the east side gamblers the east side gamblers

#The east side gamblers the east side gamblers free

George and his crew of two were tasked with searching Mt. After the “Gamblers Special,” as the press named it, went missing, the weather turned especially nasty with “Sierra Wave” conditions – severe downdrafts on the eastern side of the High Sierras.

One of those aircraft was piloted by Firefighter George Fischer, FS 95-A. Because a firefighter and his family were onboard, it seemed like every off-duty firefighter or police officer that were pilots and CAP members were involved in the search. The news of the ancient DC-3’s disappearance activated one of the largest aerial searches in California and Nevada history.Ĭivil Air Patrol airplanes were tasked with searching the mountains along the supposed route. It turned very stormy that night but the pilots decided to attempt the flight home. On one fateful flight in February, 1969, LAFD Firefighter Robert Kelly, FS12-B, his wife, brother and fiancé decided to take this seemingly good deal and flew with 27 other souls to Hawthorne. Hawthorne lies almost due north of Bishop and the route of flight traversed the Owens Valley on the east side of the High Sierras.

#The east side gamblers the east side gamblers free

The tickets were $5 each and came with a free steak dinner. El Capitan Casino, a small casino in Hawthorne, Nevada contracted old Douglas DC-3 airliners to transport gamblers from Burbank airport to Hawthorne for a night of gambling. In the simple days of the 1960’s there were no Indian casinos in Southern California so, with a few exceptions, the gambling was in Nevada.

With the passing of retired LAFD member George Fischer in September, 2018, I thought that it would be appropriate to tell about one of the most crucial events in our lives.