We Are Now Open Wed-Sat 10-4 March 2021 Newsletter

WE ARE NOW OPEN WED-SAT 10-4 MARCH 2021 NEWSLETTER

816-234-1011 [email protected] 10 Richards Road Kansas City, MO 64116

From the Director, Pam Blaschum. . . Board of Directors Pam Blaschum-Director My office at the museum is a small room, well-hidden from our public area. I Judy Gerling usually start my day there, but it’s only a matter of time before I take a Alice Wasko “break” and find myself on the museum floor, often engaging our visitors in Nancy Sitzmann-Secretary conversation. I love meeting our visitors and sometimes the results can be John Mays-Library & Research pretty amazing. Chris Funk-Treasurer A couple of years ago, I saw a young man taking photographs at one of our Belinda Hobbs timeline boards that features a photo of Pope John Paul II preparing to depart on a TWA airplane taking him from St. Louis to Rome, in 1999. When I asked Archivists him if he was photographing anything special, he pointed to the photo and Carol Emert, Archivist replied, “I’m taking a picture of my Grandpa.” In my usual “diplomatic” man- Zana Allen ner, I said, “The Pope is your Grandpa?”. “No, no,” he laughed. “My Grandpa Joe Ballweg was the Captain who flew the Pope that evening. I fly for United Express and Mark Murtha my dad is a United Captain.” An interesting enough story, but it’s far from over. BSA Merit Badge Program Fast-forward to a few weeks ago. I approached a visitor and asked her about Art Lujin the TWA t-shirt she was wearing. Kris Renihan is a Delta flight attendant with John Wildman a TWA heritage, as her dad was a TWA Captain. She further told me one of his proudest career accomplishments was flying the Pope. Wait…The Pope? I Volunteer Coordinator took her to the previously mentioned timeline board and told her the story of Friends of the Museum Liaison the young man I had met there a couple of years ago. Well, you guessed it: Belinda Hobbs The Captain who was called “Grandpa” is indeed her father, retired TWA Cap- tain Rick Kisling. His grandson (who was taking the picture two years ago) is Blog Editor Andrew Kisling, who is the nephew of Kris and the son of her brother, United Wayne Hammer Captain Pete Kisling. Wait… Believe it or not, there’s more. Media Relations During the development of the TWA Hotel at New Judy Gerling York’s Kennedy Airport, Kris’ dad and her mom Joy got to know Tyler Morse, the hotel’s developer (and a Hangar Dance Event good friend of our museum). Rick and Joy helped to Newsletter procure TWA memorabilia for some of the hotel’s dis- Nancy Sitzmann plays. So, I took Kristin to our display of items from the TWA hotel. I showed her one of the commemorative Golf Tourney Planners plastic hardhats that had been given to us by Tyler Frank von Geyso & Steve Wood Morse’s staff and then I decided to make a deal with Kris. I gave her one of our hardhats on the condition that she wear it on her next flight. Here’s Kris upholding her end of the deal: Page 2

From the Director, Pam Blaschum continued. . . .

And to think this all started with my seeing a young man taking a picture! As I said at the beginning, sometimes our encounters with our wonderful visitors produce some pretty amazing results! Our best wishes to Kris and the entire Kisling family. Thanks for being a part of our museum’s family too.

From the upper left going clockwise: United Airlines Captain Pete Kisling, Pete’s son, United First Officer Andrew (the picture-taker I met a couple of years ago), Pete’s son Endeavor Airlines First Officer Austin and proud father and “Grandpa”, retired TWA Captain Rick Kisling

FROM OUR MUSEUM’S BLOG

In addition to our Photo of The Week, we periodically publish articles about TWA’s history. This past August, we published one called “A Day With The Convairs”

It’s the story of a young man from the Netherlands who visited the U.S. in 1977. A self-described “aircraft buff”, one of his destinations was Kansas City, to see 25 retired TWA Convair 880 jets, all parked together at TWA’s overhaul base. Not only did he see them, but some helpful TWA employees were able to obtain permission for him to enter the area in which they were parked. The result was a great story and some amazing photographs of a legend- ary fleet of TWA airplanes. The article can be found in our blog’s “Short Hauls” section, which contains essays (written and photographic) about TWA. Interested in reading it? Simply go to www.twamuseum.com/blog. Once there, scroll down to “Explore Our Blog” and then go to the “Short Hauls” section. While on our blog’s home page, we suggest you also go to our “Keep Us With Us” section and consider joining our blog’s mailing list. We’ll keep you updated about photos, articles and items of interest added to the blog. . Page 3

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT THE TWA MUSEUM LIBRARY?

Library Staff Volunteers are: Joe Ballweg, Mark Murtha, and John Mays.

The TWA Museum’s Library is staffed by three volunteers who are assigned to evaluate, preserve, and arrange records and documents. Depending on their specialization, they handle books, documents, photographs, audio/ video recordings, and other materials, storing them over the long-term based on the Museum’s established protocols. They also make information within the archives more accessible to the public, usually by promoting its contents, assisting with archive perusal, and creating digital copies of materials. The Museum’s digital collection is the largest collection of TWA materials in the world. The Museum currently offers two websites for on-line research: https://brendashoreskc.com/twa/twamuseum.php http://www.twamuseumarchives.org/

Our volunteers are constantly analyzing materials, examining their authenticity, historical context, physical condition, and content of the material. This allows them to identify defects and to determine whether to include the materials in the Museum’s collections. Per Museum protocols, the volunteers are responsible for preserving materials correctly. They are knowledgeable about conservation and storage techniques, especially if the materials come from different time-periods. Because some of our materials may require specific environmental conditions for storage, our volunteers carefully monitor the need for additional preservation measures.

Since our primary mission is preservation, the archives areas of the TWA Museum offers only limited public ac- cess. The Library considers research requests individually, with preference given to former employees of TWA and their families, and academic and public-benefit projects (i.e. scholars and researchers working on materials related to TWA for publication). For more in-depth topics, we may ask that you plan a visit to the Museum’s Li- brary. It is important to realize that our Library is an all-volunteer operation. The Library can answer brief/general questions concerning TWA history and aircraft; however, due to staffing limitations, our volunteers cannot con- duct in-depth research for the public without cost. 100% of all research fees support the Museum's operations and are not retained by any staff member or volunteer. Fees may be waived if the TWA Museum and the re- searcher have agreed to work on a collaborative effort that benefits the Museum's historical archives. Requests made by family/descendants of TWA employees regarding their history with TWA will be fulfilled at no cost.

All requests for information about the museum's history or aircraft must be written and sent via e-mail to the address listed below. We also cannot support same-day requests. Please do not ask for information that is too broad in scope – we have so much material available that we cannot comply with such a request. Research requests and visits must have specific goals and be narrow in scope. The Library cannot support generic information requests or visits in- tended simply to browse our collections. For example, we cannot support such requests as "I want to know what you have on the Lockheed Constella- tion -L 749 aircraft." Each research visit is approved based on its own research merit.

Researchers must make appointments for visits - no walk-in requests will be accepted. Please email for an appointment as far in advance of your planned visit as possible, as volunteer availability is limited and the Museum may be temporarily closed to accommodate other events or due to the current pandemic. Additionally, some materials may require advanced preparation.

Page 4

Library Continued from page 3. . . Photocopies are available for a fee to researchers. Laptop computers may be used in the archives library; however, Internet service may be limited. Digital cameras and small desktop scanners are permitted with prior approval from the Library.

Written requests for information or in-person research should include the following information: - Complete name - Title - Mailing address and email address - Telephone number (including area code) and extension (if applicable) - Complete and detailed information request and/or questions (be specific) - Purpose for in-person visit/project synopsis (if applicable)

All research requests must be written and sent via email to: TWA Museum Archives Department John Mays, Librarian [email protected]

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS!

We had almost 6600 volunteer hours in 2020. This is in spite of our 10 week shutdown. We also have several volunteers who have not been able to return due to Covid. We appreciate ALL of our Volunteers and thanks to all who have been able to continue to volunteer. We hope to see more of our volunteers back when they feel safe.

We are now open Wednesday – Saturday from 10-4.

Volunteer Profile– Joe Hobbs

Joe began his TWA career in April 1958 as a Cargo Agent in Newark, NJ. He went on to an Operations Agent and Ramp Supervisor. In January 1973, Joe joined the DCS (Director Customer Service) program and flew international out of JFK. When that program ended in 1976, He became an Inflight Supervisor and Crew Scheduler in Kansas City. In 1983 he went back to JFK as a Field Manager. He returned to Kansas City working at the airport in Load Control. He then went to St Louis as a Cargo Supervisor for three years and then back to Kansas City as a Stores Supervisor. In 1991, Joe finally got a job he was most qualified for – Retirement. He retired in August of 1991 and moved to Louisville, KY to join his wife who had left TWA in 1990 to go to work for United Parcel Service. In April 2017, they returned to Kansas City. In June of that year, he began to volunteer at the TWA Museum. Joe enjoys sharing his TWA experiences with visitors to the Museum. He especially enjoys working with the Thurs- day volunteers. Page 5

REUNION AT THE TWA MUSEUM WITH A TRICYCLE! A few weeks ago, retired TWA mechanic Greg Goold visited our museum to donate memorabilia he had from his days with TWA. Such visits are always special to us, as these donations have interesting and often heartfelt stories attached to them. As is our custom with people who donate to the museum in person, we invited him to spend some time with us and look around. As he was walking through the main gallery, he stopped at our maintenance display and said, “That’s my tricycle!” As the name implies, maintenance tricycles were three-wheeled utility carts that workers pedaled to get themselves and their materials around TWA’s massive maintenance and overhaul base next to Kansas City International Airport. Greg im- mediately recognized his. He further explained it was in “pretty bad shape back in the day”, so he had renovated it, giving it a new rear tire and a new coat of paint. Adjacent is a photo of Greg reunited with a memory from his past. Nice going, Greg and thanks for your donations and for stopping by.

THE TWA MUSEUM PROUDLY PRESENTS THE NEW “CONNIE” SIMULATOR MODULE!

The TWA Museum now has a new simulator module. The cabinet was built by Picture & Frame Company in Kan- sas City, and it looks fantastic, very professionally done. It replaces the old cabinet which was starting to show its age.

The picture above shows the new design. The same screens, controls and computer were used, refitted and cali- brated, and it basically flies the same. You will want to take it for a spin (no, that would not be good), rather take it for a flight, the next time you visit. Have fun and Happy Flying! Page 6

Shopping in the TWA Museum Gift Shop A majority of our visitor’s favorite TWA aircraft is “The Connie”. Throughout the Museum, we have several Connie aircraft models on display. In the Ambassador’s Club and Board Room, we have them hanging from the ceiling. The Connie has been referred to as “The Queen of the Skies”. We have a Super Connie Christmas tree ornament made of resin and marble with painted graphics which sells for $15.00. The ornament has a 4.25 inch wingspan. Another new item to the Gift Shop is a Postage Stamp series Die Cast Miniature Model of the Super Connie. Each miniature model has an embossed display and is 1:300 scale. The model is in a box and can be shipped or picked up at the TWA Museum. The price is $35.00. Are you looking for a new doormat for your entry? Add some aviation flair to your front doorway with an Arri- vals and Departures Doormat. The measurements are 18 X 30 and is made of 70% coir and 30% PVC. The doormat is priced at $32.00.

TWA Museum 2021 Hangar Dance and Golf Tournament Update We are sad to report due to the continued pandemic and shortage of vac- cine, we will be postponing the April Hangar Dance for 2021. Both the Hangar Dance and the Golf Tournament are tentatively scheduled for September but a date has not been determined yet. Watch for future emails and announcements with hopefully new dates to look forward to! We know many of you were disappointed these events had to be canceled in 2020. We were too. These were to be our major fundraising events for the year but as importantly, they were opportunities for us to get together with our many friends who would have attended. We are grateful to those of you who made donations to help us better absorb the financial losses that re- sulted from the cancellations. With Covid we have still been able to keep our doors open but as you might expect visitor numbers have been much lower than in past years. Please consider making a donation to the TWA Museum to help us keep the history of this fine airline alive and the huge part it played in Kansas City’s history! Page 7 The History of the Link Trainer

The Link “Blue Box” is the great-grandfather of aircraft simulators. It was created in 1927 by Edwin Albert Link, an experienced pilot himself. The first Link trainer was made from scrap parts Edwin salvaged from his father’s piano and organ company. He used punched roll and pneumatic systems from the player pianos to power the trainer and give the simulator pilots the motions and sensation of flight. As the photo below shows, the struc- ture is a small airframe with wings and tail surfaces. The cockpit contains flight instruments and interactive controls. There is also a “pullover” hood used to isolate the pilot from outside visual distractions. In the 1930s, the U.S. Army purchased Link trainers for their student pilots and during World War II, several thousand army pilots trained in them. One of the Link trainers, manufactured in 1943, was presented to TWA in 1991 by the Flight and Ground Train- ing Program at (what was then) Central Missouri State University. It was displayed at TWA’s training center in St. Louis. When the center closed after the American Airlines acquisition, the trainer was moved to the KCI Ex- position Center in Kansas City, which served as the early home of the TWA Museum. For several years now, the trainer has been on display in the lobby of Signature Flight Support at Kansas City’s Wheeler Downtown Airport. If that location sounds familiar, it’s the same building that houses our museum. Due to remodeling of their lobby, Signature returned the trainer to us. We are proud to now display it next to our Lockheed Electra 12A airplane, in the hangar. We hope you’ll come by to take a look at it. It’s an incredible piece of aviation history! It’s also quite possible some of our veteran “pilot visitors” may have logged some time in Link’s “Blue Box”.

. . .Submitted by John Coleman

TWA Firsts!!! ...Was the first airline to develop and use the quick-frozen pre-cooked method of food preparation, packaging and shipping, for in-flight meal service - (1947) Page 8 Royal Ambassador Service Iron Skillet Chicken 4 boneless chicken breasts 2 eggs 1 c. flour 1 c. milk 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning 2 c. white bread crumbs Wash and dry the chicken breasts. Mix flour and poultry seasoning. Combine eggs and milk in bowl and beat slightly. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour. Dip in egg and milk mixture and then roll in bread crumbs to evenly coat. Place on wire rack. Lower breaded chicken breasts into hot deep oil (350) and fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Drain on absorbent paper towel and keep hot. Slice with sharp knife into 3/4 inch slices. Place on serving platter. Top with sweet-and-sour sauce and serve at once. Makes 4 servings. Sweet-and-Sour Sauce: 1/2 c. water 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice 1/2 c. white vinegar 1 trace Tabasco Sauce 1/4 c. pineapple juice 1 trace ginger 1/4 c. ketchup 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 c. orange juice 1 TBL. Cornstarch 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 small can pineapple chunks (24 chunks) 1/4 tsp. powdered sugar (drained) Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup water. Place all remaining ingredients except pineapple chunks in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Slowly add cornstarch mixture to saucepan, stirring constantly until mixture returns to a simmer. Add drained pineapple chunks and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Note: September 1972. This is probably the most popular recipe TWA ever served!

From the Archives. . . . The Archives is initiating a project that requires the type of wooden hangers used in the wide body First Class coat closets. A volunteer is offering to cover the hangers with archival material to properly hang cataloged uniform pieces. If anyone has some of these, we would appreciate it if you would consider donating them for use in this project. In addition, the museum collection is in need of a Ralph Lauren maternity uniform, Royal Am- bassador champagne flutes, Royal Ambassador soup bowls & a Royal Ambassador carving board, & Asian TWA China.

Page 9 Thank you Dennis Claus

Once again our thanks go out to Dennis Claus for all the great work he has done for us. He worked with Greg Tyler to assemble our Lockheed 1011 cockpit procedures trainer. Next was instrumental in reassembling our 727/707 cabin trainer. Then onto the aft cabin door of the cabin trainer. What a nice job framing it in. He proceeded to lay the entire floor of the cabin trainer room and then built a ramp to the entry door so we would be ADA compliant. Wait, he’s not finished. Now he is building a platform for real cockpit seats for our “Connie” sim. Dennis, our heartfelt thanks for all you’ve done to make our museum what it is today. You are a master craftsman!

Those were the days. . . Page 10

THANK YOU! The TWA Museum would like to thank the following businesses for their support in so many ways! IWERX for allowing us use of their space for events!

MCR for our partnership with the new TWA Hotel at the former TWA Terminal at JFK and their generous donation!

Community America for their history and partnership in the future with the TWA Museum!

Perfection Floor Tile for the wonderful flooring including logos that they have provided for the Museum and our new Ambassador club!

Signature Flight Support for allowing us to hold our TWA Museum 1940’s Style Hangar Dance each spring as our annual fundraiser!

Silver Wings International for their generous annual donation!

Also thank you to our wonderful TWA former employees who have donated items and money to make sure we preserve the history of TWA here in Kansas City as well as the world.

Did you know you can support the TWA Museum simply by shopping??? Go to smile. Ama- zon.com and igive.com and list the TWA Museum as your favorite charity. A small portion of your purchase price will be sent to the Museum every time you shop!

We’re Looking for missing Skyliners! Our Archivists are looking for the following Skyliners! Check your attics and storage boxes and see if you can help us find the following: Any issues from 1929 thru 1978 1979 need issues #10 , 11 1984 need issues #20, 22, 23 1986 need issues #1, 16 thru to last issue. Do not know how many issues that year. 1987 need issue #8, 11

Page 11 Volunteers

Zana Allen Joe Ballweg Museum Legacy Society Bob Blanc Pam Blaschum The TWA Museum Legacy Society has been established to provide you the opportunity to commit a gift during your lifetime that will help preserve the Margo Cabillonar TWA Museum for years to come! Larry Chalberg, Sr Dying is not something we want to think about. However, if we want to Dennis Claus have a say in what happens after our passing, we need to make sure our Kevin Clossick wishes are known ahead of time. If in lieu of flowers you would like Memo- rial Donations made to the TWA Museum in your memory or the memory of John Coleman a loved one, make sure that your loved ones are told of your wishes or if you Dean & Carol Conner would like to leave part of your estate to the museum, make sure it is put in Chris Elkins-McFaden your will or trust to that effect. Carol Emert All of the memorial Donations are tax deductible as the Museum is a 501C Non-Profit. Keith Epperson Chris & Sandy Funk Museum Library Hours Dale Gay Judy Gerling 10-4 PM by Appointment Wayne Hammer For more detailed museum information, please visit our website at Joe & Belinda Hobbs TWAMUSEUM.COM. Upon payment of the museum entry fee, simply ad- Matt Larson vise your welcome volunteer of your intent to visit the library and a volunteer will escort you to the Library. If you have any questions, please con- Janet Lhuiller tact John Mays at 913-515-0080 or via email at [email protected] Larry & Marcia Lillge Don Lueke Art Lujin MAKE YOUR PROM OR ENGAGEMENT A Gary Mayden SPECIAL MEMORY AT THE TWA MUSEUM John Mays We have had several requests for Prom and Engage- Lori Moore ment Pictures to be taken with Ellie, in our vintage David Morningstar phone booths or in the Ambassador Club. Now we can include our Cabin Trainer! We Mark Murtha love to get our pictures out there and Nina Newberry welcome the opportunity for those special moments in Farnk Ruege, Jr time. A $25.00 donation is suggested for personal phone photos and a $50.00 donation for professional photogra- Nancy Sitzmann phers. Reservations are recommended so we can secure Mark Townsend the volunteers we need to help with this one of a kind Greg Tyler opportunity. Call the Museum at 816-234-1011 to make your reservation! Frank Von Geyso Alice Wasko TWA Museum Hours John Wildman Wednesday - Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM Steve Wood Donation Form Friend of the Museum Your support ensures that the Legacy of TWA and it’s influence Additionally, if you would like to become a Friend of the on early aviation remains intact within future generations, and Museum, please choose fro the Options below: for that WE THANK YOU!

_____Individual - $45.00 If you would like to make a donation through this newsletter, Benefits: Member card, unlimited free museum admission 1 please fill out the following form and mail it to the volunteers at: year, a 10% discount in the gift shop and online sales, and ad- TWA Museum vance notice to special events and exhibits. 10 Richards Road, Suite 110 (Senior $35.00) Kansas City, Missouri 64116 _____Family (Mother, Father, Son, Daughter)-$75.00 Name______Benefits: Member card, unlimited free museum admission for family members 1 year, a 10% discount in the gift shop and online sales, and advance notice to special events and exhibits. Address______(Senior $65.00)

______Lifetime-$1,000.00 Benefits: Member card, free family entry life of the member, Phone Number:______10% discount on all merchandise, newsletter, advance notice of special events and exhibits.

Amount Enclosed: ___$250 ___$500 ____$750 ___$1000 ___Other______Founders Club-$2,500.00 Benefits: Member card, free family entry life of donor, 10% discount on all merchandise, newsletter, advance notice of special events and exhibits, PERMANENT RECOGNITION on beautiful plaque displayed in the TWA Museum.

TWA Museum 10 NW Richards Rd Kansas City, MO 64116-4253