Wyomissing Man Earned His Wings as World Marvelled at Lunar Landing

By Bruce R Posten, 'Reading Eagle'

July 20 marked not only the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, but the 40th anniversary of the day Wyomissing, Pa., resident R. Karl Zipf, 86, received his private pilot's license. He recalls being torn between the pride of watching the landing on television and that of admiring his license, which came in the mail that same day. Zipf says flying was his lifelong dream, which he waited to fulfill until middle age. In the decade following his certification, he flew a total of 170 hours, mainly on short weekend trips to places such as Atlantic City, N.J.

August 20, 2009