Northern Wings

Northern Wings Volume 6 No.7 The Aero Club of Northern California Official Newsletter Of Animal Husbandry Fall2006 Aero Club to present Crystal Eagle to air show legend SeanD.Tucker With more than 20,000 hours flight In fact, the Smithsonian Air and time in his pilot’s logbook, much of Space Museum made it official three that flying maneuvers no others can years ago, naming Tucker one of 25 duplicate, and air show performances “Living Legends of Flight.’’ for 60 million fans, Sean D. Tucker Later this month, Tucker will join Sean D. Tucker in the air can be considered an aviation legend. another list of aviation’s best when he receives the 2006 Crystal Eagle Award, given annually by the Aero Club of Northern California to honor those whose achievements are among the highest in aviation. The award will be presented during theAeroClub’s annual Crystal Eagle Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, October 28, at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos. The Crystal Eagle Award was first presented by the Aero Club in 1983 to legendary aviator Gen. Jimmy Doolittle. Past recipients include Gen. Chuck Yeager, Stanley Hiller Jr., Jim Nissen, Burt Rutan, George Cooper, Jeana Yeager, Frank Christensen, James S. Ricklefs, Darryl Greenamyer, Robert “Hoot” Gibson, --Team Oracle photos Sean D. Tuckerwill be the 2006 Crystal Eagle honoree. Paul Poberezny, Wayne Handley, Hangar One wins reprieve from Navy Crystal Eagle Dinner Bowing to intense pressure from of destruction versus restoration of the Date:Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006 the community and elected officials, building. Reception: 6:30 p.m. theU.S.Navy is re-evaluating its plan A new recommendation has not yet Dinner: 7:30 p.m. to tear down Moffett Field’s historic been made, nor haveofficials said Location: Hiller Aviation Museum, Hangar One. when one will be issued. 601 Skyway Road at San Carlos Instead of demolishing the huge Thereprievecame after a year- Airport. dirigible hangar because of toxic long effort by the Save Hangar One Cost: $60 for Aero Club members, contaminationleaching from the metal Committee, hundreds ofMountain $75 for non-members, including skininto the groundwater, the View and Sunnyvale residentsand a museum admission. Navy re-studied the comparative costs (Continued on Page 3) Reservations:(408) 646-7139 Page 2 Northern Wings Fall_2006 History corner Robert Fowler– first aviator to fly from west to east When newspaper magnate Fowler and Calbraith Perry Fowler also was the first to fly William Randolph Hearstin 1911 Rodgers were competing for the coast to coast non-stop-- 40 miles offered a $50,000 prize to the first $50,000 prize offered by Hearst. from the Pacific to the Atlantic over person to fly coast to coast in 30 Fowlerflew to near Jacksonville, the Panama Canal in April 1913. days,aviation pioneer Robert G. Fla. in 112 days, following railroad He had been hired by Sunset Fowlerof San Joseleaped at the tracks and stopping each night.He magazine in Menlo Park to chance. was in the air for 49 of those, photograph the Panama Canal. Fowler, born inGilroyin 1884, surviving many crashes and 65 Sunset at the time was owned by was an automobile race driver. In forced landings. The other days Southern Pacific Railroad, which 1910,he took three hours offlight were spent on the ground to repair viewed the canal as serious instruction from Orville Wright and his plane or because ofbadweather. competitionto transcontinental train graduated as a pilot.Responding to service and wanted to showits Rodgers flew from Brooklyn to Hearst’s challenge, in 1911-1912 he vulnerability to air attack. So Fowler Pasadena in 84 days. Neither got the became the first person to flyacross prize, although Rodgers went into shipped his Fowler-Gage airplane to the countryfrom west to east. He the record book for the first Panama, loaded it up with a flew a Wright Model B biplane with photographer and flew from ocean transcontinental flight.But Fowler the four-cylinder engine driving twin to ocean to take pictures of the was the first to fly west to east. propellers with chains. canal under construction. When the photos were published Corporate pilotSandra J. Clifford named to Aero Club Board FormerAero Club Treasurer in Sunset magazine, Fowler and several others were arrested for JohnC.Pfahnldies atage83 treason because the picturesshowed military installations. The charges Former Aero Club Treasurer John destroyer and was transferred to a were eventually dropped. C. Pfahnl, a World War II Navy troop transport off the beach at Iwo. combat pilot and longtime San Jose From the ship, he witnessed the In the early 1950s, a plaque certified public accountant, died June Marines raising the United States flag honoring Fowler was put up in the Aileen Nissen, widow of Crystal Eagle honoree James Nissen, dies 18 at age 83. on the island’s highest point, Mount San Joseairport terminal, and later Pfahnl was a Suribachi. moved to the new terminal in1965. member of the But ithas mysteriously disappeared. Hewas next assigned to fly F6F Aero Club board The early aviator died in his San Hellcat fighter planes for the invasion for 16 years, and Jose home in 1966 at age 81. of Japan, but the war ended. servedas treasurer for the After his discharge from the active last 13years. He Navy,Pfahnl obtained his certified resigned last public accountant credential atGolden spring because of Rick Willson– president Gate University in San Francisco and Carl Honaker– vice president ill health. joined a national accounting firm. In Eric Peterson– treasurer John Pfahnl Hisaviation 1964, hestarted his own accounting Ray Hutchings– secretary Ron Blake– past president history goes back to 1942 when he business in San Jose. enlisted in the Navy. He received his Jerry Bennett– director Pfahnl resumed flying in general Sandra J. Clifford–director Navy wings in 1943, and was assigned aviation aircraft. He became a partner Janet Russell Hitt– director to fly TBM Avenger torpedo bombers in a Beechcraft Bonanza A-36, which Frank Kirkbride– director from the aircraft carrier USS Thomas E. Leonard– director carried him on many long-range Bismarck Sea in the Pacific.He Harold Oberg– director flights across the United States and to James Ricklefs– director participated in the invasions of the Alaska and Mexico, and across the Sharon K. Sweeney– director Philippines and Iwo Jima. Atlantic to Europe. Scott Yelich– director Onthe night of Feb. 23, 1945, as Frank Sweeney–director andnewsletter editor the carrier cruised the waters off Iwo Heis survived byhis wife of 58 years, Betty. They hadfour sons, ten Northern Wingsis published quarterly by Jima, two Japanese kamikaze aircraft the Aero Club of Northern California, an slammed into the ship, sinking it. grandchildren and three great- affiliate of the National Aeronautic Pfahnl was rescued by a Navy grandchildren. Association. Fall2006 Northern Wings Page 3 Moffett’s historic Aero Club members tour Wings of History Hangar One wins reprieve from Navy (Continuedfrom Page1) strongly worded letter from Rep. Anna Eshoo and signed by the entire Bay Area congressional delegation that said demolition would be“a travesty.’’ Hangar One supporters want it preserved, possibly for use as a West Coast air and space museum. Last May, the Navy said demolition would cost about $12 million, while restoration and cleanup would cost twice as much. But that didn’t square with a 2003 studycommissioned byNASA that put the cost of demolition at --Northern Wings photos Aero Club members toured the $30 million. The NASA consultants Wings of History air museum said it would cost $2.6 million more adjacent to South County Airport in to destroy the1933-vintagehangar San Martin this summer. The than to save it. The Navy has not museum contains more thantwo disclosed the latest estimated costs dozenantique aircraft and for restoration and demolition. countless otheraviation artifacts. Hangar One was built to house Above, Aero Club President Rick Willson inspectsvintagebiplane. At the USS Macon, a 785-foot-long left, Willson talks withMuseum dirigible that was lost in a storm off Director John McMain. Big Sur in 1935. Crystal Eagle recipients: Air show pilotSean D. Tucker 1983– James “Jimmy’’ Doolittle 1984– Charles E. “Chuck’’ Yeager to receive2006 Crystal Eagleaward (Continued from Page 1) 1985– Stanley Hiller Jr. 1992, he was awardedair show 1986– William “Bill’’ Lear A. Scott Crossfield, Clay Lacy, Elgen flying’stopawards-- the Art Scholl 1987– James M. “Jim” Nissen Long and Eileen Collins. Memorial Showmanship Award and 1988– Anthony W. “Tony” LeVier Tucker, who lives in Monterey the Bill Barber Award. 1989– Elbert “Burt” L. Rutan County, began his air show career in The Aero Club also will present 1990– George S. Cooper the mid-1970s after learning to fly 1991– Allen E.Paulson National Aeronautic Association aerobatics from Amelia Reid at Reid- 1992– Jeana Yeager Certificate awards to air museum Hillview Airport in San Jose. 1993– Robert T. Jones founder Ronald Reuther, warbird Interestingly enough, he took the restorer Art Teeters and agricultural 1994– Frank L. Christensen aerobatic training from Reid because 1995– James S. Ricklefs aircraft manufacturerJohn Weatherly he still had a fear of flying after 1996– Darryl G. Greenamyer for their life-long contributions to the earning his private pilot’s license in 1997– Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson advancement of flight. 1969. Advancereservationsare necessary 1998– Donald D. Engen Since then, he has flown more than 1999– Paul H. Poberezny 700 performances at morethan 300 air becauseseating is limited and the 2000– Wayne Handley dinner is expected to be sold out. shows. More than half of his air show Tickets, including museum admission, 2001– Igor I. Sikorsky maneuvers are original and have never 2002– A. Scott Crossfield are $60 each for Aero Club members been duplicated by another pilot.

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