire to adhere to an overly ambitious itinerary, in part, because of media commitments."

A book about Jessica Dubroff's life has been published by her mother, Lisa Blair Hathaway.

The accident, and its associated publicity, led to Federal legislation that prohibits anyone who does not hold at least a private pilot certificate and a current medical certificate from being allowed to manipulate the controls of an aircraft during any record attempt, aeronautical competition, or aeronautical feat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Dubroff

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by JBucc

And the "experts" said those two guys that escaped could have never made it to shore

did they have wetsuits?

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by ArrowheadWolf

A book about Jessica Dubroff's life has been published by her mother, Lisa Blair Hathaway.

Wow. That's a book that would sell about four copies - one set of parents, two sets of grandparents, and one family friend who couldn't feign an appendicitis attack when asked to buy it.

[JBucc]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

did they have wetsuits?

they had a raft