Local Flight Instructor Breaks Pittsburgh to Alaska Aviation Record

PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) -  There are remarkable people in Pittsburgh, doing remarkable things everyday. One of those stories is about Dr. Janice Ribaudo, a local physician and flight instructor, who for the sake of promoting flight, has broken a Pittsburgh to Alaska aviation record.

"Flying to Alaska is nothing new," says Dr Ribaudo. "Talking to one of my colleagues in the business, he said why don't you consider setting a record with the kind of flying you do. I never considered it before, and checked into it."

It turned out, no one had broken a Pittsburgh to Alaska flight record, so Dr. Ribaudo decided to get the flight she had done four times before officially sanctioned.

KDKA-AM's John Shumway spoke to Dr. Janice Ribaudo about the details of her record-breaking flight in her high-performance Mooney Ovation aircraft.

According to Dr. Ribaudo, flying is relatively safe, and she thinks that the attention she'll receive for breaking this record will help others want to look into general aviation as well.

Dr. Ribaudo's claim is still pending review by the National Aeronautic Association, but unofficially, she has successfully broken the record.