NINETY-NINE News - Ninety

NINETY-NINE News
Magazine of
The Ninety-Nines Inc.,
International Women Pilots,
November 1992
GETTING TO KNOW US
99s AWARD OF MERIT
Kay Roam— To Russia With Love?
ROUTINES & CEREMONIES
“OH! WHAT A NIGHT!”
SPECIAL THANKS
TO
THE
SPONSORS OF
TIIE UNITED STATES
HELICOPTER TEAM
Continental
TrimbleNavigation
The Leader in GPS Technology
Helicopter
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A Subsidiary of Textron Inc.
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International
C a t e r i n g S p e c ia lis ts
3 0 0 W e s t 2n d St.
T a y lo r , T e x a s 3 3 2 J J 6 1
1 -8 0 0 -9 6 2 -5 7 0 6
International
LETTERS
From Bev H erzel, A ll-O hio
Chapter:
A fter H urricane A ndrew passed
over the island o f E leuthera, B aha­
m as, w here we have a hom e, I tried
for days to get inform ation about the
condition o f our hom e and the people
in G regorytow n. W hen phone ser­
vice was finally renew ed, I found
out that the airport and roads to the
airport were open. M y next thought
was how to get food and dry sup­
plies to the people in this tow n. O ut
cam e my m em bership directory to
locate som eone north o f M iam i that
could help m e locate a charter. Vicki
Sherm an, C hairm an o f the Florida
Spaceport C hapter, w as that person
and how thankful I w as that she was
so helpful. W e were able to air freight
4,000 pounds via Lynx Air.
This brought m e to the conclusion
that the directory m ight include each
m em ber’s vocation. Since that in­
form ation is asked each tim e we
renew our m em bership, w hy not in­
clude it? It w ould be a great net­
w orking tool for all m em bers w hen­
ever the need. If there was not enough
room to place a vocation next to the
nam e, then perhaps a code;
i.e. 1. A ttorney,
2. CPA,
3. Insurance B roker, etc.;
posted in the front o f the book. If a
m em ber chose not to be identified,
that w ould be honored.
I have presented this idea to our
President Lu H ollander at the N orth
Central Section M eeting and hope
that sincere consideration will be
given this idea by the Board and all
m em bers o f The N inety-N ines.
NINETY-NINE News
Magazine of
The Ninety-Nines Inc.,
International Women Pilots,
November 1992
Vol. 18, No. 9
M essage from O ur P r e sid e n t............................................................................4
“O H ! W H A T A N IG H T !” .................................................................................6
99s A W A R D O F M E R IT .................................................................................18
K ay R oam — To R u ssia W ith L o v e ? ..............................................................22
International C on ven tion, 1993 ................................................................... 24
R ou tines and C e r e m o n ie s............................................................................... 26
O N T H E C O V E R : T he C -140A is ow ned, restored and flow n by Pat
and D ave Eby o f W ichita Falls, TX , and is the craft in which Pat earned
h e r P r iv a te C e r t if ic a t e .
A
beauty, the C essna received eight
aw ards in five airshow s to which
it w as flow n in 1991— i.e.; the
Best C lassic 86-165 hp at Sun ’n
Fun and the bronze L indy for
Best C ustom C lassic 81-150 hp.
Pat has been the C hairm an o f
the W ichita Falls C h apter d u r­
ing this past year.
From Betty La G uire, M ajor:
I was delighted to read in the July
issue o f the N inety-N ine N ew s the
report on the C ivil A ir Patrol. I have
been a m em ber o f T he N inety-N ines
and C A P for approxim ately 11 years.
I have enjoyed both o f them very
m uch over the years.
O n January 1, 1 9 9 0 ,1 becam e the
C om m ander o f Squadron 42, R ed­
wood Em pire Sonom a County, Santa
Rosa, CA . It has been a challenge to
com m and a squadron w ith 90-per­
cent m en as m em bers.
Is it possible to find out how m any
Civil A ir Patrol m em bers are w om en
and com m anders?
(Ed. note: Those o f yo u who are
in volved with C A P a n d those o f you
who com m an d squadrons, please
write to B etty at::
H ea d q u a rters, R e d w o o d E m pire
S q u a d r o n 4 2 , P .O . B o x 3 8 6 ,
Petalum a, CA 94952-0356.)
Letters to the Editor are welcome. The deadline
fo r publication in the N inety-N ine News is the
first o f every month at which time the subsequent
m onth's issue is being prepared. Letters should
pertain to information pertinent to the NinetyN ine News. They may be edited fo r space.
Ann Cooper
N inety-N ine
PRESIDENT S MESSAGE
FLY W ITH THE 99s!
Take a closer look at our world, next time
you’re up in an aircraft. Those of us who’ve
flown share a perspective of the earth that is
unmatched— except, perhaps, for the view
a trip on the space shuttle can provide.
Whether we look at our world from 31,000
feet through the thick pane of an airliner
window, or from 8,500 feet through the
cockpit of a single-engine airplane, or from
a glider (or upside down if you like aerobat­
ics), we see the world from the perspective
that only those who fly enjoy.
There’s another way to enjoy this per­
spective— try floating across the earth’s
surface in a wicker basket suspended be­
neath a brilliantly-colored hot air balloon.
Whether 50 feet above ground or 300 feet
up, the experience is unmatched. 1 know,
because I had the good fortune to share a
balloon ride with several other 99s during
the recent joint meeting of the Southwest
and South Central Sections in Albuquer­
que, New Mexico.
If you have the opportunity to take a
balloon ride, I highly recommend the expe­
rience. A hot air balloon is like no other
m eans is like no o th e r m ean s o f
transportation...the silence (except for the
propane burner’s occasional blast) is star­
tling. You feel like whispering rather than
speaking in a normal tone of voice. And the
sensation of no wind, of moving gracefully
through the air, is unique. Silently gliding
over treetops and waving and speaking to
folks on the ground was just plain fun. You
walk away from a balloon ride with a great
big grin on your face. Really.
by Lu Hollander
What was so special about my balloon
ride was its 99-ness. Our pilot was a 99 and
all four passengers were 99s. We truly
stood out from the crowd of 642 balloons
launched that Saturday morning— at least,
we felt we did. Because, as 99s we are
standouts, very special women. Who else
can say they belong to the world’s premier
flying organization for women? No one but
a 99. Who else can say their first president
was Amelia Earhart; and who else can
benefit today from the fact that AE and the
98 other Charter members who founded the
99s w er e the movers and shakers of the
aviation world of 1929? No one but a 99.
Who else can say they’ve gone home,
dead tired and dirty, after a day of painting
numbers on a newly-resurfaced runway at
an airport in rural America? Only a 99.
Who else can say they herd sheep from a
helicopter or small plane in the breathtak­
ing beauty of the New Zealand country­
side? A 99 can.
Who else can say they have seen the
beauty of the earth from the tiny window of
a space craft? Several 99s can. Who else
can say they fly or otherwise participate in
any number of aviation-related activities
on a regular basis? The 99s can. Although
the balloon ride was very special, it was part
o f a larger experience, attending a 99s sec­
tion meeting— in this case a meeting in­
volving two large sections.
One of the ways to leam more about your
organization is to attend a section meeting.
And it doesn’t necessarily have to be your
own section— it’s all right to visit another
section. Just ask your governor or an Inter­
national Board member how much she has
gained from attending section meetings
other than her own.
Encourage your section to plan a joint
meeting with another section. At the joint
meeting in Albuquerque, it was terrific to
see 99s from the two sections sharing expe­
riences with each other and blending the
agendas of their two meetings into a single
whole.
In this organization, there are a number
of occasions during any given year to enjoy
the company of other women who love to
participate in anything to do with aviation.
Participation can begin at the local level
with chapter activities. If your lifestyle or
location doesn’t permit affiliation with a
local chapter, keep your eyes on the events
calendar in future issues of the Ninety-Nine
News for activities that you can join.
While you’re thinking about scheduling
participation in upcoming aviation events,
make a note of the World Aviation Educa­
tion & Safety Congress in Bombay, India,
March 14-19, 1993, hosted by the India
Section of the 99s. Details may be obtained
from Chanda Budhabhatti, India Section
governor.
The Forest of Friendship celebration rolls
around in June next year, 18-20, to be exact.
It’s another 99-style weekend in Atchison,
Kansas, to note on your calendar. If you do
attend, be sure to take time to visit the
Amelia Earhart Birthplace while you’re
there. And enjoy the welcome you’ll re­
ceive from the people of Atchison— they
like the 99s!
Just one more special calendar item— the
1993 International Convention is slated for
August 11-14 in Portland, Oregon— the
City of Roses. The four-day schedule is
packed with educational seminars, the an­
nual business meeting and, yes, the second
99s Talent Show! Let Carolyn Carpp, North­
west Section governor, know soon just what
your act will be. (She has already received
several responses, including one from a 99
in Japan.)
Sprinkled among these activities are all
the section and local chapter events. Local
and cross-country air rallies, back-to-basics flights, treasure hunts, air fairs, poker
runs, fly-in breakfasts, flight instructor re­
fresher clinics, any number of safety semi­
nars, instrument flight seminars, flying com­
panion seminars—the list from which to
choose is long and varied. Can you tell I like
the 99s? I hope so, because there is no other
organization from which I’ve gained as
much.
S o, g ra b th e o p p o rtu n ity to p a rticip ate
in y o u r o r g a n iza tio n ! T a k e th at balloon
o r g lid e r rid e. Fly that p ro ficien cy rally.
G et th at n ew ra tin g . A p p ly for an A m elia
E a rh a rt S ch o la r sh ip . H elp a new m em ­
ber w ith h er q u estio n s ab ou t in stru m en t
flig h t. O ffer su p p o rt to th at stu d en t p i­
lot.
T o th e ex ten t you p a rticip a te in this
d y n a m ic o r g a n iz a tio n , to th at ex ten t w ill
th e 9 9 s b e lo n g to y o u .
B lu e sk ie s to all!
(^9 9 ^
W y
NINETY-NINE
News
M agazine of
The N inety-N ines, Inc.,
International W om en Pilots
Novem ber 1992
Vol. 18, No. 9
BOARD of D IR E C T O R S
T he N inety-Nines, Inc.
President: Lu Hollander
Vice President: Joyce Wells
Secretary: Lois Erickson
Treasurer: Alexis Ewanchew
Director: Doris Abbate
Director: Jaye Howes
Director: Bonnie Gann
Director: A. Lee Orr
Immediate Past President: Marie Christensen
Editor: Ann Cooper
Editor's m ailing address:
131 Hillside Avenue
Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922, USA
908 464-8175
By overnight express:
131 Hillside Avenue
Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922. USA
Editorial Director: LuHollander
PL EA SE N O TE:
AS O F D EC E M B ER 8, 1992
Ann C ooper’s NEW ADDRESS:
3410 D arbyshire Drive
B eavercreek, O H 45440
SE C T IO N R E PO R T E R S
Indian: Mohini Shroff
Arabian: Patsy Knox
Australian: Barbara Sandow
East Canadian: Nancy O ’Neil Holden
Western Canadian: Barbara Meredith
New England: Meta Politi
New York!New Jersey: Barbara Mead
Middle East: Joan Niles
Southeast: Sara Carson
North Central: M yma Stephens
South Central: Bonnie Tassa
Northwest: Anita Taylor
Southwest: Kathleen Browne
The NINETY-NINE News is published by
The Ninety-Nines, Inc., a non-profit organization
engaged in education, charitable and scientific
activities and purposes.
Non-member subscriptions are available.
For persons in the U.S., the cost is $15 per year.
For persons outside of the U.S., please send $22.
Please send subscription monies and
changes of address to:
Loretta Gragg
Executive Director
The Ninety-Nines, Inc.
PO Box 59965
Will Rogers W orld Airport
Oklahoma City OK 73159, USA
(405) 685-7969
A DYNAM IC 99— PAT FAIRBANKS
Picture a hard-working
flight instructor, fixed- and
rotary-wing, who has been
at the helm of a fixed base
operation with her husband
for 35 years. You could be
picturing the dynamic Pat
Fairbanks, C ardinal Air
Training, Lunken Airport,
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Your editor reached Pat
by telephone in October on
a day that the FBI was headed her way
with bomb-sniffing dogs. Tight secu­
rity was required because George Bush,
the President of the United States, was
enroute to a landing at Lunken Airport
to receive endorsement by the Federa­
tion of Police. It was NOT business as
usual for this active pilot and her crew
at Cardinal Air.
This was the third time that your
editor had spoken to Pat and the third
time that it was obvious that the net­
working with another Ninety-Nine
brought warmth and camaraderie; a new
friend and growing friendship. A visit
to Cincinnati had been highl ighted with
lunch at Lunken Airport with Pat and a
photo flight in Cardinal Air Training’s
R-22 helicopter.
Pat belongs to the All-Ohio Chapter
and counts herself among the past chap­
ter chairmen. She has been a NinetyNine since 1964, 16 years after she had
ventured aloft alone in a J-3 Cub. Pat
earned a coveted Amelia Earhart Me­
morial Scholarship to obtain her heli­
copter rating and started training in a
Hughes 269, but the training was inter­
rupted for a few years— the helicopter
was totaled by another pilot before Pat
could master the rating. She earned her
commercial helicopter rating in 1978,
became a fixed-wing instructor in 1965,
a helicopter instructor in 1981, and she
continues to instruct to this day.
No stranger to air racing, Pat has
covered many a mile in cross country
races herself and has supported her hus­
band, Don, who has been well-known
by A n n C ooper
in air racing circles with his sleek bi­
plane, White Knight. Trophies bedeck
the walls of Cardinal Air Training that
attest to the piloting talents of both
Fairbanks.
In 1991, the Silver Wings Fraternity
for which Don is National Secretary
nom inated him for induction into
Memory Lane at the Forest of Friend­
ship. In 1992, Pat and Don returned to
the Forest of Friendship, ostensibly be­
cause they had had such a great time the
year before. Imagine Pat’s delight to
discover that she was the inductee, the
one honored to find her name engraved
in marble and imbedded in the walk
down Memory Lane. Congratulations,
Pat. It couldn’t have happened to a
nicer Ninety-Nine.
As for Silver Wings, Pat said, “After
all, I’m secretary to the secretary.”
If you fly into Lunken Airport, stop
at Cardinal Air Training and get ac­
quainted with a dynamic Ninety-Nine,
Pat Fairbanks. You’ll be glad you did.
| A IR TR A IN IN G IN C .
321 - 5 0 2 2
“ OH, WHAT A NIGHT! 99
by Marge Shaffer, Old Dominion Chapter
N ever again shall we w alk with tiller, located at m y left side and seat at 1000 fpm . Soon it w as gear up and
ordinary feet! RJ M cG lasson, Peggy level, w as peculiar to m y untrained at 400 feet, flaps up. I had to hold the
Doyle, B everly Patterson and I, Old hand. O nly slight adjustm ents are nose dow n a bit ju st like a small
D om inion C hapter, along with the necessary and taxiing at first w as a p la n e . A fte r I le v e le d o f f and
d e lig h tfu l B rian a J e sse n , Id ah o bit (need I say?) nauseating. (A lso trim m ed, I could see fam iliar build­
C h a p te r, (c u rre n tly w o rk in g in know n as “ sim ulator sickness,” in ings and we cou Id actual ly see Route
W ashington, DC) w ere treated to a w hich the eyes tell the brain the 28 with autom obiles m oving to and
very special evening at the B ritish body is m oving, based on the im ­ fro! A s we flew closer to National
A erospace, Inc., T raining C enter, ages from the com puter— contrary A irport, we crossed the Potom ac
near W ashington D ulles Interna­ to the signals from the inner ear, River, saw fam iliar bridges, and did
tional A irport, for hands-on experi­ w hich thinks the body is stationary.) a fly by on R unw ay 18. W e cruised
ence in the Jetstream Full Flight Peggy jo kingly asked w here the barf 400 feet over houses and buildings
in D.C. Pete em phasized
Sim ulator.
that this is N O T a norm al
W hat an adventure! Peter
procedure but only a dem ­
M usinski, our exceptionally
onstration o f how real the
professional and m ost capable
visualization system is— as
instructor, allow ed each o f us
is the follow ing paragraph
about a h alf hour at the co n ­
com bined w ith my fab ri­
trols. First o f all, this sophisti­
cated im agination.
cated trainer looked like som e­
Picture this...we were well
thing from outer space with
in to p ro h ib ite d a irs p a c e
m any huge hydraulic legs and
RJ McGlasson, Beverly Patterson, Peggy Doyle,
looking dow n on C onstitu­
a long thick um bilical cord.
Briana Jessen, Pete M usinski and Marge Shaffer.
tion A v e n u e , w hen Pete
This “creature” w ould vigor­
ously rock and roll as the occupants bag was. G o ahead, Peggy, laugh. asked m e to head tow ard the W ash­
perform ed m aneuvers. I w as first in Y our turn will com e. B riana joined ington M onum ent. As we proceeded,
the left seat w hile B riana and Peggy in. M ind you, we have only know n he asked m e not to change my head­
sat at the nav ig ato r’s com puterized this Idaho pilot for one hour or so, ing. I w anted to sw erve aw ay but,
control board behind us. Pete ad­ yet she proved to be a valuable and no, Pete said to hit it! Hit it? W as he
dressed the various controls, instru­ foresighted crew m em ber by solv­ out o f his m ind? How could I, a
m ents and equipm ent—som e fam il­ ing the problem w ith h er suggestion sensible person, albeit in a sim ula­
iar, som e not. R udders are linked to to continuously repeat, “ I will not tor, com m it this dastardly act? He
the ailerons so we d id n ’t need to use p u k e in th is 10.1 m illion dollar sim u­ reassured me this was ju st a com ­
puter im age. As we advanced upon
them except for directional ground lator. I will not puke in this ...”
I taxied past the Page A vjet han­ it, I felt like a kam ikaze pilot. W hat
control above 70 kts on takeoff.
Below 70 kts, directional ground gar—it w as recognizable and even a sensation— apprehension and fear!
control is accom plished by a “tiller.” had an airplane parked in fro n t! W ho All o f a sudden the great white m onu­
P e te in itia te d th e c o m p u te r. wouldn ’t believe that this was m erely m ent Filled the w indshield a n d ...KA
A w esom e!...a panoram ic evening a visual likeness by a com puterized BO W IEI The im pact was silent and
view o f W ashington D ulles Interna­ sim ulator and not the real honest-to- we w ere peacefully w inging over
tional A irport com plete w ith han­ goodness Jetstream . Pete and I did the M all w ith the Sm ithsonians an­
gars, taxiw ays, and runw ays! A s I the run up. W ith equipm ent all set chored as sentinels on both sides
taxied, we saw scenery ju st as it and ready, it was full throttles and and the C apitol directly ahead. Did
appeared in real life and at the se­ the takeoff was m agnificent. I still I hear Pete say “G o for the dom e?”
quentially ap p ro p riate tim e. T he can feel the surge o f clim b out pow er W ith w ild abandonm ent I was a
straight arrow w ith a m ission to ac­
com plish. A s I approached the tar­
get, how ever, the sam e anxious feel­
ings surfaced. I w ondered w hat
Briana w as thinking in face o f the
fact that I was about to annihilate her
place o f em ploym ent. How reckless
I ’ve becom e. O ne, tw o, three ...
IM PACT! W hat a rush!
W e returned to N ational A irport,
landed, closed dow n the engines,
a n d s w itc h e d p ilo ts . A t th e
navigator’s w orkstation, I surveyed
the extraordinary com puter. Instan­
taneous readouts on altitude, bank,
fuel supplies, speed, and a hundred
other things were right there, c o n ­
stantly b ein g u p d a te d . P ete d e ­
pressed a few buttons and m ore
screens appeared. A lso, the w eather
was adjustable from V FR to zero
visibility. High technology is m ind
boggling!
Because Peggy has her M ulti-E n­
gine rating, she w as perm itted to
perform a few m ore d em anding
m aneuvers. Pete put her in the clouds
and she shot an ILS approach. As
she cam e out o f the clouds tow ard a
landing, the plane rocked. She re­
sponded with correction but couldn ’t
understand w hat happened because
her approach w as on the glide slope.
Pete explained that she experienced
“picture induced oscillations” which
translated into “ you are used to re­
sponding to your kinetic senses (cues
from forces like gravity) w hen all
you had was the com puterized p ic­
tu re.”
W e were all thrilled beyond words
w ith our experience. Perhaps it was
m y im agination but it was abso­
lutely incredible how I could feel
the banking, the thrust o f pow er, and
the w eight o f substantial braking.
A fter Peggy touched dow n at Dulles,
we sw itched crew s. O ur fantastic
jo u rn ey had ended but RJ and B ev­
erly w ere anxiously aw aiting their
turns. T he excitem ent was too m uch
for Briana. She had to call her m other
(and past-President o f the 99s), G ene
Nora, in Idaho, as soon as she stepped
out o f the sim ulator. Pete took us
into an elaborately furnished class­
room for info rm atio n and video
about this w onderful plane. W e re­
ceived a control panel poster, litera­
ture, photos, and a lovely little golden
Jetstream tie tack. W e even visited
the other sim ulator, a B A E 146. The
Jetstream is m ade in Scotland and
British A erospace com ers 65% o f
the c o m m u te r m a rk e t in w hich
Jetstream operates. C om m ercially
it is a popular bird because the eco­
nom ical break-even point is very
low. T he sim ulator cost $10.1 m il­
lion w hile the actual plane is a m ere
$4.6 m illion. To be type-rated, a
pilot needs 24 hours in the sim ula­
tor, som e actual tim e and periodic
perform ance checkrides. Pete said
they go through rigorous training
exercises such as m alfunctions, light­
ning, storm s, etc. Som e o f the pilots,
he said, leave the sim ulator in a
sweat.
H ow ever, w hen a pilot com pletes
training for this m ost dem anding
plane, she can fly anything. This
training center has been operational
around the clock for tw o years with
plans to add tw o m ore sim ulators.
The cost is about $500 per hour.
Interestingly, the training facility
looks like a handsom e hangar.
A tip o f the w ings to Beverly
Patterson for arranging this fantas­
tic voyage with her friend, Peter
M usinski, and to B ritish A erospace
to w hom we are m ost grateful for
this treat— a m em ory that will be
cherished and forever savored.
From Lu Hollander
Meet Leda Hedglon, Inter­
national Membership Chair­
man, on page 23 of this issue of
the News. She is ably assisted
in her work to maintain, retain and increase
our membership by Terry Donner, Airline/
Professional liaison, and Eleanor Bailey,
who continues as International liaison.
Let these ladies know how you work
with your members so they can pass along
your good ideas to other 99s. Leda has
established a series of membership goals
for the next two years, and she will be
sharing them with you through future ar­
ticles in the News.
Aviation art o f K E IT H F E R R IS,
50 M oraine Road, Morris Plains, New
Jersey 07950. O r call: 201 539-3363.
The BOOK HANGAR
National Air & Space M useum
(NASM ), Sm ithsonian Institution,
Washington, DC, has a bright and shin­
ing star in Deborah G. “Debbie” Dou­
glas. She has written a book that should
be on the shelves of those of us who
love aviation and yearn to know its
history. Douglas’ book, United States
Women in Aviation 1940-1985 , fol­
lows in the excellent tradition of the
series written by Claudia M. Oakes and
Kathleen Brooks-Pazm any. Oakes
wrote United Slates Women in Aviation
through W orld W a rl and U nited States
Women in A viation 1930-1939 and
Pazmany penned United States Women
in aviation 1919-1929. In a radical de­
parture, however, Douglas tackled a
time frame that is four and one-half
times that of the previous books. In­
stead of approximately 40-60 pages,
Douglas described her vast number of
women and lengthy coverage of time in
114 pages and added highly valuable
appendixes, tables, notes, and refer­
ences.
Douglas began to research Ameri­
can women in aviation in 1984 and she
wrote, “I have encountered many dy­
namic personalities, but much of what
is in print about the lives of these women
are stories of degrading adaptation to
the constraints of gender.”
In acting to dispel this adaptation,
Douglas published a book that focuses
on the strong-willed and determined
women that forged lives and liveli­
hoods in the field of aviation. In her
introduction, Douglas wrote, “The ac­
tivity of flight has been dynamic and
dramatic, which has meant a height­
ened public visibility for all of its par­
ticipants during the 45-year period. The
women who are the subject of this book
have often been the focal point of vig­
orous public debate about critical so­
cial questions. These questions range
from what the roles of men and women
should be in the United States to whether
or not women should serve in combat.
The text attempts to identify the critical
questions at important junctures of
change and development.”
Included in herbook is valuable treat­
ment of the history of flight attendants,
production-line workers in the aviation
industry, and female mechanics and
test pilots. As she chronicled the growth
of women in the marketplace, Douglas
described the social and political mi­
lieu that characterized each decade and
into which her unique and competent
women fit.
Of interest to this reader, this book
identified a lesser-known wom en’s
aviation group— W omen Flyers of
America— which, with The NinetyNines and Relief Wings started by famed
aviatrix Ruth Nichols, made serious
forward strides during the involvement
of the U.S. in World War II. Many of
the women involved with the Civilian
Pilot Training Program (CPTP) were,
as many of us know, qualified to te a c h
the men who became combat pilots for
their country although the women were
not accepted in that role. With the WAFs
and WASPs, the instructors in CPTP
and War Training Service (WTS) his­
torically forged the way for the brave
piloting done by U.S. female pilots
during Operations Desert Shield and
Desert Storm just as the early women
who trained (and were not accepted to
fly) with the Mercury Astronauts forged
the way for our proud group of female
astronauts today. Douglas provides us
with historical background in an enjoy­
able and highly readable style.
Chronologically, Douglas covers the
m ilitary services, Civil Air Patrol
(CAP), cross-country air racing, avia­
tion industry, helicopter activities, and
general aviation. She introduces a highly
valuable compilation of some of the
most prominent women in aviation.
by Ann Cooper
At the end of the chapter devoted to
the sixties, Douglas wrote, “During the
1960s, w om en in a v iatio n were
equipped with the legal tools of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay
Act, and Public Law 90-130 which re­
moved career and manpower restric­
tions on women in the military. There
was also a new-found sensibility with
regard to feminine potential. The con­
cept of equal rights did strike a respon­
sive chord in most Americans. Doors
had been opened, and a new generation
of pioneers was about to enter.”
By focusing on individuals and is­
sues, Douglas paints a broad picture
that explains attitudes and accomplish­
ments of many. She wrote, “The chang­
ing attitudes and opportunitites of indi­
vidual women, be they glamorous as­
tronauts or unknown engineers, have
been reflected in American opinion.”
Encouraging the strength and growth
that stems from organization and cama­
raderie, Douglas includes The WhirlyGirls, The Ninety-Nines, women in
military aviation, women in airlines,
women in air traffic control and the
government and, directly or indirectly,
all of us who are women in avation in
the U.S. today.
At a cost of $11.95, books may be
ordered from Smithsonian Institution
Press, Department 900, Blue Ridge
Summit, PA 17294,717 794-2148. In­
clude $2.25 for postage and handling of
the first book and $ 1 for each additional
book ordered.
Debbie wrote. “I received much guid­
ance and assistance from various mem­
bers of the 99s— notably (the late) Ha­
zel Jones— that I am eager for members
of the organization to know that the
book is, at long last, in print.”
That it is. It will be a valued addition
to your book shelf.
Thank you, Debbie. You have done
us a service.
SECTION NEWS
•W hat’s going on in YOUR world?
Aviation art o f B IL L TO M S A,
P.O. B ox 50175, Phoenix, A Z 85076 or
602 598-0214
HEADING TOWARD AN AVIATION CAREER
by Karen Kahn
L et’s assum e y o u 'v e got a Private C ertificate, about 200 hours and LO V E
flying. Y o u ’ve been looking for som ething that excites you and w onder if
you should get into aviation full-tim e? W ell, le t’s take a look and see if
y o u ’ve got the strong underlying m otivation to w eather the ups and dow ns
o f the industry.
First o f all, ju st how m uch do you really love flying? Are you the kind o f
person who looks for an excuse to “hang out” at the airport? O r do you ju st
head out there during your free tim e to w atch the airplanes and talk flying
with other pilots? D oes a jo b at the airport (line service, reception,
dispatching, w ashing airplanes, etc.) appeal to you? W ould you like to
spend m ost all o f your free tim e at the airport or w ould that get boring after
a w hile? If you ’re really hooked on flying, m ost o f these ideas will seem just
fine to you. On the other hand, if it’s ju st a fun avocation, y o u 'll probably
do better to spend your energies elsew here.
A viation requires a lot o f passion, perseverance and dedication. T here is
a built-in qualifier to w eed out the “ w anna b e ’s” from the real ones. It’s a
long, hard, expensive road to acquiring the needed credentials to get a jo b ,
and the apprenticeship is probably the w orst o f any profession around.
T h at’s the bad new s. The g o o d new s you already know.
The BIG question is, “ Can you afford to do it?” F or som e o f you “real
ones” the question is, “ Can you afford N O T to?” If the poor pay, the long
hours, the years o f playing second fiddle d o n ’t bother you, then think
seriously about getting som e good advice on how to go about realizing your
dream .
Karen Kahn is a Captain with a major US carrier. She is type-rated in the MD-80 and
Lockheed JetStar and holds a Gold Seal CFI for Airplanes and Instrument. Also rated
in gliders, seaplanes and helicopters, she runs Aviation Career Counseling, a sendee
for pilots.
• From W est C anada Section, G ov­
ernor N ancy Rand w rote, “Thought
for the Day: Phone another 99 to ­
night and find out w hat sh e ’s up to!”
A nd from W est C anada Section
m em ber, M ary Lee B um s, cam e the
introduction to another Ninety-Nine,
Kathy Flynn, from A ustralia. In part,
M ary w rote, “ K athy first learned to
fly 25 years ago in A delaide. She
w as w orking as a nurse when her
sister, w ho was already flying, told
her that she was ‘m ad ’ not to try it.
...She and her sister prevailed upon
their father to help them go to a livein flying school near Sydney to get
their com m ercial certificates.
“ A fter obtaining it, Kathy was
h ire d to fly a B o n a n z a fo r an
A delaide com pany. She flew for the
com pany for three years prior to her
m arriage. K athy bought a C -172
from a bush pilot who had built the
aircraft from tw o different planes
w hich had been in accidents. Before
the airplane was destroyed in a cy­
clone in 1974, she had lots o f years
o f fun flying in that C essna (includ­
ing one search m ission in which she
nursed her hungry baby as she con­
trolled the craft, to the chagrin o f
the young police officer in the right
s e a t!). K athy now has five children,
the youngest o f w hich is 11. She
rents a 172 or a C herokee for flying.
She has been a 99 for about 13 years
and is a form er G overnor o f the
A ustralian S ection.”
M ary m et K athy on the latter’s trip
to V ancouver, accom panied with
Nan M anthorpe, another Australian
99. M ary and Liz Lane, W est Canada
Section, arranged a get-together for
K athy with A udrey W ebster, Joan
Lynum , A lison Jeffrey, and Clare
Higgins. U nfortunately, Nan was
Peter Tenzer, Science F air prize w inner at
Windsor R egional Science F air with Nancy
O ’N eil Holden, his two brothers a n d Nancy
Stasko. Peter brought his brothers on his
winning flig h t over E ssex County.
unable to attend.
• From N ancy O ’Neil H olden, East
C anada Section, com es w ord that
Karin W illiam son o f M aple L eaf
C hapter hosted their July get-to­
gether with a lunch and pool party at
her hom e in London. N ine m em bers
and one guest, Sue K im e, attended.
Sue m ust have liked their com pany
for she is now their new est m em ber.
W elcom e, Sue.
C heryl W heatley, w ith her son and
two friends, flew to O shkosh in her
A rcher and spent tw o days at the
convention and fly-in. N ancy O ’Neil
H olden and her 49 1/2 drove to
O shkosh for three days and attended
the N in e ty -N in e s ’ d in n e r w h ile
there. The follow ing w eek, N ancy
was thrilled to have A ustralian 99
Fran W est as her house guest for tw o
nights. They m et at O shkosh and
Fran was travelling across C anada
for tw o m onths.
M aple L eaf C h ap ter’s annual A u­
gust Poker Run was a huge success.
Thirty-six aircraft participated and
5 6 0 h a n d s w e re s o ld . K e n
W illiam son w on the first prize of
$500. C hapter m em bers get a lot of
com m unity support for the event
and businesses and individuals do­
nated over 100 prizes.
Tw enty F irst C anadian C hapter
m em bers attended the B unch For
Lunch at T oronto Island A irport in
August. G overnor C athy Fraser gave
a report on International C onven­
tion and M argo M cC utcheon re­
ported on O peration Sky w atch. Suf­
ficient funds have been raised to
produce the O peration Skyw atch
docum entary and film ing has now
com m enced. W hen com plete, the
film will be available for w orldw ide
television distribution. A press con­
ference w as held in Toronto, fol­
low ed by a reception and a Skyw atch
flight to any o f the interested press.
First C an ad ian ’s Kim M urray has
graduated from the aviation program
at Seneca C ollege w ith a class IV
instructor rating and m ulti-IFR. C on­
gratulations. First C anadian C h ap ­
ter m em bers w elcom e E dith Luther.
Several m em bers o f M aple L eaf
C h a p te r a tte n d e d th e M u irk irk
A irshow hosted by m em bers M arie
Spence and Susanne W ilkins and
their fam ilies. H ighlight o f the show
w as the beautifully restored Fairey
Sw ordfish flow n by M arie’s 49 1/2,
Bob. Bob has devoted the past 22
years to this restoration project and
finally flew the craft on A ugust 17th
o f this year. M aple L eaf C hapter
m em bers w elcom e Judith N ichol.
• E m a Scriven o f A tlantic C hapter
enjoyed a visit w ith Fran W est, a 99
from A ustralia, w hen Fran visited
Halifax during her cross-C anada trip.
• K athleen Brow ne, Southw est Sec­
tion, w rote that A loha C h apter
m em bers celebrated A viation E du­
cation W eek (O ctober 11-17) which
w as sponsored by the H aw aiian His­
torical A viation Foundation. C hap­
ter m em bers expected to be on the
Piper Noise Testing Event: Marty Hairabeclian,
R onald Elder, J u n e Leach, Ja ck Beggio,
D on B ankh ea d a n d wife, Carol.
F ront Row: Joyce lives, Denise Jennings,
Evelyn Craik, Kim Ernst, Karen Boggio
a n d Sue M cNutt.
front lines w ith that event. Terry
D oum ouras is a new m em ber who is
a flight attendant with N orthw est
A irlines, a ground school instructor
and is w orking tow ard her CFI.
• A ntelope V alley C hapter m em ­
bers co-sponsored an FA A Safety
M eeting in S eptem ber and planned
to sponsor a tour o f the Science/
T echnology C enter in A pple Valley
the sam e m onth. C hapter m em bers
were on hand for the Fox Field Open
H ouse in O ctober. A video history
interview is planned with FloraB elle
R eece, a W A SP w ho flew A T-6s in
W W II. Planned for M arch 14,1993
is a Poker Run.
• A r iz o n a S u n d a n c e C h a p te r
m em bers planned a w orking session
to build centerpieces for the joint
SW and SC section m eeting in A l­
buquerque in O ctober.
• B ay C ities C h a p ter m em bers
planned to spend a weekend at Vonne
A nne H e n n in g e r’s. A nne M arie
Brainerd is w elcom ed as a new m em ­
ber. The O akland A irShow for 1992
was cancelled, but plans are under-
way for 1993 and chapter m em bers
have been invited to participate.
• B a k ersfield C h a p te r m em b e r
From m embers o f Indiana D unes
Chapter: A udrey Karp as A n n e Morrow
Lindbergh, Dee B ohm an as fir s t steward­
ess, Ellen C hurch M a rsh a ll, and Gail
Shroeder as A stronaut Sally Ride: Women
In Aviation.
B u n n y H a b e r f e ld e g r a c io u s ly
cleaned out the 99s T rophy C ase at
M e ad o w s F ie ld . D o n n a W eek s
passed her IFR checkride. G eneva
M cN am ee com pleted her A PT and
Phase VII w ings. D arlene Pillow s
com pleted her Phase II w ings. Pat
Church has her A dvanced G round
Instructor rating and is serving as
co-director o f the A viation C areer
E ducation A cadem y at D ow ling
College in O akdale, NY. C ongratu­
lations to all.
• C am eron Park C h apter m em ­
b e rs S h a rie M e y e r a n d W ra y
Robertson team ed to fly the Palm s
to Pines A ir Race. A jo in t fly-aw ay
betw een m em bers o f C am eron Park
and Redw ood C oast Flyers C h ap ­
ter was planned for A ugust. Penny
Burm an was aw arded a scholarship
from the Sierra Foothills C hapter. In
O ctober, a sp ecial ev e n in g w as
planned with Carol O sborne, histo­
rian, and Bobbi Trout, pioneer avia­
trix and C harter N inety-N ine.
• C oachella V alley C h apter m em ­
bers co-sponsored the spring sec­
tion m eeting w ith Im perial So-L o
C h apter and shortly after, helped at
the start o f the A ir Race C lassic at
T herm al A irport, again w ith m em ­
bers o f Im perial So-Lo. O ctober
brought an O ktoberfest and Poker
Run and plans include w orking with
the FA A on its new ly -in stitu ted
A viation Education program . Happy
V on O d er got the H um anitarian
A w ard for her m any kindnesses and
rescuing Judy B olkem aand Jan Kent
from N ew Jersey, participants w ho
had to drop out o f the A R C due to
illness.
• M e m b e rs o f C o y o te C o u n try
C h apter had a booth at the French
V alley A irport O pen H ouse and
thank-yous goto: N ancy M cSheehy,
B a rb a ra B ro th erto n , K ay B rick,
D onna Sesock, Em ily Ives, K ath­
leen H am ilton, M arge Buxton and
Terri B rubaker. The booth was vis­
ited by Phil Boyer, President o f
A O PA . T he C olum bia Fly-In in the
Sierra foothills w as held in A ugust.
C arolee Sansom e is w elcom ed as
the new est m em ber and Kay Brick
was honored a second tim e at the
Forest o f Friendship w ith a bench
along M em ory Lane W alk.
• El C ajon C hapter m em bers par­
ticipated in the C areer D ays cel­
ebration at G illespie Field in O cto­
b e r. C h a p te r m e m b e r E v e ly n
A m brose is an AE Scholarship w in­
ner as well as a D eL ano Scholarship
w inner. C ongratulations.
• M em bers o f Fullerton C hapter
planned another G irl Scout T our o f
Fullerton A irport and a com pass rose
airm arking. T hank-yous to Joyce
lives and Kim Ernst for planning the
ch a p te r’s annual Installation D inner
and W hite Elephant A uction. A Rod
M achado Sem inar w as planned for
O ctober and the Pancake B reakfast
at the FA A S uper Safety Sem inar
w as held in Septem ber.
• G olden W est C h ap ter’s Bem a-
A t M ichigan A eronautics Commission
M eeting: A n n e Esposito, M ichigan;
Colleen London a n d (Uni Sutherland,
Greater Detroit A rea Chapters.
dette H ayw ard is a new CFI as well
as a M arion B am ick Scholarship
w inner. C ongratulations. A fly-in
was planned to T rinity C enter and
attended by Carol Ford, Pat Forbes,
B ernadette H ayw ard, N ancy Stock,
E ldris Shogren, 66 K aren M cK ellar
and guests Jerry Stiem ple, Jim , Jula
and D ave Forbes. The F ly A R e ­
p o rte r was a great success. Planned
for S eptem ber was a show ing o f a
video from the W om en In A viation
C onference.
• H i-D esert C h a p te r ’s M argaret
Bolton presented a program on the
new airspace classification in Sep­
tem ber. C hapter m em bers hosted the
Science & T echnology C enter tour
for the A ntelope V alley Chapter.
• Im perial So-L o C hapter recog­
nized A irport W eek in Septem ber
and are celebrating a new runw ay at
Palm Springs.
• L ong Beach C hapter presented
three scholarships from the Rita Buhl
Fam ily M em orial Scholarship fund
to: Lori Papp, V ickie N orton and
Todd Clark. Long Beach m em bers
planned to give plane rides at the
Torrance A ir Fair and the H aw thorne
A ir Fair, both in A ugust. Sandy
C ouverly, M ary M acD onald, N ancy
C linton, Jacquie S prague, Sigrid
Ram elli, A nnie M cN eeley, C arolyn
B row n, A m y E llsw o rth , G in g e r
Larm on, Janet Lew is, M ary Jane
M cN eil, Lori Papp, Ella Pattison,
Pilar Sim m ons, Birdie W ard, M ary
W enholz and Sam Fernandez as­
Beverly Allen , E leanor Todd, Charlene
H engesh, Beverly Niquette, Ja n Peterson,
and Mary V anValzer tour the Beech
Starship at Orange C ounty Airport, CA.
sisted at Torrance and, at Haw thorne,
thanks w ere ow ed to: Dee Bow ers,
Jacquie Sprague, Sigrid R am elli,
C arolyn B row n, A m y E llsw orth,
G inger Larm on, M ary M acD onald,
M ary Jane M cN eil, V ickie N orton,
Sheila Papayans, Shannon Sheridan,
Barbara Standing, N ikki T ennant
and Birdie W ard. Birdie also volun­
teered to produce the chapter new s­
letter. C aro ly n B row n, G ab riele
Kabel and Kim Sabovich are w el­
com ed as new m em bers. M argaret
M ead and Jan Sekas took second
place in the Palm s-to-Pines Race
and others w ho flew were: Jean
Schiffm ann, N ancy C linton, A nne
M cNeeley, Sheila Papayans and Lori
Papp. A Brackett fly-in w as held in
S ep tem b er and a R od M ach ad o
Sem inar was planned for O ctober.
• The Sm ith R anch BBQ was set for
S eptem ber and m em bers o f M arin
C ounty C hapter handled the bev­
erage booth. A rep o f A ngel Flights
w as s c h e d u le d to sp e a k at the
c h a p te r’s S eptem ber m eeting. C o n ­
gratulations to R osem arie V onusa
w ho earned her IFR rating. Peggy
and R oger W illiam s, Je ff and C athy
M orshead, Brooke A ustin and Len
B arton, Ro and Dee Selm an, and
A im ee M oore and Lavonne Boyle
a ir m a r k e d W o o d la k e A ir p o r t.
W illits A irport was airm arked in
A ugust and, for that m o n th ’s m eet­
ing, a video on A ir C om bat USA
w as show n starring new m em ber
Janis W ild. Janis participated in the
A ir C om bat F ly-O ff at Fullerton in
July. A m ette W ilson received her
private certificate in June.
• M ission B ay C h a p te r ’s T rin a
K okenge is busy getting her certifi­
cates and ratings tow ard her avia­
tion career: C om m ercial, single and
m u lti- e n g in e la n d in s tr u m e n t,
G round Instructor, A dvanced instru­
m ent, and CFI for single- and m ultiengine land, instrum ent. M ission
B a y ’s Isabelle M cC rae Hale and
B e c k y M c S h e e h y a tte n d e d th e
W A S P convention in San A ntonio
and renew ed their m em ories.
• M em bers o f M onterey Bay C h ap­
ter participated in an airlift at the
Salinas A irport O pen H ouse, carry­
ing 310 passengers at a nickel-apound. T hank-yous to pilots: Dell
H in n , S ally H o llifie ld , C a ro ly n
D ugger and D onna C rane-B ailey.
C arolyn D ugger, Pat Y ork, Sandy
and R ussell Pratt, D onna C raneB ailey and D ean B ailey m ade it to
the H arris R anch Fly-In. The annual
Picnic-O n-T he-B each was held in
S e p te m b e r. N ew m e m b e r L ilia
R athbum is a CFI at A ir Trails in
Salinas and a ticket agent for A m eri­
can E agle at M onterey A irport.
W elcom e.
• M em bers o f M ount D iablo C hap­
ter heard Rex C randell give a pro­
gram on m ountain flying and a de­
scription o f the Jeppesen Sanderson
facility in C olorado. They held a flyin to H ollister and a Pilot A pprecia­
tion Day w ith 100 pilots in atten­
dance. M ount D iab lo ’s 25th A nni­
versary celebration was a success
w ith about 40 m em bers and guests
attending. Phyllis M anning, the 1992
scholarship w inner, was in atten­
dance. Phyllis plans to use the schol­
arship to help w ith her instrum ent
rating.
• M t. S h asta C h ap ter m em bers
planned to work the C hico A ir Show
in Septem ber. D oris L ockness, oc­
togenarian, received her Level 8
W ings. C ongratulations to Doris.
Pancake breakfasts w ere planned for
R ed d in g M u n icip al A irp o rt and
Benton Field for A viation W eek in
O ctober. The Mt. Shasta team , Suann
Prigm ore and Lois Van Z e lf took
3rd in the Palm s to Pines A ir Race
and D onna T aylor and Jane LaM ar
won 10th. M any thanks to the ground
crew at R edding: Pat N ash, Bev
T ickner, M argaret N ew ell, Betty
K ohler from C am eron Park, Chuck
and G inger Strange, H ow ard T ay­
lor, Bill Boot, M ary Schulte, D iana
W ard and the tw o M arys from Sac­
ram e n to , and L ucy and G eo rg e
Shepard.
• N evad a H igh Sierra C h ap ter
m em bers will receive a donation for
their assistance in m oving autom o­
biles for the R eno A ir Race officials
as well as volunteer hours in the
C heckered Flag Club. Fundraising
efforts w ere successful w ith Hot
A ugust’s N ights. A fly-in to C hester
was planned and m em bers o f N e­
vada High Sierra w ere invited by
m em bers o f R eno A rea C hapter
for a flour bom bi ng and spot landing
contest at Fallon A irport.
• Palm s C h ap ter’s Kim Lockard
and Jessica H atfield took the Best
First Leg aw ard o f the Palm s to
Pines A ir Race. C arole C leveland
and Susan Baszzr won the 23rd place
trophy. Palm s C hapter had 15 m em ­
bers in the race. A W eekend at Claire
W a lte rs’ A rro w h e a d C ab in w as
planned for O ctober. Carol C olburn
has a new instrum ent rating and
A ndrea D eT oum ey has a seaplane
rating. New m em bers include: Paula
J e a n M a n fr e d i, D ia n a M a rie
P a p m e d e r, L ee S c h a m u s , G a il
Blodgett, A nita Boyum , Dr. Claire
G ill, K athryn Ann D riscoll, Sibylle
A lgaier, Jennifer A nn W right, and
Christine Tung.
• Palom ar C h apter’s N orth County
A ir Tours w ere sponsored in A u­
gust. M em bers o f P alom ar have
started collecting m oney for a ch ap ­
ter scholarship. C heryl Stevenson
transferred into the chapter from the
F o r t W o r th C h a p te r . D e n is e
Jolliffe is a new 66 and Carolee
Sansone is transferring to the C oy­
ote C ou n try C h ap ter. P alom ar
m em bers planned a T ow er A ppre­
ciation M onth in O ctober.
• Phoenix C h ap ter’s Lois W ard has
published the A pache P ass C ook­
book. Plans for the 25th A nnual
K achina Doll continued and m em ­
bers o f the chapter assisted at the
Rod M achado sem inar. T u rf S oar­
ing School was airm arked in early
June. A garage sale benefitting the
KDAR was held on one o f the hot­
test w eekends in Phoenix, but it was
a success despite the w arm tem pera­
tures. John W alkup, C h ief Pilot at
C handler A ir Service, spoke on aero­
batics.
• Placer G old C hapter m em bers
held a potluck BBQ at Alice B ow les’
hom e. G ayle C rom and M argaret
H eiser are w elcom ed as new m em ­
bers. The July m eeting was h igh­
lighted w ith a video tour o f H aw aii.
• M em bers o f S acram ento V alley
held a fly-in to T ruckee and planned
another to H arris Ranch betw een
F r e s n o a n d C o a lin g a . S h a ro n
Kreutzen and Kathy Joines both have
hom es at T ahoe D onner and are o f­
fering overnight accom m odations.
Plans are already underw ay for the
hostessing o f the 1993 Spring Sec­
tion m eeting. A poker run w as on
tap for O ctober. Sacram ento V alley
m em bers have dedicated the 1993
chapter scholarship to the m em ory
o f Jeanette Dee Barrett.
• San F ernando V alley C hapter
m em bers sold food at the Van N uys
A viation Expo, the them e o f w hich
w as “ A viation In H ollyw ood.” Jaye
H ow es, G olda and John N eum an,
L inda F ields, M arcia F u ller and
d a u g h te r K a th ie H a rris , S u sa n
T heurkauf, Sue Scudder, Lois Peck,
Jo y ce A n d erso n , F ran S lim m er,
Shirley T hom , Jean K irhofer, Barb
H olow aty, C athy Sm ithers, C laudia
K elly, Don C ordier, Paula Sandling,
By and B unny N ew m an, S ylvia
S a n d e rso n , P e te r B ish o p , M ary
G lassm an, M elinda Lyon, Lorrie
Blech, Ericka and R oger G reaves,
Bertie D uffy, H elen Pillars, Beth
Ertz, Lois Rifkin, C ecelia H epper,
Laura R icks, L inda A llevato, Terri
C o m e r, E ile e n H a r te , A la n
G oldsm an, F elicia H oppe and Ann
C avaleri all braved the high tem ­
p e ra tu re s to w ork at the E xpo.
H aw thorne FSS reserved a day in
July for the chapter m em bers and
their guests for “ O peration T ake­
off.” S eptem ber’s “ roses o f achieve­
m ent” w ent to: Joyce A nderson for
h er long cro ss c o u n try , Pam ela
Parask for her ATP, Susan Theurkauf
for her com m ercial ticket, Lois Peck
for her first cross country, Beth Ertz
for her private ticket, and M ary
Y arnell for her upgrade to Captain
on the JetStream . M em bers o f the
f
"
‘. - s u r V . 1
A ft
International Bylaws C hairm an, Pat
Ward, South Louisiana, with South
Central Section Bylaws Advisor, Dottie
Wood, Space City.
m onth include Bertie Duffy for the
terrific paint jo b o f W hitem an A ir­
port, M arcia Fuller for all her time
and work on the A uxtank, and Bunny
N ew m an for getting a donation to
the scholarship fund from the Encino
K iw anis Club. New m em bers are
M a ry Jo L e v e n th a la n d 4 9 1/2, Ross;
T halia D iam antopoulos, Beth Ertz
and Jan A rchibald. Bertie Duffy is
the treasurer o f the A m elia Earhart
H istorical & Educational C om m it­
tee com posed o f com m unity lead­
ers. The com m ittee is now in the
process o f raising funds to renovate
the statue o f A m elia that is in North
H ollyw ood Park. The fundraising
kickoff was in A ugust and included
a fly-by o f a vintage E lectra. 99s in
attendance were: Bertie D uffy, B ar­
bara M ichaels, B unny & B yron
N ew m an, Jeanne K irhofer and M ary
M cKay. The V alley A ir D erby was
sponsored in Septem ber, beginning
at Van N uys and ending at N eedles
with the banquet at Lake H avasu.
E liz a b e th A. E n n b is, G a y le A.
R hines and A dalberto Ruis were
aw arded chapter scholarships and
B ritt C. B outin w as aw a rd ed a
JH M A R scholarship, adm inistered
by the c h a p te r. Jo y c e R o w le y ,
Sandra B ullock and Shanda Lear,
daughter o f Bill and
M oira Lear, are new
m e m b e rs . P a m e la
Porask won an AE
M em orial S c h o la r­
ship. K udos go to:
Dolly H icklin for the
Jim H icklin M em o­
rial A ir Rallye; Jan
G oforth for the Van
N u y s E x p o ; N in a
Y ates for the A w ards
Banquet and sum m er
potluck; Shirley Thom for the Rod
M achado safety sem inar; and Bunny
N ew m an for Direct R elief Interna­
tional.
• San G a b r ie l V a lley C h a p te r
m em bers planned to provide a schol­
arship, a Poker Run, a Flying C o m ­
panion Sem inar, C areer D ays with
ju n io r and senior high school stu­
dents, an IFR w orkshop for chapter
m em bers and flying a controller.
• M em bers o f Santa C lara V alley
C hapter held an annual aw ards ban­
quet. M arcie Sm ith is excited about
being the new chapter chairm an with
vice chairm an, Judy W illiam s, at
her side. There w ere three M arion
Bam ick M em orial Scholarship w in­
ners this year. T iffany T okar-V lasek
place was inaugurated w ith a salad
pot luck lunch at w hich chapter
sc h o la rsh ip w in n ers w ere in tro ­
duced. They are: Elaine Pecci, a 66
from Sierra Foothills, and Penny
B urm an, a m em ber o f the Cam eron
P ark C h a p te r. K ay U n d e rw o o d
earned her C om m ercial certificate.
Juli M iller, new m em ber, was w el­
com ed. A pancake breakfast and
snack sale was scheduled for the
Labor Day Gathering o f Tai ldraggers
at G eo rg eto w n A irport. C hapter
m em bers planned to sell hotdogs at
Placerville A irp o rt’s A ppreciation
Day in addition to
s u p p o r tin g
th e
Col. Virginia
P la ce rv ille A irport
Spikes, 99, San
C o m m u n ity A s s o ­
A ntonio, TX,
presents the book
ciation. A lso planned
“R ising Above It ”
was assistance at the
to Palo Alto
P la c e r v ille E A A
College Librarian
Linda Glover.
C h a p t e r ’s Y o u n g
Bruce Hoover,
E agles program .
Chairm an o f the
• U tah C h a p te r ’s
A viation Dept,
looks on.
C h a irm a n
C a ro l
C larke sent a m es­
sage to her chapter:
Lois L etzring, B arbara M urren and “ Ladies, we m ust expose ourselves! ”
Peggy Ew ert flew the youngsters in So, they did! Fran R ieck, Betty Lou
a “ first flight” program sponsored M anw aring, M ary Jane Ashton, Barb
by the H and In H and Foundation. C o lem an , L yle B eckstrand, Dee
The follow ing chapter m em bers par­ R icord, Linda A nderson and Louise
ticipated in the Palm s to Pines A ir M orrison all turned out to lend a
Race: M ary Ellen C arlin and B ar­ hand at the inform ation booth at the
bara M ock, Pat L ow ers and Lisa Jordan A ir Show . A erospace A via­
Sensm eier and N ancy Sliw a and tion Day at Salt Lake City A irport
and O gden A irport Open House have
M arcie Sm ith.
• M e m b e rs o f S ie r r a F o o th ills also kept them busy. H urricane,
C h apter held a sixth birthday party U ta h , is th e lo c a tio n f o r th e
way last M ay. B arbara P o ff gradu­ airm arking o f Sky R anch and the
ated from 66 to 99 and jo in ed the m em bers o f U tah C hapter are also
chapter as well. N ew O fficers are: considering use o f the O gden com ­
Shelah M organ, C hairm an; Penny puter bulletin board service for com ­
N a g y , V ic e C h a ir m a n ; K a y m unication purposes.
U nderw ood, Secretary; and Sandi • Sara C arson, Blue R idge C hapter
R uptier, T reasurer. A new m eeting and Southeast Section reporter, has
is a new m em ber w ho transferred
from the ER A U Florida C hapter.
O ther new m em bers include: K aren
H atch, M arjorie Johnson, K atherine
M a x fie ld , S u sa n D u n n , C o d y
Law rence. W elcom e to all plus to
re tu rn in g A n ish a S h e rm a n . L iz
D affin won Professional PO Y from
the chapter last year and now has her
A TP. Pat L ow ers and K atherine
M axfield are the proud holders of
new IFR ratings. M offett Field held
its last air show and Santa C lara
V a lle y m e m b e rs h e ld a b o o th .
M ayetta B ehringer, M arcie Sm ith,
written that Jaim e G onzales from
the N ew O rle a n s C h a p te r a n ­
nounced a Fly-In B reakfast, O cto­
ber 18, at Stennis A irport M ess. On
N ovem ber 7, N ew O rleans C hapter
will host a Safety Education Sem i­
nar and L uncheon at the G rand H o­
tel in Fairhope, A labam a. Speakers
will include Eric Lacefield, author
o f Survival In The M arsh and Alan
M alone, FA A Pilot E xam iner, w ho
w ill
sp eak
on
A ir s p a c e
R e d e s ig n a tio n .
N in e ty - N in e s
planned to participate in the N ew
O rleans A ir Show in Belle C hase,
LA, and hoped that others w ould
also attend.
• Jacque M arsh, Spaceport C h ap ­
ter, and her husband Jim flew to
A nchorage, A laska, from St. A u­
gustine, FL, a distance o f nearly
4,000 m iles each way. They flew a
C herokee W arrior, departing M ay
30 and returning July 3, and re­
m oved the rear seat to m ake w ay for
survival equipm ent and other needs.
Evidently the hospitality w as w on­
derful and Flight Service w as great
through C anada and A laska. Jacque
said, “ Pictures and w ords cannot
explain the beauty o f the trip.”
• Florida G ulfstream C hapter pre­
sented the dynam ic W ally Funk, one
o f the first w om en to go through
astronaut training in 1961 for the
M ercury W om en In Space Team
Program . W ally planned to address
the N inety-N ines and guests with
her wit and w isdom ; her Pre-Flight
Presentation. H elping to educate
pilots on safety and com m on sense
in flying, W ally stresses the attitude
o f the pilot prior to flight and a
thorough pre-flight check in lieu o f
a three-m inute w alk-around.
• M y rn a S te p h e n s re p o rts from
North Central Section that Johanne
N oll o f A ux Plaines C hapter do­
nated 2.5 hours o f flight tim e to the
highest bidders at the spring func­
tion o f the N orth Shore C horale S o­
ciety.
• C ongratulations to D orothy Jaupt,
G reater St. L ouis C hapter, on her
m arriage to Jim Spangler.
• Judith C ochrac, Lake Erie C h ap ­
ter, recently earned her C FI and
plans a m ove to South Bend, Indi­
ana, for an instructor position with
C orporation W ings. Judy, also the
recipient o f the Judith R esnick M e­
m orial Scholarship from A m erican
Fliers, will return to C leveland w hen
she becom es a first officer. C o n ­
gratulations.
• C hicago Area 99s opened the 1992
H eartland A ir Show at D uPage A ir­
port with a fly-by, flow n by M arjorie
Sundm acher, C ynthia M adsen, and
K ristin G lick-N uckolls on Saturday
and joined the next day by M adeleine
M onaco and R osem ary LaG uidice.
O ther chapter m em bers assisted with
the fly-in visitors and w ith break­
fast. B everly O ’H air w as officially
pinned at the A ugust m eeting o f the
C hicago A rea C hapter. T he m eeting
w as held at H ow ell-N ew Lennox
A irport. T ina M ock, form er C A P
cadet and now a student at the N aval
A cadem y, joined cadets A m y K oller
and A m y K ane to relate their ex p e­
riences at the C A P encam pm ent.
Ruth and Bob Frantz and M arge and
H e rb
S u n d m a c h e r , C h ic a g o
A reaC hapter, tied for first place in
the W O W D erby in K eokuk, Iowa.
O ther participants from the C hapter
were N orm a and Art Freier and M ary
Panczyszyn, M adeleine M onaco and
C om pany. C hicago A rea C hapter
m em bers m ay now borrow aviation
videos from the Safety Education
C h a ir p e r s o n , K r is tin G lic k -
N uckolls. C hapter m em bers have
started a new venture as distributor
o f post cards and photos o f A m elia
E arhart taken by her official pho­
tographer, A lbert Bresnik. The pic­
tures w ere taken during the five years
b e fo re A m e lia d isa p p e a re d and
m any o f them w ere sealed away
until the 50th anniversary o f her last
flight.
• N orth C entral Section m em bers
enjoyed a delightful w eekend in Ann
A rbor, M ichigan, as m em bers o f the
G reater Detroit C hapter hostessed
the N orth Central Section m eeting,
W ings A ro u n d D etroit in S eptem ­
ber. In addition to sem inars, partici­
pants also visited the Henry Ford
M useum and G reenfield V illage and
the Y ankee A ir Force M useum . A
bonus— clear skies— at the com ple­
tion o f the w eekend m ade the jo u r­
ney hom e enjoyable.
• Joan N iles, reporter for M iddle
East Section, w rote that m em bers
o f H am pton R oads C hapter took a
trip to N A SA L angley and had a
ground briefing and tour o f a Boeing
737. T he tour was hosted by the
c h ap ter’s new est 66 K athy Abbott
w ho w orks at N A SA as a research
scientist. C hapter m em bers also par­
ticipated in the H am pton Roads A ir­
port A dventure Day and a booth was
set up w ith a display o f m em orabilia
in honor o f A m elia Earhart. M iddle
East Section planned to hold its fall
m eeting in H arrisburg, PA, in O cto­
ber.
• M em bers o f Potom ac C hapter
participated in the C ollege Park A ir­
port annual Art Fair, selling item s to
prepare for hostessing the Spring
Section m eeting.
• E astern Pennsylvania C hapter
m em bers have been busy. Elaine
B ard sley and Jim , m em b e rs o f
A m ericans For N ative A m ericans,
flew to G allup, NM , with a load o f
clothing, art supplies, and sports
equipm ent for the people o f the N a­
vajo reservation. Shelly Katz hap­
pened to be in the right place at the
right tim e when the G oodyear blim p
arrived at PNE. She was invited,
along w ith tw o tow er controllers
and tw o flight instructors, to fly for
an hour around Philadelphia in the
new est turbo- prop-pow ered, flyby-w ire Spirit o f Akron. Peg Clarke
received instruction at A viation C a­
reer A cadem y at Flying W A irport
in preparation for her CFI flight test.
Carol K nickerbocker was recently
checked out in a C -152 at PTW
A irport by Ethel Bailey. M any chap­
ter m em bers m ade it to O shkosh:
Kate M acario and her son, M ichael;
Theresa W agner, Linda W ood, Julie
Shim er, andL olaT om linson. Happy
birthday to Dr. A nne Shields, w ho
entered the seventh decade o f life on
Septem ber 1Oth and has been a m em ­
ber o f The N inety-N ines for a great
m any o f those years.
• M em bers o f D elaw are C hapter
held a booth at the EA A C hapter 240
Fly-In at R ainbow s End A irport in
S ep tem b er w ith th anks to E llen
N obles-H arris and Shari Beck. Ellen
also represented the chapter at an
FAA Sem inar at D aw n A eronau­
tics. Jan C hurchill has authored a
book about T eresa Jam es w ho flew
bom bers and fighters in W W II, On
W ings To W ar.
• M aryland C h a p ter m em bers
w elcom e Sue M etz, a com m ercial
pilot, First O fficer on a U SA ir com ­
m uter airline. Sue has 2,400 hours
o f flying tim e and one o f her flights
was as a co-pilot from N ew G uinea,
ferrying a DHC-6 Tw in Otter.
• K eystone C h apter m em bers have G ibbs, Larry M alanconico, Chuck
ju st com pleted an exciting project in H oliday and all those w ho recog­
conjunction w ith the M insi Trail nized the need o f w om ens’ presence
C o u n c il o f th e B oy S c o u ts o f at this aviation w eekend. T hanks to
Am erica. T w o gloriously sunny days them for giving 99s an opportunity
in A ugust brightened the Fourth to participate in an innovative con­
A viation M erit Badge C am p Out. cept w ithin the Scouting program .
The event was hosted by E xplorer • S h rev ep o rt C h ap ter m em bers
Post 272 w hich is sponsored by regret the loss o f their chairm an,
B raden’s A irport in Easton, PA. The Starr Stone, w ho was m arried in
w eekend consisted o f fun and learn­ Septem ber to C onfederate A ir Force
ing fo r nearly 300
Scouts from the sur­
ro u n d in g a re a and
nearby N ew Jersey.
T he p o s t’s advisor,
Fred G ibbs, had long
seen the need for his
boys to realize that
aviation is not an e x ­
clusively m ale field.
To this end, he asked
the N inety-N ines to
Eastern N ew E ngland Chapter Officers:
Vice C hair, M ary Lee Blais; Chair, M artha Dunbar;
teach one o f the sem i­
Treasurer, J u d y Kelley; and Secretary, Paula Rooks.
nars and to be a part
o f the career choices
se g m e n t. K ey sto n e
C hapter C hairm an Jessica W altz m e m b e r, R ay K ro ttin g e r. S ta rr
headed the four sessions o f the B a ­ m oved to Fort W orth, TX , w here
sics o f F light sem inar. O ne hour o f som e fortunate chapter will claim
team teaching, m odel planes and her.
posters got the fundam entals across • E l P a so C h a p t e r ’s M a rsh a
to 75 boys per session and assis­ M ascorro w rote that Ruth Deerm an
tance w as provided by A lice H elm , d o n ated her “ M ary K ay ” Pink
Julie Shim er, N ancy M cC urry and C essna 140A (Cotton C lipperC utie)
Torgy Regan. A short w ritten quiz to the W ar Eagles M useum and it is
ended the class. Sunday w as another hanging from the ceiling. Ruth and
busy day w ith ou r 66 R everend Ruby H ays w on the 1954 Pow der
R ainelle K im m el co n d ucting the P uff D erby in that plane— a 2,000
m orning w orship. Staunch supporter m ile race from Long Beach, CA , to
Ron U nger provided guitar m usic K noxville,T N . Betty M acG uire said
for the service. T he speakers on ca­ that since Ruth D eerm an’s m em ora­
reers in aviation discussed m any bilia has been relocated beneath her
phases o f the aviation industry with aircraft, m ore m em orabilia is needed
Joyce Jem o giving the Scouts a look from N inety-N ines to be exhibited
at a co n tro ller’s job. The K eystone beneath the N inety-N ines ’ banner at
C hapter m em bers are grateful to Fred the W ar E agles M useum .
• O ur care and concern is extended
to our m em bers located in the areas
that were devastated by H urricane
A n d rew . W e ho p e th a t K e rm it
W eeks is able to rebuild his report­
edly b ad ly -d am ag ed m useum o f
flight. C h airm an A lice C u tro n a,
Florida Suncoast C hapter, w rote,
“Anne R oethke flew her plane to
G eorgia, out o f any potential harm ,
then cam e back and flew a m ission
for the C oast G uard to assess d am ­
ages in her area.” A lice and Fred
flew about 300 pounds o f food and
clothing to Fort Lauderdale Exec
and were told to rem ain out o f the
ARSA because o f the high traffic
volume. Diverted to Pom pano Beach
A irport, they w ere w elcom ed by
M ary W e b b ’s A ngel Flight people
who were set up in a hangar and
happy to receive the donation. Alice
continued, “O ther planes w ere load­
ing up to fly the supplies to H om e­
stead. Several o f the SR Q pilots are
also flying supplies, but now they
can go into H om estead G eneral di­
rectly; we could not.”
•F ro m the Fall 1992 N ew sletter,
New Y ork-N ew Jersey Section:
C hapter M eetings: Bane o f O ur E x ­
istence or Jo y o f O ur Lives? O ur
Section is not alone in its concern
about C hapter M eetings. M any tim es
we w onder what to “do” about C hap­
ter m eetings. Are regular m eetings
necessary? A B SO L U TEL Y ! T here
is an obligation to chapter m em bers
to have som e kind o f a schedule so
that m em bers know w hen and w here
they can participate.
W H E N : O bviously, we try to sched­
ule m eetings so that the m ajority can
attend. In this age o f careers and
fa m ilie s, d a y tim e m e e tin g s are
som etim es not possible, night m eet­
ings are “too late,” and w eekend
m eetings cut into free tim e. You
have to adjust to fit the m ajority.
W H ERE: Som e chapters m eet at a
central point, som e at the sam e air­
port, and som e m ove to various
places. A gain, see w hat fits Y O U R
group.
W H Y : W ell, w hy are you a 99? W e
m eet to plan projects, share ex p eri­
ences, encourage new pilots and stu­
dents, enjoy som e trium ph o f a new
rating or jo b and have a good tim e.
HOW : Som e m eetings are form al
w ith agendas, quorum s, reports, pro­
gram s, etc. Som e m ay be sm all with
only 4-5 m em bers in attendance and
others m uch larger, w ith 20-30.
PR O G R A M S: W e c a n ’t get atten­
dance unless we have a good pro­
gram and then, if only 4-5 attend, it
is em barrassing. Som e o f the m ost
interesting program s can be very
sm all. Tell your speaker that it’s a
sm all group and set up in roundtable
fashion rather than in a lecture for­
m at.
C H A PT E R : W ork w ith w hat you
have. Som e o f the m ost active ch ap ­
ters and som e o f the larger chapters
have experienced a few years of
having very sm all attendance. But
they tried different m eeting tim es,
places, and concentrated on one or
tw o projects rather than trying to set
the w orld on fire. And they grew and
grew .
N O T IC E S/N E W SL E T T E R S: one
o f the m ost im portant things that
glues a chapter together is som e sort
o f N ew sletter— a single page or a
sm all book. You can put in new
ratings, event dates from the Section
C alen d ar, local ev en ts, etc. Just
m ake sure that your m em bers know
w hat you are doing. If they d o n ’t,
they w o n ’t find you. Pass the hat for
postage and copying expenses, if
necessary.
IN C O R PO R A T IO N : If you are not
Incorporated, start getting this done
N O W . It is your protection. If you
have any kind o f a project (even a
m eeting) and the property is dam ­
aged and you are Incorporated, only
the assets o f the corporation (the
$39.95 in your treasury) can be at­
tached. If you are N O T Incorpo­
rated, action can be taken against all
m em bers w hether they are present
or not. Hint: Find a law yer pilot,
plead poverty and get him /her to do
it as a pro bono project and w rite it
o ff as a donation.
M EM BE R S: Som e can participate
in alm ost everything the C hapter
does, som e m ake it only to special
projects, som e you see once a year
and still others are ‘retired ’ and en ­
jo y ju st w atching. But, we need you
all. If you are not receiving notices
o f your C hapter m eetings, please
co n tact your C h ap ter C hairm an:
C entral NY, M arilyn Kam p; Long
Island, Sue M irabel; NY Capital
D istrict, H arriet B regm an; Finger
Lakes, C harlotte Shaw cross; North
Jersey, Jeanne Kent; W estern NY,
M ary M attocks; G reater NY, Nina
C larem ont; H udson V alley, Janet
C aparano; and G arden State, Julie
Collinge.
c ■■■■■
-n a n
j>
THE 99s AWARD OF MERIT— NLT December 15 !
The 9 9 s’ A w ard o f M erit co m ­
m ittee is soliciting nom inees for the
1993 A w ard o f M erit. The recipi­
ents o f this aw ard, established in
1990, include Jeana Y eager, M imi
Tom pkins, Sheldon and Pat R ob­
erts, G aby K ennard, M uriel Earhart
M orrissey, John Baker, O live Ann
B eech, A lice H a m m o n d , H azel
Jones, N ancy Bird W alton, Lotfia
El-N adi, Thon G riffith and Bobbi
Trout.
The purpose o f the A w ard o f M erit
is to recognize individuals who have
m ade significant contributions to
aviation, aviation education, science,
aviation history, or T he N inetyNines, Inc.. In addition to recogniz­
ing individuals w ho have m ade sig­
nificant contributions to the ideals
that The N inety-N ines stand for, this
annual aw ard provides an incentive
to others to m ake their ow n contri­
butions to aviation and aviation-re­
lated endeavors.
G eneral Criteria:
1. The achievem ent(s) m ay have
occurred in the present or prior years.
R ecipients m ay be selected for a
single action or a series o f events.
2. Specific details o f achievem ents
being recognized will be at the d is­
cretion o f the aw ard com m ittee, so
long as they m eet the general objec­
tives o f The N inety-N ines, Inc..
3. The recipient need not be a
m em ber o f The N inety-N ines, Inc..
4. The recipient m ay be living or
dead.
5. The recipient m ay be fem ale or
m ale.
6. The aw ard is not lim ited to
individuals in the U nited States.
N om inations for the aw ard will
be accepted from m em bers o f The
N inety-N ines and should be sent to
C arol R ayburn, C hairm an, N inetyN ines A w ard o f M erit C om m ittee,
10 C hung Street, N ashua, NH 03062
to arrive by D ecem ber 15, 1992.
T he n o m in atio n p ackage should
spell out the significance o f the
n o m in ee’s contributions in a c o n ­
cise m an n e r (i.e ., not o v e r tw o
pages). A dditional new sclippings or
inform ation can be sent; how ever,
they should be sum m arized in the
nom ination docum ent. An address
and phone num ber w here the nom i­
nee or their next o f kin (if necessary)
can be reached should also be in­
cluded to expedite notification if
they are selected.
All m em bers are encouraged to
participate in recognizing people
w ho have m ade significant c o n tri­
butions to aviation or The N inetyN ines by nom inated candidates for
the A w ard o f M erit.
THE NINETY-NINES’
RESOURCE CENTER
by Gene Nora Jessen
Museum displays, archives, oral and
video histories and books all make up
The Ninety-Nines Resource Center co­
located with our business offices in Okla­
homa City. The collections encompass
the early history of women flying bal­
loons, and wing walking right up to an
astronaut display. We are preserving
history— up to that of yesterday.
Collections have come to The NinetyNines in the past several years which
we have not had a place to display. We
are now committed to completing the
second floor of our building (walls,
ceilings and primary lighting are in
now), so that exciting collections now
in storage can be available for viewing
and researchers.
The accompanying photo shows 99s
bookkeeper Jonna Burks looking over
some of the racing trophies of Past
President and pioneer race pilot, Edna
Gardner Whyte. Edna’s collection of
memorabilia and historical photos has
been inventoried and carefully pre­
served, telling the story of a determined
and talented pilot who was responsible
for teaching hundreds of students to fly.
Each month, this column will report
on the status of The Resource Center. It
will also highlight a specific need of the
Center, since often chapters and indi­
viduals wish to participate in preserv­
ing our heritage, but don’t know where
the greatest needs are. THE RE­
SOURCE CEN TER’S GREATEST
IM M EDIATE NEED IS CARPET
AND TILE FOR THE ENTIRE SEC­
OND FLO OR AT A CO ST, IN ­
STALLED, OF $7,500. Once the floor
is in, the space can be used partially or
wholly as needed and finished.
Please call E xecutive D irector
Loretta Gragg at headquarters if you
are a partial or major carpet and tile
donor!
L eft: Jo n n a B urks , 99s Bookkeeper and the
trophy collection o f Past President and
P ioneer Race Pilot, E dna G ardner Whyte.
TH E W O R L D O F T H E N IN E T Y -N IN E S , Inc.
“AIR BEAR and HELI-HOUND”
by Ann Cooper
The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO),
Ninety-Nines, AIR BEAR and HELI-HOUND
In a recent press release, it was reported, “Aviation education got a major boost recently as a joint U.S. House and Senate
resolution was introduced to establish October 4-10, 1992, as National Aviation Education Week. According to NASAO, which is
leading the National Aviation Education Week effort, the designation augmented the programs of 23 states that already recognize
an Aviation Education Week and encouraged others to participate. Senator Paul Simon and Representative James Oberstar were to
be commended for their introduction of the joint resolution, which was designed to enhance the advancement of education through
aviation.”
NASAO, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration and The Ninety-Nines, Inc., is supporting Air Bear as a
national program and is complemented by Heli-Hound from the Helicopter Association International. Heli-Hound represents the
rotary wing segment and Air Bear represents aviation in general.
Air Bear is a national aviation mascot who is a guide and companion to groups of young children as they learn about aviation.
Currently there are three Air Bear programs:
Air Bear!Heli-Hound Goes To School—Air Bear visits the school classroom to accompany children on a simulated
vacation flight in which some of the children are passengers and others are aviation workers who safely maintain and guide the
airplane.
An Airport Field Trip fo r Early Childhood Education — Air Bear/Heli-Hound can accompany children on a field trip to a
local airport to gain a real world view of aviation in their communities.
Air Bear/Heli-Hound—An Aviation Mascot at Community Events — Air Bear or Heli-Hound can be invited as an
additional attraction at community events.
The program has a great deal of material available to assist in this training, not only printed materials, but costumes: head, gloves
and a flight suit. Videos are available as well. Each state in the United States has been asked to designate an Air Bear Coordinator
who will coordinate functions and actions of the program in that state.
Air Bear/Heli-Hound are aviation education programs that are used to promote early childhood aviation interest and awareness;
making learning about airplanes "fun!”
• NASAO will ensure the programs are placed as national programs, designate state coordinators (a member of the state aviation
agency, a Ninety-Nine, an interested educator or anyone else who may indicate an interest) and act as the primary collection point
for information and materials.
• FAA will publish promotional materials, produce costume molds in order that participating agencies wishing to purchase a
costume can do so for the cost of the costume head and paws and flight suit and will assist in the development, duplication and
distribution of a training video.
• The Ninety-Nines will work with the national coordinator to support the chapters of The Ninety-Nines already involved with
Project Air Bear, conduct classroom programs and conduct workshops for teachers.
For more information, contact: Terry M. Jessup, Director, Technical Projects, NASAO, Metro Plaza One, Suite 505A, 8401
Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910 or call 301 495-2848 or FAX 301 588-1288. In addition, the NASAO Coordinator, Jan
Draper, can be contacted at Division of Aeronautics, Illinois Department of Transportation, Capital Airport, One Langhome Bond
Dr., Springfield. IL 62701-8415 or call: 217 785-5821.
NEW HORIZONS
PATTY SHERW O O D
Santa Clara Valley Chapter members lost Charter Member Patty Sherwood on June 26, 1992. Patty learned to fly in
1942 and became a WASP in March of 1944. She was involved in the engineering testing of the AT-6 and worked as
an X-Ray technician for over 30 years. Patty will be missed.
DR. H. BEAT W ACK ERNAGEL
The husband of Irene Wackemagel, Pikes Peak Chapter, died suddenly of a cardiac arrest on August 2, 1992. An
excellent pilot and one who loved flying, Dr. Wackemagel was also an avid balloonist, an official for the Colorado
Springs Balloon Classic held each Labor Day weekend. Dr. Wackemagel encouraged Irene’s flying and her attendance
at chapter and section meetings of The Ninety-Nines. A pioneer in the space surveillance industry. Dr. Wackemagel
came to the U.S. in 1958 from Basel, Switzerland as a part of a team assembled by the U.S. Air Force to create a space
surveillance program following the 1957 launch of Sputnik I by the former Soviet Union. His work began as an as­
tronomer at Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts where he worked in the Geophysics Research Laboratory. After his move in
1960, he became the senior mathematician, directorate of operations analysis, at U.S. Air Force Space Command,
Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs. He will be sorely missed.
G EORGE SCHUSTER
George Schuster, 49 1/2 of Ruth Schuster, Lake Erie Chapter, passed away July 12, 1992. George was the owner of
AM Air at Youngstown Municipal Airport, Ohio. Our sincere regrets.
JOAN CARROLL
It was with heavy hearts that chapter members of the Shreveport Chapter attended the funeral of Joan Carroll. For many
years Joan directed the social activities of their group and her shoes will be very hard to fill. Joan, an active NinetyNine for 30 years, lost her battle with cancer on September 15, 1992.
CHARLIE DEERMAN
Charlie Deerman, 49 1/2 or Ruth Deerman, Past International President and member of El Paso Chapter, passed away
June 2, 1992. Our sincere condolences.
JAM ES WEBB
James Webb, 49 1/2 of Patricia Thaden Webb, Wyoming Chapter, flew to new horizons July 24, 1992. Our condo­
lences go to all family members. Subm itted by Glenn Buffington.
CARLA M. ALDRICH
One of your proudest members has taken her “last flight” on September 14. Yes, she wanted it referred to as that. Her
main goal in life when I first met her in 1933 was to fly. As a small child, she and her twin brother had played for
several years in an old damaged Jenny that was stored in the bam at their farm. It was years later, 1957, that she soloed.
My work took us all over the world and she delighted in meeting her fellow 99s in various countries. During our four
years in Australia she earned her certificate and enjoyed working a bit with the late Robin Miller. Carla Aldrich, a
member of San Diego Chapter, is survived by her husband of 57 years, two sons, six grandchildren and 14 great­
grandchildren. Many thanks for making her life more complete and richer for her membership. Subm itted by Leon N.
Aldrich, San Clemente, CA.
THELM A JOHNSON
It is with great sadness that I report the death of North Port member, Thelma Johnson, on July 15, 1992. Thelma and
her husband Verle flew a Cessna 172 and were active in Chapter events before her illness. Thelma was a lady and we
will miss her. Subm itted by A lice Cutrona, Chairman.
ST A R T T H IN K IN G A B O U T P O R T L A N D , O R E G O N , IN 1993.
T H E IN T E R N A T IO N A L C O N V E N T IO N W IL L BE H E L D A U G U ST 1 1 -1 4 ,1 9 9 3 .
R em em ber: “A
F light Plan f o r the R ose C ity!”
---------------
NOTAMS
---------------
From the D ecem ber 1933 Zontian Magazine : T he E d ito r asked A m elia E arhart w hat she w ould co n sid er the next
im portant task fo r w om en to tackle and this w as h e r reply:
“To grow better accustomed to meeting people in business— not to be so personal in business contacts and
associations, but to get the comprehension o f things in the larger, more impersonal sense in which successful
business is conducted. We must be more fa ir and not let personalities get in the way. We are improving rapidly in t
his respect.”
N inety-N ine A n ita L ew is sent the clip p in g w ith the follow ing note: “ T his seem ed to be a very tim ely piece o f advice
from the ev er-q u o tab le E arhart. W ill w e e v e r g et to h e r level o f co m p reh en sio n ?”
WOLF AVIATION FUND SEEKS APPLICANTS
T he A lfred L. and C on stan ce W o lf A viation F und is sponsoring its second co m p etitio n for new ideas to m ake general
aviation safer, less ex p en siv e, m o re fun and m o re useful. T he 1993 Prize of$ 10,000 w ill be aw arded for the idea best
deem ed by the ju d g e s to im prove Pilot Training and Proficiency Enhancement.
A pplicants m ay obtain the ap p licatio n form and co n ditions by w riting to S andra C ad w ald er at 200 W aw a Road,
W aw a, PA 19063. T he en tries (m ax im u m o f Five pages, double-spaced) m ust be postm arked by D ecem ber 18th and
m ailed to the above address. T he P rize w ill be aw ard ed no later than A pril 30, 1993.
The A lfred L. and C o n stan ce W o lf A viation F und w as estab lish ed in 1985 by the E state o f the late “ A bby” W olf,
aviation attorney and foun d in g trustee o f the A ircraft O w ners and P ilots A ssociation. H is w idow C onstance, also a pilot
and w orld-record ballo o nist, con tin u es the c o u p le ’s dedication to airspace access and public understanding o f general
aviation.
The 1992 Prize, aw ard ed for the best idea to im prove Airspace Control and Utilization , w as w on by C apt. Barry
S ch iff for his proposal to create V FR R outing C harts through busy T C A s. T he ju d g es believed that the sim plicity o f the
idea and its potential for w ide im plem entation could greatly contribute to safer and m ore navigable airspace.
For the 1993 P rize, the F und is seek in g ideas d irected tow ard:
1) T he effectiv eness o f curren t m ethods o f student pilot training and the d evelopm ent o f techniques to im prove
such training; o r
2) T he effectiv en ess o f current m ethods o f m aintaining and upgrading proficiency and skills o f pilots in the
post-student phase and the d ev elo p m en t o f tech n iq u es to im prove such m ethods.
“W HAT’S A SIXTY-SIX?”
“W H A T ’S A S IX T Y -S IX ?” w as the title o f Jam es N. B ard in ’s article w hich w as published in July 1992 in Dave
S cla ir’s General Aviation News & Flyer , p ublished in T acom a, W A . B ardin, fully supportive o f The N inety-N ines, is
the author o f the article about you n g Sharon F itzgerald in o u r S ep tem b er issue, Ninety-Nine News. T hanks from all o f
us to a talented w riter. W e ap p reciate y o u r effo rts, M r. B ardin.
MARY McNEIL, Long Beach Chapter
M ary M cN eil has p ublished a pap erb ack , EARTH SCIENCES REFERENCE, a tim ely sourcebook. A s C alifornians
and A fricans reel from a series o f earth q u ak es and aftershocks, volcanoes erupt in A laska, Japan and the Phillipine
Islands, and hurrican es dev astate areas o f H aw aii, L o u isian a and F lorida, an appetite is created fo r know ledge about the
planet. A N inety-N ine, M cN eil has w ritten Earth Sciences Reference w hich deals w ith physical interactions— land,
sea, air and the inn er E arth as m ajo r targets. C o sm ic relationships are part o f the global picture. H er form at is d ictio ­
nary, but entries are au g m en ted w ith cro ss-referen ces and indices.
M cN eil is a geologist w ho has had an enviable career in exploration, m ining and research with extended assignm ents in
Latin A m erica, A frica and throughout the U nited States. W ith a M asters D egree from U C LA and m uch o f the w ork toward
her Ph.D. com pleted, M cN eil’s studies w ere interrupted with an assignm ent to A frica for Lockheed Aircraft International.
She has been a project m anager for Lockheed and later joined the office o f the chief scientist. H er m ost w ell-know n article
was Lateritic Soils w hich appeared in Scientific American and was reprinted in Planet Earth in 1974.
Earth Sciences Reference is the result o f h er ex p erience and five years o f research. P ublished by F lam ingo Press, the
retail cost o f M c N e il’s book is $49. P lease add $5 fo r shipping and $3 per additional book. F lam ingo Press, 2958 State
Street, C arlsbad, C A 92008. O u r co n g ratu latio n s to M ary M cN eil.
K A Y R O A M a n d G A LIN A K O R C H U G A N O V A M E E T IN R U S S IA — To R u ssia With Love!
Kay Roam, Arizona 99 and Flight Service Spe­
with a color photo, air race wings, and
gigantic hug.
cialist, spent ten days in Moscow, Russia, visit­
The day was beautiful, the sun gleamed a 99 friendship pin. I had brought small
ing her son, Dan, a Moscow journalist. She was
off row after row of aircraft— primarily American flags which were eagerly
accompanied by son Mike, a N ew York City
large jets bearing Aeroflot markings but snapped up. In turn, we were given
teacher and computer expert. In addition to the
some with large, top-mounted radomes booklets about the museum which were
following story, Kay piloted an Antonov-2
while Mike and Dan parachuted from it. But,
reminiscent of the U.S. Air Force’s autographed by our new friends.
Kay says, “That’s another story.”
Upon discovering that Mike and Dan
AW ACS planes. In the distance we could
Taxis bearing the American, British see the Russian SSTs.
are single, the women whipped out pho­
and Russian journalists and visitors
With many accompanying gestures, tos of eligible daughters. 1 had brought
pushed deeper into Russian country­ my new friend, Galina, told me that she along a small album of snaps of typical
side, leaving far behind Red Square, the had been a test pilot and pointed out scenes of my life and the one that was
starting point. Traversing bleak miles some of the aircraft she had flown. I finally returned covered with finger­
of enormous, crumbling concrete apart­ called Dan over and introduced him as prints and maybe even a tear or two,
ment buildings that are the suburbs of another pilot. She told him that she had was of “Red Roamer,” my beloved 1969
the largest city in Europe and the old set several records in MiGs but was C -172. The idea of an individual, much
villages of fancifully carved and painted now medically retired. She added, “Our less a woman, owning an airplane was
wooden houses that mark the far out­ Russian women pilots’ organization is beyond the imaginations of those who
skirts of the city, the road narrowed. As hosting a reception for Arc-en-Ciel rac­ will never even own a car. I felt truly
forests of birch and pine thickened, ers Sue Nealey and Faith Hillman,” and fortunate and blessed.
even the cabbies weren’t sure where the invited me to join them.
When Mike and I made our farewells,
Gromov Flight Research Institute Air­
When the race planes began arriving, Tatiana demanded to know how we
field was located. They stopped fre­ crews were greeted with loud applause, planned to get to Dan’s office. When
quently to ask directions.
cameras whirred and clicked, and cos­ we responded, “Taxi,” ($2 each) she
We came to a town whose entrance tumed children singing folk songs and huffed the Russian equivalent of “Non­
was marked by an early model MiG and bearing the traditional welcome of bread sense!” She took each of us by an arm
soon we drove to a massive gate flanked and salt greeted the racers. The journal­ and briskly marched us back to the
by 30-foot-long mosaics with aviation ists had deadlines to meet, so we didn’t Metro station (1/2 cent apiece). We
themes. The place was crawling with linger at Gromov airfield long.
grinned at each other behind her practi­
soldiers who glared at the intruders. In
Mike and I made our first solo on the cal back.
their best Russian, the journalists ex­ Moscow Metro (subway) the next day—
The most unplanned events end up
plained that we had come to greet the a jewel of the city with architecturally being the most memorable! Meeting
Round-The-World air racers (Ed. note: beautiful stations and fast, frequent and Galina and her countrywomen was a
See the Ninety-Nine News, October spotlessly clean trains, a shock to New highlight of a wonderful vacation. If
issue.) We were led into an office where York dweller, Mike. After several re­ governments would get out of the way,
our passports received more careful quests for directions and 30 minutes of let people know people, everyone’s lives
scrutiny than they had coming through walking, we found the blue and white would be richer and there would be the
Customs.
aviation museum where the reception peace we all so ardently desire.
The cabbies waited and, as we drove was being held. Faith and Sue
through the gate, our military escort were already there with Galina
explained that until the previous year and about 10 Russian women.
this had been the Army’s research and
Faith had previously spent
test field and that the nine of us were the time in Russia. She and Mike
first Westerners to ever be allowed exchanged some words in Rus­
onto the field.
sian. Galina and Tatiana, a he­
Why I will never know, but the gray­ licopter pilot and professor of
haired woman in a flowered print dress aeronautical engineering, knew
suddenly pointed to me and inquired, a few words in English, but
“Pee-lot?” I nodded vigorously.
aviation is such a universal lan­
She then asked, “Ninety-Nine?”
guage that we shortly were all
By this time the bus was stopped, I chattering away. Faith and Sue
nodded and smiled and she gave me a presented each of the women
Getting To Know Us
This colum n is devoted to our
m em b ersh ip . M y nam e is L eda
H edglon (pronounced H edge-L on),
your new M em bership C hairm an.
Through this colum n, I would like to
share with you ideas about com m it­
m ent to our organization, com m u­
nication with one another, and c o n ­
sideration o f our diversified back­
grounds, our talents and our expec­
tations o f benefits from m em ber­
ship in The N inety-N ines.
G E TTIN G TO K N O W U S will
personally introduce you to people
and m em bers w ho have m ade a com ­
m itm ent to w ork for the strengthen­
ing o f our m em bership, 99s staff,
my sub-com m ittee m em bers and
section and chapter chairm en w ill­
ing to share their experiences and
their thoughts about m em bership.
By com m unicating with one another
through this colum n, I hope that
ideas can be explored, developed
and im plem ented. I hope to create a
broad and enriched 99s experience
for our current m em bership and to
reach out further to fem ale pilots to
em brace them as valued and active
m em bers o f our organization.
I jo in ed The N inety-N ines in A u­
gust o f 1987 and becam e an active
m em ber o f the O klahom a C hapter.
M y in terest in flig h t had been
sparked years earlier when m y hus­
band, Tip, signed m e up for a Flying
C om panion Sem inar put on by the
m em bers o f the O klahom a C hapter.
Y our talented and accom plished fe­
m ale pilots certainly m ade an im ­
pression on m e, and T ip w as grate­
ful that I finally becam e an inter­
ested co-pilot. I m et m ore O kla­
hom a C hapter 99s w hen T ip and I
jo in ed the O klahom a Pilots A sso­
ciation. B ecause o f exposure to these
dynam ic N inety-N ines and after a
trip to O shkosh, I decided that I
could learn to fly.
For the past three years I have
been the m em bership chairm an for
O klahom a C hapter and our group
has grow n by alm ost 25 percent. I
have been proud to serve the chapter
that supported m y interest in avia­
tion. T oday, thanks to the effort of
O k la h o m a C h a p te r m em b er Jan
Perry, I am the ow ner o f an eighth of
a 1974 C essna 172. T ip is also a
proud and active 49 and 1/2.
I hope that w orking together we
can prom ote and expand our strong
organization. I w elcom e com m uni­
cation from each and every m em ber
w ho is com m itted to this adventure.
T hank you to our president, Lu
H ollander, and to all o f you, for this
opportunity to grow w ith the 99s. A
very special thank you to Fay G illis
W ells for her kind w ords o f encour­
agem ent w hen we m et in O klahom a
C ity this year.
Ragles Fligfo
Follow the
Eagle to Regal
Roosts
7oun/Tra^
13131 Kerry, Garden Grove, CA 92644
TEL/FAX (714) 530-3676
We specialize in transforming clients into a Prince or
Princess for a night (or more) with fantasy vacations
at P a lac e s/H u n tin g Lodges in IN D IA and
Castles/Country Manors in the U.K. and IRELAND.
There is a palace or castle to fit every mood and pocketbook. We offer PICK-A-PALACE (INDIA), C H 00SE A-CASTLE (U.K./IRELAND) or.structured itinerary
tours.
We also offer CONCORDE 'Experience' flights and
ORIENT-EXPRESS day excursions from London.
INDIA
(Special lor 99's)
LAKE PALACE, UDAIPUR
Tour RRR3 'Rom ancing the R aj’, starts Delhi,
March 4 ,1 9 9 2 and ends Bombay, March 1 4,1 99 2
in time for the Aviation Congress.
Other tours available. International Air available.
Send/call/fax for tree brochure.
M y fu ll co lo r b oo klet on the Palace hotels
RAJASTHAN'S ROYAL RESIDENCES is available for
$5.95 plus $1.00 postage and handling. (Refundable
if you take one of our tours)
T A J MAHAL, AGRA
Gwendoline GreyEagle (Orange County Chapter 99's)
W ith TH AN KS...
CONVENTION 1993
reprinted from The Portland Book with permission of the Portland, Oregon, Visitors Association.
Portland: the City o f Roses. The City o f Fountains. The City o f Bridges. R iver City. Rip City. Stum ptow n.
Portland: a hub o f international trade that lies along the C olum bia and W illam ette Rivers and beneath the
shadow o f the snow -capped Mt. Hood. A big city w ith sm all-tow n charm .
Portland’s location alm ost dem anded a tow n w ith dense forests, clear rivers, fertile valleys, a tem perate
clim ate and support for grow ing com m erce. Pioneers follow ing the O regon Trail gloried in the abundance o f
the area and sank deep roots.
People lived in w hat is now Portland at least 10,000 years ago— the ancient forebears o f the M ultnom ah
Indian N ation w ho once flourished along the low er W illam ette River. The first E uropean people to visit the
area were C aptains M eriw ether Lew is and W illiam C lark and the m em bers o f their expedition.
Fort V ancouver, on the C olum bia, grew to becom e Portland. From 1825 to 1845, this served as the central
fur-trading depot for the B ritish-ow ned H u d so n ’s Bay C om pany in the Pacific N orthw est. The fort eventually
established its ow n farm , lum ber m ill, grist m ill and herds o f cattle. W hen the trap p ers’ service with the
com pany ended, som e retired to farm the land in the W illam ette V alley.
A coin toss resulted in nam ing the city. T he w inner, a native o f Portland, M aine, w anted to nam e the city
after his hom etow n. The settlem ent acquired the nicknam e o f “ S tum ptow n” as trees w ere cleared for the
grow ing com m unity.
Ferries first linked the east side o f the river to dow ntow n and later w ere replaced by bridges. Soon the city
was exporting food and fiber to finance a diversifying econom y and establish libraries, universities, hotels,
m ansions, hospitals, and the N orthw est’s first opera house. Brick, cast iron and terra cotta buildings w on the
city early architectural praise.
G E N E R A L IN F O R M A T IO N
Population: 1.5 m illion in m etro area; 453,065 w ithin city lim its.
Founded: 1851
Area: 130 square m iles
Elevation: 173 feet A SL
Longitude: 122°, 40" W est
Latitude: 4 5 °, 31" N orth
M iles to the Pacific O cean: 110
M iles to a glacier: 65
A verage January low tem ps: 3 3 .5 °
A verage July high tem ps: 7 9 .5 °
A verage Precip: 37 inches
(less than A tlanta, B altim ore, H ouston or Seattle and sans nasty hum idity!)
A cres o f parks in m etro area: 37,000
N ew spapers: The O regonian is the daily paper. The w eeklies,
The W illam ette W eek and The D ow ntow ner report on entertainm ent and
current events.
International Convention, Portland, Oregon,
August 11-15,1993.
Remember.
THE PORTLAND CONVENTION HAS OUR ATTENTION!
NEW
RATINGS,
CERTIFICATES,
AND AWARDS
WINGS PROGRAM
H olly B rennem an
F elicia H oppe
M aggie W agener
Judy C ochrac
K aren Reed
D onna Stevens
Peg C larke
Chris St. O nge
Evie W ashington
G ay W illiam s
N ancy Kyle
B ernadette H ayw ard
Kay U nderw ood
Terri B rubaker
D onna W eeks
Pat Church
R osem arie V onusa
Carol C olburn
A ndrea De Tourney
Pam ela Parask
Susan T heurkauf
M ary Y arnell
Pat Low ers
K atherine M axfield
Liz D affin
D iane C alhoun
C heryl D ratler
G udi L ashbrook
V erba M oore
Bemice Barris
Doris Lockness
Alma Parker
Geneva McNamee
Phyliss Repine
Toni Reinhard
Johanne Noll
Nina Yates
Jackie Salistean
Barb McClure
Alice Newman
Judy Cochrac
Lori Perry
Donna Stevens
Darlene Pillows
Carolyn Patterson
Mary Sanborn
Terri Komer
Golda Newman
W ashington DC
San Fernando V alley
San Fernando V alley
Lake Erie
L ake Erie
Indiana D unes
Eastern PA
W estern PA
Potom ac
Potom ac
Eastern PA
G olden W est
Sierra Foothills
C oyote C ountry
CFI
IFR
C om m ercial
CFI
CFI
C om m ercial
CFI
M EI
M EI
M EI
IFR C om petency C heck
CFI
C om m ercial
1st O fficer, Beech 190D,
M esa A irlines, Farm ington, NM
IFR
B akersfield
B akersfield
AGI
IFR
M arin C ounty
IFR
Palm s
Seaplane
Palm s
A TP
San F ernando V alley
C om m ercial
San F ernando V alley
C aptain, JetStream
San F ernando V alley
IFR
Santa C lara V alley
IFR
Santa C lara V alley
A TP
Santa C lara V alley
IFR, C om m , M E
Suncoast
Seaplane
Suncoast
C om m , H elicopter
Suncoast
C om m ercial
Suncoast
X
Lake Erie
VIII
Mt. Shasta
VIII
Suncoast
VII
Bakersfield
VII
Suncoast
VI
Aux Plaines
V
Aux Plaines
V
San Fernando Valley
V
Lake Erie
V
Indiana Dunes
IV
San Fernando Valley
III
Lake Erie
III
Lake Erie
II
Indiana Dunes
II
Bakersfield
I
Eastern PA
I
Middle East Section
I
San Fernando Valley
I
San Fernando Valley
ROUTINES AND CEREMONIES
WHAT?” my neighbor sputtered, cast­
ing an incredulous gaze around my apart­
ment at the various compost heaps— dishes,
laundry, paper— that begged for immedi­
ate attention.
“The plane, the Plaaane,” I chorused and,
with the helpless smile I’d perfected upon
first losing my soul to aviation, I left my
friend shaking her head and charged off.
I mused, as 52052 rolled slowly out to the
wash station, how could anyone actually
enjoy washing umpteen dried bug carcasses
off an airplane? Or, taking the question
further, how do we muster enthusiasm for
any of the seemingly mundane routines of
aviation: the 300th preflight, the endless
practice of slow flight, or computing the
fuel? An afternoon at the wash station pro­
vides plenty of time to philosophize about
such matters (small aircraft grow to 747
proportions by the time the hose gets around
to the second wing) and, from the podium
of my stepladder, I decided that one ap­
proach is to make ceremonies of them.
Washing The Airplane, for example, is a
ceremony whose many pleasurable aspects
often prove as rewarding and memorable as
the experience I glean from the cockpit.
Wash day is one of the few times my
communion with an aircraft is not tied to
the Hobbs meter or the aircraft schedule
book, an instructor’s expectations or the
tower’s watchful eye. I get to relax and
renew my acquaintance with the airplane as
well as to absorb the unique aviation dra­
mas that otherwise go unnoticed— some­
times sentimental things like a corporate
pilot off in the distance; an unsmiling, proper
fellow, giving his C-340 a fond pat (when
he was sure no one was watching!). I w on’t
tell, sir, I smile to myself and return to
polishing. The airfield’s history comes to
life before my delighted eyes as a Pitcairn
sashays past and two Stearmans swoop in
formation overhead, huge radial engines
resounding in basso continuo, pilots ’ scarves
streaming in the wind. 1 was reminded of
Len Morgan’s comment about how these
vintage airplanes give us a sense of our own
place in the Big Picture.
And the people that come by to chat when
one is washing an airplane! Some offer
suggestions, share the highlights of a flight
just past or ask a favor. An electrical
engineer’s left oil temperature gauge was
reading too high. Would I come over to his
Seneca and help him check it? “Just tell me
what the gauge says when I hook up the
wires to this voltmeter,” he called. “It’s just
the gauge,” he continued after a bit of
poking with the electrodes. “I told that to
the examiner during my ATP checkride
last week. Examiner said he’d believe me
’cuz I’m an engineer, but his eyes never left
that gauge the whole time. Shortest
checkride I ever took!” We laughed companionably and I promised to keep that in
mind— a neat story, a new friend and the
promise of a ride next week (after he fixes
the gauge). Yes, marvelous things happen
when one goes to wash an airplane.
An afternoon at the wash station also
provides a wonderful opportunity to renew
one’s friendship with the wondrous time
machine whose architectural harmony of
structure and function gets taken for granted
in the business of lessons or the necessity of
zipping from A to B as quickly as possible.
Not on wash days. On wash days, I touch all
the surfaces, paying attention to the most
minute of details I slowly relearn how and
why all the graceful lines come together as
they do, how each surface moves in re­
sponse to my remote urgings from the cock­
pit, how a forward spin of the trim wheel
scrolls upward a tiny tab way back here to
relieve nautilus-like pressure on the yoke. I
quiz m yself about ground school things like
that while I scrub and resolve to pay closer
attention to details every preflight this year.
Making a slow, soapy path around the wings,
I remember how these aluminum wings
have stretched mine to soar above incred­
ible sights, to see the earth as it really is.
Rubbing the oil drool from the nosegear, I
recall how these sturdy feet have touched
the most rural and urban of American geog­
raphy. Massaging the pencil-slim anten­
nae, my appreciation is renewed for their
ability to capture radiowaves, to keep me
unswerving in the clouds or to unfurl a
glideslope welcome back home. Whew. It
never fails that, by the time the plane is
finally scrubbed and polished, I ’ve thor­
oughly renewed my enthusiasm for general
aviation and aviation in general, reac­
quainted myself with the harmony of alu­
minum structure and function, perhaps made
a new friend and collected a story or two.
As I stood in my soapy, wet tennies one
afternoon, admiring the gleaming results of
my ablutions and feeling quite like Pippa in
by M ichelle M arceau
Browning’s poem (“The lark’son the wing;
the snail’s on the thorn: G od’s in His
Heaven— A ll’s right with the world.”),
around the comer appeared a timely ex­
ample of what can happen when everyday
flight routines lose their ceremonial as­
pects. The long tail of the scarlet “Remove
Before Flight” ribbon streamed from the
wing as the C -182 sprinted for the taxi way,
pilot’s attention divided between his chart
and keeping his entry in the track and field
competition more or less centerline. He’s
going to be a long time waiting for Vr
today, I groaned to myself as I dropped the
hose and ran after the Skylane. “Pitot, peetot,
peeeetot!” I shouted. (It didn’t occur to me
until later that a minute of aerobic activity
on the radio could have saved several on my
feet.) Finally noticing the gesticulations of
the madwoman jogging alongside his air­
plane, the pilot squealed on his brakes and
looked over his shoulder to where I was
pointing. Surprise quickly gave way to
recognition and an impressive stream of
cursing that was unfortunately not masked
by engine shutdown. I acknowledged his
brief wave of thanks with a half-smile, half
out-of-breath grimace, and retraced my
steps. You know? An afternoon at the wash
station would do that fellow a world of
good; mellow him out, put him back in
touch with his airplane.
“Credit fo r this strategy belongs to pilot/
astronaut N eil Armstrong. After 300 excursions
to the moon in the LEM and asked how he kept
fro m being bored , he replied, 'On every de­
scent, I remembered that Buzz Aldrin a n d / were
first to land on the moon. I made each excursion
a ceremony and this mindset kept it fresh.'
Although most o f our flights can’t claim the
range o f the Apollo missions, the routines can—
and often should—be ceremonials, too,from the
standpoint o f safety and from the perspective o f
appreciating that we are about to fly. Consider
that a mere 0.1% o f the w orld's population will
ever have the privilege o f piloting an aircraft
right down here in the troposphere."
G I F T IDEA!
BI O G R A PH Y , BURT RUTAN!
Call 301 577-5308
or W rite:
Rollo
MH PRESS
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L a n h a m , MD 20706
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“RISING ABOVE IT”
E dna G a rd n e r W hyte’s Story
by Ann C ooper
Send $22 to
RANDOM HOUSE
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o r call: 1-800-733-3000
“ MY GOD! IT ’S A W O M A N ,”
the autobiography of
NANCY-BIRI) W ALTON
Y our copy can be purchased by sending
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