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Red Baron 'survivor' Is special plane to Aukes brothers GALESBURG, IL - Brian Aukes had to make a decision, and fast. The caller from Minnesota asked if Aukes wanted to buy the last of the disbanded Red Baron Pizza Squadron's Stearman aircraft that was still in flying condition. If he didn't, two other buyers were waiting in line. Aukes made a quick call to his brother, Travis, who flew 15 years as a member of the Red Baron aerobatic team, and knew the plane well. He'd logged about 500 hours in N806RB. "Travis said Number 6 was one of the best flying planes in the Red Baron fleet," Aukes said. "And it was the last chance to own something of historical value." ++++++++
Take the Controls of a Stearman during 38th annual Fly-In Galesburg, IL – Sarah Wilson says a flight in her 1943 Stearman biplane is an adventure that stays with her passengers. “When people fly these historic airplanes they are transported back in time,” Wilson says. “The roar of the engine, the wind on their faces … it is like you really are a pilot in World War II, and the joy from that experience stays with people for the rest of their lives.” That’s because Wilson, a FAA Certified Flight Instructor, offers more than just a ride in the legendary World War II primary trainer. Her passengers get a “hands-on” experience – taking the controls of the airplane, except for take-offs and landings – during a 30-minute-long flight. ++++++++
Lions Club airport breakfast closes Stearman Fly-In GALESBURG, IL – A pancake-and-sausage breakfast served by the Galesburg Noon Lions Club will wrap up the 38th National Stearman Fly-In. Open to the public, the breakfast will be served from 7 to 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, in the Jet Air Hangar at Galesburg Municipal Airport. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for children . ++++++++
Lloyd Stearman's 1931 'Cloudboy' evolved into WWII trainer GALESBURG, IL - Many people called the Stearman Model 75 the "Pilot Maker," and for good reason. The biplane introduced more of World War II's "Greatest Generation" to flight than any other airplane. The popular name for the U.S. Navy's version of the Model 75 was the "Yellow Peril." The Army Air Corps' Stearman planes were called "The Kaydet." A surprising number of the Stearman company's most-produced plane are still flying today, and many of the survivors -- they're between 63 and 73 years old - will make their way to Galesburg Municipal Airport in September for the 38th annual National Stearman Fly-In. ++++++++
Numbers game: Stearman Fly-In attendance over the years GALESBURG, IL – Stearman owners Jim Leahy of Galesburg and Tom Lowe of Crystal Lake, IL, met in 1969 at an Antique Airplane Association Fly-In in Ottumwa, IA. Their friendship grew as they attended a number of fly-ins, every time they met, Lowe recalls, they said to each other “We ought to get the Stearmans together.” During the winter of 1972, Leahy called Lowe and announced he was going to gather Stearmans at a fly-in in Galesburg. And Leahy said he needed some help. “Thus a partnership was born,” Lowe says. Leahy set about organizing the event. Lowe “laboriously” dug out the names and addresses of Stearman owners from the FAA Aircraft Register – “…a very large book with extremely small print” in pre-computer days. ++++++++
Fly-In’s Co-Founder Named to Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame GALESBURG, Illinois – Thomas E. “Tom” Lowe, co-founder of the National Stearman Fly-In, has been selected for membership in the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held May 20 in East Peoria as the concluding event of the 2009 Illinois Aviation Conference. The Fly-In, Galesburg’s premiere tourism event, has attracted as many as 140 airplanes – most of them the World War II-era biplane trainers used by the Army Air Corps and the Navy, as well as a handful of pre-war civilian Stearmans -- in a single year. The 38th annual Fly-In will be held Sept. 7-13, 2009, at Galesburg Municipal Airport. ++++++++
Hotel-motel information for 38th National Stearman Fly-In GALESBURG, Illinois -- Hotels and motels in Galesburg and nearby communities are busy in the fall season, and especially so during the National Stearman Fly-In. The 2009 Fly-In is scheduled Sept. 7-13. Here is a list of the community's hotels and motels, the number of rooms at each location, published prices, and contact information. Fly-In organizers suggest that persons planning to attend this year's event make reservations early to assure the accommodations they desire. ++++++++
Crash Ends Stearman Pilot's Cross-Country Adventure Planning for this trip started two years before. I was restoring the world’s oldest Stearman, a 1927 C3B, and my friend Addison Pemberton was restoring a 1928 Boeing 40 which had crashed in 1928. We had a dream to fly the Transcontinental Mail Route and see what it was like for mail pilots of that day. We invited a friend, Ben Scott, with his1930 Stearman 4E to join us. He had with him Al Holloway, who builds our engines. We also invited George Perks from Spokane to ride, assist in the flying and take pictures. He also sent e-mails. The aircraft were positioned in New York at Republic Field, Long Island, on Sept. 8, 2008, for departure Sept. 10. I had not been back to New York since 1997, when I departed JFK in the left seat of a TWA 767 on my last flight to SFO. ++++++++
37 National Stearman Fly-In Brings People, Planes to Galesburg GALESBURG, IL – The youngest pilot was 28. The oldest pilot was 86. And two pilots flew 2,000 miles from Spokane, WA, to reach the 37th National Stearman Fly-In and win the “tired butt” award for the greatest distance flown (direct route) to the annual event at Galesburg Municipal Airport. The oldest – or “most vintage’ – pilot who flew to Galesburg in 2008 in a Stearman was Edgar Read, 86, of Henry, IL. ++++++++
Biplanes Recall Bygone Era; Fly-In Numbers Down in 2008 GALESBURG – Today wraps up the 37th annual National Stearman Fly-In. The biplanes, used as World War II trainers, then as crop dusters, have been coming here so many years they are probably linked to Galesburg as much, or more, than Wichita, Kan., where they were manufactured. Tom and Jennifer Wolford of Galesburg are a good example of what it means for the event to have been part of the fabric of the community for so many years. With 7- year-old son, Austin, and 2-year-old daughter Mackenzie in tow, the family was taking in all of the event, including a narrated tram tour of the flight line. “I’ve probably been coming out to the Stearman since I was his age,” Tom Wolford said of his son. In fact, dad hopes the event will still be here so his children someday can bring their kids to the fly-in. ++++++++
Aim High: Students Encouraged by Stearman pilots GALESBURG -- History was on parade for some Nielson Elementary School students on Friday morning. The first- and second-graders left the classroom for a while to get up close and personal with several World War II-era Stearman biplanes. A visit with Nielson has been part of the National Stearman Fly-In for several of its participants for 15 of the event’s 37 years. Wally Falardeau of Poplar Grove said the partnership began when Mark Godsil, husband of Nielson first-grade teacher Celia Godsil, inquired about some pilots doing a fly- over of the school. ++++++++
Southern Hospitality, Midwest-style on Grass Landing Strip GALESBURG — What started as a spirited contest Friday between Stearman Fly-In pilots ended up being a lesson in Midwest hospitality for one man. The flour-bombing contest — rained-out Wednesday and Thursday — was combined with a take-off and landing contest on the cool and cloudy morning. After listening to a briefing about the contest, pilots gathered up flour bags and headed to their planes. Harry Ballance of Atlanta recruited a rookie bombardier to assist with the drop. By all accounts, the pair were not terribly successful and Ballance’s friends even chided him about flying so low he may have been disqualified. His landing also fell short but Ballance was not discouraged. ++++++++
Pilot’s Passion Is Fly-In’s Most-Compelling Aspect The field at Galesburg Municipal Airport can be a daunting place during the annual Stearman Fly-In — especially if you know It is possible for the shy to shuffle, slack- jawed and aimless, around the hangars. It’s easy to grab a drink, buy a T-shirt, watch the planes buzz overhead and completely miss the most compelling aspect of the week- long event. Call it the passion of the pilots. ++++++++
Every Plane Has a Tale, Just Ask the Pilot GALESBURG -- Gathering storm clouds didn’t discourage 91-year-old Bob Schafer from climbing aboard a Stearman Wednesday, for a flight he described as “very comfortable.” It’s not a description that many people would have used to recount a hair-raising flight through the rain and the wind in a plane built in the 1940s. But, with his 92nd birthday approaching this December, you get the impression that not much fazes Schafer. He had never flown in a small, open plane before, but that didn’t bother him in the slightest. ++++++++
It’s Really About the People, Not the Planes GALESBURG -- Sunglasses. An old baseball cap. A sweating can of Brisk no-calorie iced tea. Judy Kaiser needed all three to beat Tuesday afternoon’s heat, plus shade offered by a Tiffin Phaeton. The immense, idle RV — and some well-placed canopies — cast enough shadow to provide Judy and her golden retrievers Augi and Mardi some relief from the sun. Judy cast her eyes to the sight and sound of antique planes flying overhead. ++++++++
Stearman Flight Gives Reporter a Bird’s-eye View GALESBURG _ What I was doing with my Tuesday afternoon was unusual, thrilling and, quite frankly, just a little bit insane. Instead of staying behind my desk making phone calls or even driving around to get a story, I was sitting in the cockpit of an open-air plane, about ready to circle Galesburg at about 80 knots. Somehow, I had made the ingenious decision to be the brave one and jump in for the opportunity to go up in a World War II-era Stearman. Not that I didn’t trust pilot Phillip Wolford. It was those darn harnesses I didn’t trust. ++++++++
Galesburg 'Goes Way Out of Its Way' to Welcome Stearman Pilots GALESBURG -- With 51 years as a pilot, Cal Tax feels a family connection to the Stearman he flew in to Galesburg Municipal Airport this week. The Cumming, Ga., resident lovingly polished the side of his Stearman Army PT-17 trainer Tuesday as similar airplanes swooped by overhead. His father flew a Stearman in World War II while teaching students how to fly, and Tax said his own plane has become part of his family after 10 years of ownership. Stearman planes flying alone or in formations of up to four were visible in the Galesburg skies most any time Tuesday. About 45 had already arrived in town by Tuesday morning to take part in the 37th National Stearman Fly-In. ++++++++
A Family Affair: Biplanes Hold Memories for Berwick Man GALESBURG, IL -- Charles Head spent the day before his 80th birthday hearkening back to his youth. “That’s 28,842 days,” he said of his age, smiling from underneath the light blue pinstriped cap on his head. The Berwick resident and his wife, Joan, brought their visiting family members to the Galesburg Municipal Airport for opening day of the 37th annual National Stearman Fly-In. “We’ve been fans” of the Stearman planes, he explained. “The planes are exciting.” ++++++++
Fly-in celebration: German marks 60th birthday with family, Stearman cohorts But not so for Arthur Scheid, who hails from the Munich area of Germany. Scheid, a devoted Stearman fan, has made the trek to Galesburg for the fifth time for the 36th annual Stearman Fly-In, with his wife in tow, as always. But this year, because he was turning 60, he decided he wanted the whole family to come over with him - all 11 of them. "I had my 60th birthday on Sept. 5, so I had to celebrate first with my family then with my Stearman friends," Scheid said. ++++++++
He fills them up: Retiree turns love of airplanes into part-time job
Posted Nov. 2, 2007 GALESBURG - Lonnie Lee is a man of few words. But he had plenty of gas Saturday. High-octane, ethanol-free, 110 low-lead gas. And before the start of the 36th annual National Stearman Fly-In's formation competition, Lee and his big white Ford 600 fuel truck were in great demand. "This is my second fly-in," Lee said as he bounced around in the cluttered, bright-red cab of the truck. "I worked it last year."
++++++++ Why they fly: Stearman devotees come from many walks, share one passion We know what Stearman pilots do. We know that they've come to Galesburg in droves for the 36th annual Stearman Fly-In. But who, exactly, are these folks? On the surface, they have little in common. They come from Pittsburgh and Florida and England. They are airline pilots, rocket scientists, real estate agents and even reporters. They are young and old. They are men and women. But their common bond, a life-long love of planes and flying in a Stearman. "It's a motorcycle in the sky," said Doug Moran, a real estate agent from Jacksonville, Fla. He inherited the love of Stearman planes from his father. "I was born and raised around these planes," he said. ++++++++
Bombs away for bragging rights: An annual Galesburg Stearman Fly-In activity is flour bombing, a test of flying precision and long-distance aiming abilities. The competition was at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Galesburg Municipal Airport, but results won't be announced until Saturday. Pilots were each given a small plastic bag filled with flour. Two miles down the runway, a queen- or king-sized sheet was spread across the grass midway with a barrel in the center for pilots to target. The only rule was pilots could not fly below 100 feet when they reached the target, said Mike Lowe, event organizer. ++++++++
Saluting the WASP: Women ferried planes around world in WWII Pilots arrive for 'family reunion' For a Stearman pilot to miss the National Stearman Fly-In here is like Tiger Woods giving a pass to Augusta. "It's a fun week of flying. We've made friends. It's like a big family reunion," said Don R. Buck, Webb City, Mo., who is now attending his 31st consecutive Galesburg fly-in. "A lot of people, this is the only time we see them. It's like a second home to us," he said before heading off to lunch with some of those friends. "The people who started this had a good idea. And it worked from the start." |
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