Gus McLeod

Gustavus A. McLeod (born 1954)[2] is an American pilot and author whose exploits have been featured in reality television appearances. He was the first person to fly over the North Pole in an open-cockpit biplane.

Gus McLeod
McLeod's Stearman in the College Park Aviation Museum
Born (1954-09-09) September 9, 1954
EducationB.A. Catholic University
studied chemical engineering University of Maryland[1]
Occupation(s)Chemical engineer, former CIA agent[2][3]
Employer(s)Executive Director, Green L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum, Middle River, Maryland, Proxy Aviation Systems, Inc.[4]
Known forSubject of an award-winning National Geographic special, Arctic Flyer.
TelevisionThe Amazing Race 6
SpouseMary
Children3 including Hera

Biography

McLeod grew up in Corinth, Mississippi, the son of a Methodist minister.[2] McLeod is a 1976 graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.[5]

On April 17, 2000, he became the first person to fly over the North Pole in an open-cockpit biplane.[6]

McLeod is an entrepreneur who, in 2004, lived in Laytonsville, Maryland.[7] However, in 2004 he was also reported to live in Gaithersburg, Maryland.[8]

He has a wife, Mary, and three children.

McLeod was featured in a four-column article in the Smithsonian in April 2003, because he planned to fly his "...Beech 18 solo from the South Pole to the North Pole, a 32,000 mile trip, in about two months".[9]

The UK aeronautic company Cobham plc reports in an employee newsletter dated June 2005 that McLeod is a former CIA chemist, and is currently a businessman based in Maryland.[10]

Works
  • Solo to the Top of the World: Gus McLeod's Daring Record Flight, 2003, 245 pages ISBN 1-58834-102-X

Appearances
  • Television — Inside Base Camp: Tori Murden and Gus McLeod, 2002
  • Television — The Amazing Race 6, Nov 14, 2004

The Amazing Race

The Amazing Race 6
Main article: The Amazing Race 6

In August 2004, McLeod competed on the sixth season of the CBS adventure reality show The Amazing Race with his daughter, Hera. They were eliminated at the end of the sixth leg, finishing in seventh place.[11]

The Amazing Race 6 finishes
  • An italicized placement means it is a Gus and Hera's placement at the midpoint of a double leg.
  • A red placement with a dagger (†) indicates that Gus and Hera were eliminated.

Roadblocks performed by Gus are bolded

Episode Leg Destination(s) Detour choice (underlined) Roadblock performance Placement Notes
1 1 United States → Iceland Ice climb/Ice search No roadblock 10th of 11
2 2 Iceland → Norway Endurance/Accuracy Hera 3rd of 10
3 3 Norway → Sweden Count it/Build it Gus 3rd of 9
4 4 Sweden → Senegal Stack 'em up/Pull 'em up Gus 7th of 8
5 5 Senegal → Germany Beers/Brats Hera 5th of 8
6 6 Germany → Hungary Catapault crash/Cannonball run Hera 2nd of 7 [lower-alpha 1]
8 Swim/Paddle Gus 7th of 7†
Notes
  1. Leg 6 was a double-length leg, with two Detours and two Roadblocks, shown over two episodes. The placement listed in the top row reflect the order teams arrived at the leg's halfway point.

References
  1. "Embracing Adventure Two Alumni Show the Way". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  2. "Death and Daring". Washingtonpost.com. 2000-04-05. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  3. "Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 5 - RECOGNIZING GUS McLEOD". Gpo.gov. 2000-05-03. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  4. Gustavus McLeod. "Gustavus McLeod: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek". Investing.businessweek.com. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  5. Jessie Carney Smith (2013). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink Press. p. 474. ISBN 9781578593699.
  6. McCord, Joel (May 3, 2000). "After frigid flight, aviator met with warm reception; Pilot reached North Pole after journey in open plane". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  7. "Adventure Mode - Baltimore Sun". Articles.baltimoresun.com. 2004-01-08. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  8. Wang, Cynthia (2013-01-14). "Gus & Hera McLeod - The Amazing Race". People.com. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  9. Smithsonian magazine, April 2003, pg 42 Flight of Fancy
  10. Archived May 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  11. "'Amazing Race' Team Axed After Gate Crash". Associated Press.

Bibliography
  • Smithsonian magazine, April 2003, pg 42 Flight of Fancy


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