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Event

Second medical evacuation by Beaver Island emergency aircraft, 1974

Also 1974 second Beaver medical flight · evacuation of Chester Meengs

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypeEvent
Date1974-06-24
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Event
Date
1974-06-24
Kind
Medical
Where
Beaver Island Airport
Participants
Rev. Chester A. Meengs (patient) · William Wilke (pilot) · Jim Janda (pilot) · Joseph W. Christie (physician)
Carried out by
The Beaver
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
communityheritage
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

On June 24, 1974, the Beaver Island emergency aircraft made its second reported medical evacuation within a week. William Wilke and James Janda flew Rev. Chester Meengs after acute shock following a stroke; Dr. Joseph Christie accompanied him through Harbor Springs Airport to Little Traverse Hospital.

Evidence and limits

The newspaper establishes the date, named flight participants, reported reason, and transfer sequence. It does not provide a hospital diagnosis, exact airport runway, aircraft registration, or complete biography for the patient, pilots, or physician.

See also

Sources

  1. Reports that William Wilke and James Janda flew Rev. Chester Meengs off Beaver Island on June 24 after he suffered acute shock following a stroke, with Dr. Joseph Christie accompanying him to Harbor Springs and Little Traverse Hospital; it gives no medical chart or flight log.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-05_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held eleven-page combined May–June issue scan is paired with the OCR source stored under the archive 1974-05 key and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-05_Beaver-Beacon
  3. A later follow-up says Chester Meengs remained a patient after the June 24 evacuation; it supplies no hospital record or prognosis.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-05_Beaver-Beacon
  4. The held eleven-page combined May–June issue scan is paired with the OCR source stored under the archive 1974-05 key and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-05_Beaver-Beacon
  5. The Meengs family thanks south-end residents, Dr. Christie, the Welke family, and the Beaver Island Christian Church for help during the crisis, explicitly including use of the new plane; it is a family acknowledgment, not a flight log or medical record. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-07_Beaver-Beacon
  6. The scan confirms the family’s acknowledgment of the emergency services and aircraft.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-07_Beaver-Beacon

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Second medical evacuation by Beaver Island emergency aircraft, 1974”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/second-medical-evacuation-by-beaver-aircraft-1974/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, May–June 1974, “Makes First ‘Evacuation’ and Then Second Within One Week.” (and 4 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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