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It seems that no matter where I go, I run into someone who has an interesting story to tell or has made their own little (or sometimes big) mark in aviation history. I am very fortunate that many of these people live right here in the same community that I do and are all so willing to share their experiences with me. |
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| There are so many “People of Interest” that I have met in the aviation community. Some I find interesting because of their contribution to aviation, others because of their history of flying. And then there are those people who have taken a personal part in my start in aviation, some indirectly through their support and promoting aviation to youth and others more directly, acting as a mentor to me. |
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Al Gester
Young Eagles Mentor
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A retired 30 year veteran of the United States Air Force, Al Gester has been a long time mentor and a significant influence to my start and early career in aviation.
Just after my 12th birthday, I began to volunteer time with the EAA Young Eagles program at Flabob Airport. Under Al Gester’s supervision, some of the early activities included sorting aviation related magazines, which were distributed to various schools in the area to promote aviation, instruction on the building of wing ribs and other small projects to keep us Young Eagles active during the time that we were waiting for a project plane for the restoration project. Once Al secured a plane for the restoration project, he has been diligently acting as our Young Eagles mentor, advisor and providing the expert adult supervision during the plane restoration process.
Beyond being a mentor, to myself and many other Young Eagle participants, Al is tireless in his efforts to inspire young people in all areas of aviation and citizenship through his volunteer efforts with the Wathen Foundation. Hardly a day goes by that I do not cross paths with Al and I spend a good majority of my Saturdays, with him, working on the plane restoration project.
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Kathy Rohm
Flabob Airport Foundation Director of Community Relations
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From a small article my mom found in our local newspaper, my dad tried to enroll me in the week long Aviation Academy, held at Flabob Airport. After leaving a couple of voice mails, he gave up, figuring we were too late in trying to get me in. Just a couple of days before the Aviation Academy was supposed to start, my parents received a call, from Kathy Rohm, informing us that they had a last minute cancellation and there was room in the Aviation Academy class if I was still interested in attending. A few days later I was standing in the meeting room of the administration office, at Flabob Airport, meeting Kathy Rohm for the first time of what would be the start of my pursuit of aviation at my new found home at Flabob. That was several years ago and now, because of that phone call from Kathy Rohm, I am an active member of the Young Eagles plane build and a student at Flabob Aviation Preparatory Academy (FAPA).
As the Director of Community Relations, for the Thomas Wathen foundation, and the FAPA Director, the successes and achievements of the FAPA students and the Young Eagles of EAA Chapter One are largely due to the hard work and dedication of Kathy Rohm.
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CAF Colonels
The Men and Women that make up the CAF-IEW
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One of the greatest things about being a member of the Inland Empire Wing of the Commemorative Air Force is the large number of very active Colonels I am exposed to. All of the Colonels are very giving, each having something unique to contribute while all sharing the same common passion of preserving historic military aircraft.
My introduction to the CAF-IEW came during a hangar tour my parents set up for my birthday. Colonel Bud Ukes gave me the grand tour of everything but the latrine and I met several of the other Colonels, who happened to be in the hangar that evening. Not long after my tour, I became a cadet and active member of the wing. Colonel Ed Cleveland wasted no time in getting me involved with the wing and all the Colonels seemed to take a quick liking to my enthusiasm and desire to learn. I can not say enough about all the Colonels of the CAF-IEW and how much support and mentoring they provide me. Often unintentional, I do not believe they are aware of just how much I draw from them just listening to them tell an old tale of their aviation experiences.
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Ray Stits
Homebuilt Pioneer and Founder of the EAA Mother Chapter
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A pioneer of the homebuilt aircraft movement, Ray Stits designed and built 15 sport aircraft between the years of 1948 and 1965 including such notable designs as the Stits Junior, once the world's smallest monoplane; the Stits Sky Baby, once the worlds smallest biplane; the Stits “take it home” Playmate folding wing; the Stits “aerobatic“ Playboy and the Stits Skycoupe, one of which I am participating in the restoration of. Under the Stits Aircraft Inc. name, Ray Stits sold plans and raw materials for many of his aircraft designs for many years.
Already recognized for his achievements in homebuilt aviation, Ray arrived at Flabob Airport in March 1951. Shortly after settling in at Flabob Ray Stits began to design and build one of his most famous planes, the Sky Baby, in his hanger at Flabob. With little fan fair, the Sky Baby took its first record breaking flight out of Chino Airport in April of 1952 after which it flew from Palm Springs Airport, this time with full press and media coverage, including Life Magazine, which featured the flight of the Sky Baby on its front cover. ALthough built and ground tested at Flabob, the Sky baby never took flight at her home field. The Sky Baby flew a number of events over the next several months and then was retired, never to fly again. Contrary to what has been written, in many aviation books and articles, giving co-credit for the design and construction of the Sky Baby, Ray Stits was the sole designer and builder of this unique plane. Only one Sky Baby was ever built and although others wished to build their own, the plans were never made available to other builders. The Sky Baby was built specifically for a pilot with the weight of approximately 165 lbs, which as far lighter that Ray Stits himself, at the time, and therefore the reason Ray never flew the Sky Baby himself. In 1972 the Sky Baby was donated to the National Air and Space Museum.
In 1953 Paul Poberezny started the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) out in Wisconsin. Learning of the involvement and passion that Ray Stits had for homebuilt aircraft, Paul sent a letter to Ray, inviting him to become a part of the EAA. Being on opposite sides of the country, Ray thought it too difficult to participate, from so far away, and suggested that a West Coast chapter of the EAA be formed. Paul, finding this a very attractive idea, had the necessary changes made to the by-laws and the following year, the first meeting of the EAA Chapter One (the Mother Chapter), founded by Ray Stits, was held at Flabob Airport. With nearly 1000 EAA chapters currently, Chapter One is the largest chapter in the world. Ray Stits is still extremely active in the EAA and Chapter One and can be found at almost every monthly meeting.
Aside from his notoriety in the homebuilt plane design arena, Ray Stits is also the developer of a fire-retardant airplane fabric covering known as the Poly-Fiber system, formerly know as the Stits Poly-Fiber Aircraft Covering process. Now sold under the trade name Poly-Fiber, this covering system is recognized and distributed all over the world. As it was when first developed, Poly-Fiber makes its home at Flabob Airport.
Ray Stits has a new hangar at Flabob Airport, not a stones throw away from the Flabob Aviation Preparatory Academy, where I attend high school. More often than not, you can find Ray someplace on the airport grounds, working in his hangar or visiting fellow homebuilt enthusiasts in theirs. Ray is always eager to talk to students, answer our questions, encourage us and share a little bit of his aviation history with us. You can not get that kind of an education out of a text book.
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Tom Wathen
Founder of the Thomas Wathen Foundation
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Although more of an airplane aficionado than an aviator, Tom Wathen has spent most of his life involved in aviation in one way or another.
As a young boy Tom Wathen spent his spare time at a small airport in Indiana, doing odd jobs in exchange for rides in airplanes. In his med-teens he learned to fly but did not obtain his private pilot certificate until the late 1950’s. Utilizing the skills he gained while serving in the US Air Force, he built an incredibly successful career and business in the private security sector. In 1999 Tom Wathen retired from his position as CEO of Pinkerton which then gave him more time to pursue his passion for aircraft including the formation of the Wathen Foundation.
As the primary focus of the Wathen Foundation was education in math, science, and technology, using aviation as the medium, an airport seemed a logical choice for the home of the foundation. Learning that Flabob Airport was for sale and having knowledge of its rich aviation history, Tom Wathen set out to purchase the small airport only to learn that it had recently been sold to land developers. Having been out of the country at the time, Tom Wathen directed his son and attorney to find out if the Flabob deal was in writing. Learning that it was not, they wrote a check for the down payment, there on the spot, and in so doing, secured a home for the Wathen Foundation, as well as, saving Flabob Airport from extinction.
Since that time, many improvements have been made to Flabob, while maintaining its historic look and feel as much as possible. Flabob is home to the Mother Chapter of the EAA, which is the largest EAA chapter in the world, and is also home to the Flabob Aviation Predatory Academy, where I go to school. But maybe most important, Flabob is home to many aircraft homebuilders, as it was back in the 1970's, helping to maintain the sprite of aviation to young and old alike.
Although, at the time of this writing, I have not met Tom Wathen in person, as a student of the Flabob Aviation Predatory Academy and EAA Young Eagle participant, I am surrounded by his generosity and love for aviation, on a daily basis.
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Joe Moriarty
A Man with a Life Long Love of Aviation
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During a visit to my sister’s in Phoenix, Arizona, my dad and I took a drive to the Dear Valley Airport to see what kind of aircraft might be out on the tarmac. In an attempt to locate a way to get to some vintage looking planes that we saw on the north side of the airfield, we happened across an open roll-up at a corner unit of an industrial complex that housed several vintage airplanes. A closer look found a beautifully restored stagger wing Beech and an old piper cub sitting in the warehouse amongst various other aircraft parts and artifacts.
The owner of the make shift hangar introduced himself, as Joe Moriarty, and told us to feel free to look around. While admiring his planes Joe was quite eager to tell us a little history about each of his aircraft. As my dad and I listened and admired Joe’s collection of aircraft parts and memorabilia I could not help but notice the giant 18 cylinder Wasp engine stored over in the corner. I asked Joe what his plans were for the big Wasp engine and he told me that he really didn’t have any, it was more a keep sake as it was the spare engine for the Spruce Goose and at the same time, pointed out the giant propeller, hanging on the wall, which was also a spare for the Spruce Goose. Joe told us that he was always fascinated by the Spruce Goose, having been one of the Navel Aviators that was in flight over the historic flight of the Spruce Goose, and when the opportunity to purchase these two pieces presented themselves, he jumped at the chance.
Joe was a gracious host and offered to take my dad and I on a little tour of his facility. As it turns out Joe Moriarty is the founder and President of Total Seal which makes high performance piston rings for race engines including Sprint Cup cars. The halls of the office side of the facility were lined with pictures of various famous racers and race teams, personally signed by the drivers and crews who have used Joe’s Total Seal piston rings, over the years, including one yellow dragster my dad told me was the first to break the 300 mph mark in the ¼ mile. Joe took us to his office where he showed us pictures of several of the aircraft he owned and restored, over the years. While showing us his civilian pilot license, my dad noticed that it was issued in the state of Massachusetts, which prompted my dad to ask Joe a few questions of where he grew up. As it turns out, Joe grew up in a town adjacent to my grandfather and although they went to different high schools, they were of the same age and both played ice hockey at the same place. Although Joe does not recall my grandfather's name, nor my grandfather Joe’s, chances are they both played together one many occasions, as teenagers.
Before we left, Joe extended an invitation to come back and visit any time, an invitation that I will take him up on I am sure.
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Roy Test
WWII Veteran, Hero and Legend
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I not only had the unique pleasure to meet Roy Test but as members of the Commemorative Air Force - Inland Empire Wing (CAF-IEW), the pleasure was extended to sharing an occasional conversation, with Roy, at our general meetings and events hosted at the hangar. I first met Roy Test a few years before I became a cadet of the CAF-IEW. A regular at many local air shows and veteran’s events, Roy proudly displayed his personal WWII memorabilia on his two small folding tables. Roy always dressed in his Air Force Officers Uniform, for these events, his flight jacket never far away.
Roy joined the Army Air Corps during WWII and, as a young Lieutenant, served in the 398th Air Force as a co-pilot of the B-17 Flying Fortress known as “The Bad Penny.” (A bad penny always comes back, as the saying goes). During his time right seating in the Bad Penny, Roy completed 32 missions over Europe in 77 days, including D-Day. During his time in service Roy earned two Bronze stars, the Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross.
Sadly, in December of 2009, at the age of 88, Roy passed due to complications resulting from a fall he took a month earlier, while doing the thing he loved the best, enjoying aviation.
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