Society for Aviation
History
PO.
Box 7081 San Carlos, CA 94070
1-650-631-4207
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past NorCal AAHS General Meetings
Our
Holiday meeting December 6th, 2003, in Foster
City, CA
 
Chapter
President Nick Veronico holds up Eric's trivia
presentation after the contest.
Flying
the Mississippi in a Float Plane
We had an excellent turnout
with 75 members and guests, and Eric's slide show
of the families trip was well received by the
membership. Eric also supplied the Trivia
Contest, and quite a few members and guests won
some nice very nice aviation books and videos,
most are fresh off the press, thanks to the many
donations we receive from our general membership.
Eric Presten was the
chapters featured speaker at our Holiday meeting
in Foster City, at the Crown Plaza Hotel. Eric
discussed his 2556 mile flight along the mighty
Mississippi River in his 1949 Piper
PA-16 Clipper on floats. It began at
Lake Itaska in Minesota and finished at the Gulf
of Mexico. His wife Debbie, who is also a pilot,
and their two sons accompanied Eric on this
trip.
Presten was born and raised
in Fremont, CA. His earliest exposure to sport
aviation came in 1972 during a visit with his
grandparents in Vancouver, WA. He attended his
first air show at a small airfield there. A
few years later, Eric learned to fly in a 1946
Aeronca Champ at a grass strip in Fort Worth,
Texas, during one summer. Obtaining his private
pilots license for single-engine airplanes while
still a teenager, Eric went on to earn a Bachelor
of Science Degree in Aviation Technology from
Central Missouri State University. Since then he
has acquired his Single- and Multi-Engine
Instrument Commercial License Land Ratings, a
Single-Engine Commercial and Part 135 seaplane
qualification. He is also a licensed A & P
mechanic with an Inspection Authorization. He has
taken tens of thousands of aircraft photographs
and has personally flown in or piloted more than
650 aircraft, consisting of over 250 different
types. Eric has owned eleven aircraft and won
Grand Champion at the Merced Antique Fly-In with
his 1931 Russel Light Monoplane, and 2002 Grand
Champion Piper at Oshkosh with his PA-16 Clipper, both of
which were restored by him.
On top of it all, Eric
is a self-publishing author and had his Vintage
Flyer Guidebooks available for sale and signings,
following his talk on the Mississippi.
Details
about our meeting: October 4, 2003
Update on Amelia: New
Information in the Search for Amelia Earhart
On October 4th, our meeting was held at the
Western Aerospace Museum at North Field, Oakland
Airport. Long-time NCC AAHS member Ron Reuther
(NC 71), a specialist in Bay Area aviation
history and Amelia Earhart, discussed the search
for Earhart and what’s new in the search.
Reuther has hosted a number of Earhart symposiums
and is one of the local authorities on the
subject. Reuther retired from the military and
was instrumental in forming the Western Aerospace
Museum. We had a total of 66 members show up at
this meeting, along with a new member and several
guests. An excellent catered lunch was enjoyed by
all, and Bill Larkins showed a slide show of the
WAM's Short Solent flying boat being brought to
Oakland from Richmond, via Barge. Bill also
hosted our trivia contest with a slide show, and
a nice selection of photographs to identify.
Our
June 14 2003 Meeting,
Wright Brothers Panel Discussion
with Wright flyer Replica
Seated left to right: Dan Morgan,
Larry Rinek, Fay Kellog, and Norm Jukes. Standing
is Alice Hendricks.
The Chapter hosted a panel
discussion on the Wright Brothers and their first
flight. The program was organized and moderated
by Norm Jukes (NC193). Alice Hendricks (NC365)
discussed the brothers, their education, and
their motivation to fly.
Fay Kellog (NC340) detailed the
Wright Brothers' wind tunnel and air foil
developement. Dan Morgan (NC280) discussed the
Wright Flyer's three-axis control system. Larry
Rinek (NC387) discussed the brother's engine and
propellor development.
In addition they covered such
topics as why the brothers chose Kitty Hawk,
North Carolina - 1,000 miles from Dayton, and
their living conditions on the coast. We were
very fortunate to have an exact replica of the
Wright Flyer on display for our meeting. Food was
catered by the Wings of History Staff.
Location: Wings of History Museum,
San Martin
At
our April Meeting:
P-38 Ace Herb Ross, tour of the
Stockton Field Aviation Museum,
Herb Ross pictured with "Little
Karl"
Our speaker was Herb Ross, P-38
ace and the man who scored a direct hit on the
Italian liner, being used as a troopship, Rex.
Herb Ross, a native of Stockton, flew with the
14th Fighter Group’s 48th Fighter Squadron
in the Mediterranean, attacking targets in and
around Italy. He flew 52 missions and down seven
enemy aircraft – two Bf-109s, a pair of
Macchi 202, two Ju-52s, and an Fw-190. Ross even
gave Bob Hope a ride in his P-38 while the
entertainer was in North Africa on a USO tour.
Ross retired as a colonel from the Air Force
after 27 years, and today owns a Pitts Special,
which he keeps at Stockton. We also viewed the
Stockton Field Aviation Museum’s displays
whic features an outstanding collection of
aviation armament including an original Sperry
ball turret (from a B-17 – or that other
plane...). Visit www.twinbeech.com for details.
Details About Our
February 2003 Meeting
B-58 Hustler
Crew Panel
Date was
February 8, 2003, at Francesco's Restaurant, near
the Oakland Airport
Col. Joe
Cotton, Col. Louie Babbitt, Col. Pete Revello and
Larry Rinek
(left to right)
Our
past meeting was well-received with 84 members and
guests attending this panel discussion with
questions and answers.
Convair’s
Mach 2+ B-58 Hustler was the world’s first
supersonic bomber. It was considered quite
advanced when first flown in 1956, and made an
important contribution to U.S. military aviation
history. As a front-line intercontinental
strategic nuclear medium-weight bomber, the B-58
served the U.S. Air Force from 1960 to 1970.
Although not used in combat, the B-58 nonetheless
did play a useful role in the Cuban Missile
Crisis of 1962. The Hustler also inspired
production of Soviet supersonic bombers and
defensive interceptors.
Relatively
small, fast, and sleek, the Hustler exhibited the
feel and performance of a supersonic jet fighter.
The B-58 was the recipient of many
trophies/international records for both speed and
altitude. Only 116 airframes were built and two
active SAC wings deployed, as superior adversary
defenses, new ICBMs, and fresh competing
supersonic bomber designs took precedence. The
program also suffered from high costs and
excessive hull loss/crash rates. The elite
aircrews, however, generally liked the
high-performance Hustler. Many of the technology
innovations seen in the B-58 were applied to
other aircraft programs.
Larry
Rinek, NCAAHS director, briefly outlined
historical highlights of the program with
slides/videos, and then moderated a Hustler
aircrew panel discussion with three distinguished
guests:
•
Representing the front seat is Col. Joe Cotton,
former test pilot on the B-58 program. Col.
Cotton spoke to our group previously (December
2001) on his experiences with the XB-70 test
program. Now living in Los Altos, Col. Cotton
logged around 800 hours in the B-58 at both
Carswell AFB in Texas for USAF Cat II/III testing
and then Edwards AFB (TB-58A chase plane/trainer
for XB-70 program).
•
Covering the middle bombardier/navigator seat is
Col. Pete Revello from Sacramento. With more than
1,500 hours in the B-58, Col. Revello flew with
the 43 Bomb Wing out of Little Rock AFB, Arkansas
from 1965-1969 before transitioning to SAC FB-111
duties at Carswell AFB.
•
Representing the back seat is former DSO
(defensive systems operator) Col. Louie Babbitt,
joining us from Placerville. With more than 1,300
hours in the B-58, Col. Babbitt flew with the
305th Bomb Wing at Grissom AFB, Indiana from 1961
to 1969. DSOs operated electronic countermeasures
as well as tail guns, and served as flight
engineers.
In
addition, Ace Campbell presented the history of a
local airport. His talks are always entertaining
and in demand by our members.
For more
details, call or email the chapter at NCC AAHS
.•
Details About Our Christmas
Meeting
Searching The South Pacific
with Pat Scannon
If Pat Scannon looks familiar (third from
left in the photo near a crashed Avenger torpedo
bomber), its because you’ve seen his
adventures chronicled in such high-profile
publications as Parade magazine, and on
ABC’s Nightline with Ted Koppel.
Scannon, a medical doctor by trade and
biotechnology pioneer, spends his free time
searching the South Pacific for lost American
fliers, aircraft, and ships of the Second World
War. As an pilot and aviation historian Scannon
focuses his attentions of the Palau area, where
fierce battles raged in 1944 and 1945.
Scannon says: “Finding
airplanes that have been missing for fifty years
does not occur by just jumping into the water.
The ocean is just too big and planes shot down
tend to land in less-than-convenient places. By
necessity, I have become more of a detective than
a diver, looking in dusty archives all over the
United States and Palau and interviewing the
folks who were there. This has become the most
unexpectedly meaningful part of the adventure:
talking with and getting to know the airmen who
witnessed the horror of watching their friends
shot out of the sky, and talking with Palauans
who were caught between two warring nations, who
remember these missions from the receiving end. I
feel privileged to have received many stories
from both Palauans and Americans who, for the
most part, are amazed anyone still cares, except
for others who were there at the time. On a few
important occasions, their stories have even
provided priceless leads of where to look for
missing aircraft.”
Scannon had slides and a video to
accompany his talk. For more information about
some of the aircraft he’s found, visit: www.bentprop.org. In addition, the Bent Prop website
features narratives of Scannon’s expeditions
written for the Explorer’s Club, and they
make for fascinating reading.
Date/Time: December 7, 2002
Location: Santa
Clara, CA
October Meeting Wrap-up
Douglas A-26/B-26 Invader
Flight Experiences From 1944 Through 2002
Scott
Thompson fields questions for the A-26/B-26
panelists. From left: Richard Denison, Harold
Simpson, David Lane, Thompson at podium, and
former Shell Oil pilot Bob Rhode.
Sixty-Six members
attended the October 2002 meeting at Cattlemens
Restaurant in Livermore to hear a panel
discussion on the Douglas A-26/B-26 Invader.
Larry Rinek (NC 387) served as meeting chairman
with Scott Thompson, author of the recently
released Douglas A-26 and B-26 Invader, chairing
the panel discussion.
After a short introduction on the
history of the A-26/B-26 by Scott Thompson, each
panelist described his experiences with the
aircraft. Bob Rohde learned to fly in the
Stockton area in the 1930s, and went on to fly 30
missions piloting B-17s with the 447th Bomb Group
in England during World War II. He began flying
for Shell Oil Company after the war, flying their
B-25J “Flying Laboratory” from Oakland
Airport. Shell later obtained the combination
jet/piston XB-26F for Shell's fuel research, also
flying from Oakland between 1949 and 1951. Rhode
said the flying engine detonation tests,
“Shook the plane’s floorboards.”
After the Korean War began, he was recalled and
flew B-29s from Hamilton AFB for the duration of
the war. He returned to Shell in a non-flying
position, remaining with the company until he
retired in 1977.
Richard Denison, the only non-pilot in
the group, who rode in the nose section of the
plane, described it, “Like flying between
two P-47s.” Denison was a navigator with the
386th Bomb Group while based in France in late
1944 and early 1945. He had been assigned to
C-47s towing gliders during D-Day Invasion in
June 1944, and moved to the 9th Air Force when
they needed navigators. He began on Martin B-26s,
flying 28 missions, before switching to the A-26
in early 1945, flying an additional 12 missions
in the A-26 Invader.
Harold Simpson flew P-47s in Europe
during World War II. For the Korean War, he was
assigned to fly B-26s with the 3rd Bomb Group
from bases in Japan and Korea. Simpson told
stories of flying at 100 foot altitude, at night
over Korea chasing trains. After the war he was
assigned to research programs involving QB-17
drones, and later drone types, from Holloman AFB,
New Mexico. He retired as a Lt. Col. in 1970.
(The chapter website has an Earl Holmquist photo
of a QB-17 drone at www.norcalaahs.org/ehDB17P1.jpg.)
On the economic side, A-26 owner David
Lane stated that operating the plane today costs
between $1,200 and $1,500 per hour to fly,
“assuming nothing major breaks.” Lane
is a Boeing 747 Captain flying transpacific
routes with Northwest Airlines. He began flying
in the early 1970s in the Porterville area, later
became a flight instructor and flying for a
number of large commuter airlines until he was
hired by Northwest. He has flown both the 727 and
747 by Northwest. In 1999 he purchased an A-26
from the Canadian Warplane Heritage group. The
Invader, registered as N119DR, is based at
Gillespie Field, near San Diego, and is flown to
many west coast airshows. His A-26 was on the
ramp at Reno, and looked sharp.
By the meeting’s end, those in
attendance surely gained an appreciation of an
often-overlooked aircraft and were certainly
impressed by the stories told by former A-26/B-26
crewmembers. At the very least, everyone knew
that the A-26/B-26 was a Douglas Invader and NOT
a Martin Marauder!
In addition to the panel of speakers,
Larry Rinek announced that the board is up for
re-election and that ballots will be mailed in
November. A trivia contest by Bill Larkins (NC
1), who even gave the group all the answers, had
many members scratching their heads trying to
complete it. Ace Campbell also presented the
history of a local airport – always a crowd
favorite. Dan Morgan (NC 280)
Invader Book Available On Line
Scott Thompson’s
well-received A-26 book sold out quickly at the
meeting. If you missed the opportunity to
purchase the book, contact Thompson through his
website at: www.aerovintage.com. Mention that you’re a NorCalAAHS
member and he’ll autograph it, and send it
without delivery charges. Thompson has written
six other books, and his website is the best
place for B-17 and B-25 news.
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