Volunteers Begin Aerial Search for Teen
By: Jessica Reyes
Updated: January 22, 2011
Searcher Kyle Guthrie pointed out remote areas he didn't know existed from the passenger seat of a small plane.
"On the ground, you're looking at the same terrain over and over again. When you're in the air, you're looking at every single square mile there is," he said.
In just two hours, the plane covered about 250 miles of terrain in Snyder, Dunn, Ira, Colorado City, and several bodies of water.
"Hundreds of miles in a circle. And by vehicle, that's going to take days," Guthrie said.
The aircraft has to stay at least 1,000 feet above populated areas such as Snyder, but can get as low as 200 feet from the ground in more rural territory.
Once Guthrie landed Saturday morning, he met up with other searchers to devise a plan to visit areas that caught his eye from the air. Starting Sunday, the groups will search simultaneously with Kyle guiding the ground crews with walkie talkies.
"We're going to follow his guidance into areas that we cant see from land. Whatever I can do to help is what I'm going to do to help," said ground crew member Robert Howell.
The group will meet early Sunday morning to continue their search.


