The First One Thousand AIlC O'I~IS Most of the 184 AOPAers who were among the first 1,001 joining the Association during its founding months in 1939 are still on the rolls and maintain close contacts with aviation •• To an AOPA member, and every ther brief statements on their current Of possible interest is the fact that other pilot and aircraft owner the world activities or messages to be shared with out of the first 1,001 AOPA registra• over, the next best thing to actually the membership in this anniversary is• tions, the longest string of unbroken flying is a "hangar flying" session with sue. numbers still active belongs to: fellow pilots, friends, or acquaintances Part of the statements and comments Louis Schwitzer, Jr. (AOPA 623), of -or even complete strangers who are received by The PILOT are located on Carmel, Ind.; W. W. Gordon (AOPA nonpilots, as long as they can properly the accompanying pages in a condensed 624), of Savannah, Ga.; Donald E. Todd understand and appreciate the art of pi• and abbreviated form necessitated by (AOPA 625), of Tuscaloosa, Ala.; An• loting an aircraft. the large number of replies. The balance thony Hanzlik (AOPA 626), of Long Is• Preceding every hangar flying session of the statements and comments will be land City, N.Y.; Wilhelmina Hanzlik and chance meeting with fellow pilots featured in subsequent issues of The (AOPA 627), Long Island City, N.Y.; are the inevitable-but necessary and PILOT this year in observance of AOPA's and C. W. Chiles (AOPA 628), Spring• indispensable-questions, "How are year-long 30th Anniversary. Photographs field, Ill. you? ... Where have you been? of each of the early members will be Schwitzer, a past president and What have you been doing?" run in the monthly issue which con• member of the Indianapolis Aero Club, Since the AOPA flying fraternity has tains each member's respective state• and a member of the Indiana Hangar of grown too large for every member to ment or comments. Quiet Birdmen, is like many of the early keep tabs on every other member and Some statements, like those from four members in that he learned to fly dur• exchange flying experiences, The PILOT members of the Association's Board of ing the late 1920's and early 1930's. As sent out a call to locate the earliest Trustees who hold AOPA numbers 5, was the case with several early mem• AOPA members and have them at least 6, 7, and 45, are featured in a special bers, Schwitzer forwarded his reply to answer the "How ... \Vhere ... and article in this issue. A message from The PILOT while engaging in the favor• What" questions. The response was AOPA President J. B. Hartranft, Jr., ite pastime of many AOPAers-travel• large and, as expected, included some holder of AOPA number 2, appears as ing. "This is being written while in comments which normally would crop the lead article in this issue, and Igor Hawaii on a trip to the Orient," up in a hangar flying session. I. Sikorsky, holder of AOPA number 29, Schwitzer said in his letter. Those contacted are among the first is featured in a separate article in this "I had my first airplane ride in 1925 1,001 pilots and aircraft owners to join issue on the development of "high-speed in a single-engine Fokker over the Ba• the AOPA. Many are known nationally, VTOL" aircraft. (Like many other varian Alps in Germany," Schwitzer some even internationally, for their AOPAers over the years, Sikorsky shows reported. His "first personal contact business and personal achievements in this month's article that he is not with flying" was in 1929 in an OX-5 both in and out of aviation. afraid to take a stand almost directly Waco during a flight over Indiana. "I so• Regardless of whether or not they opposite from that considered the "popu• loed in 1933 at Lunken Airport, Cincin• have been in the public eye, these mem• lar" view on a current aviation matter.) nati, in a Kinner-a two-place, side-by• bers over the years have exhibited a Also missing from this group of con• side, open, low-wing ship with 125 h.p. trait of remaining steadfast in their solidated statements is a "statement" Obtained my private license in 1936 in faith and confidence in general aviation from Max Karant, AOPA Senior Vice a Waco F and got my multi-engine land and their own personal flying fraternity President and holder of AOPA number and sea rating in 1946 in a Grumman -AOPA. All threw their support behind 18. Max shares his thoughts on this Widgeon." Further information on the AOPA during the embryonic months 30th Anniversary observance in this Schwitzer's activities is included in his of mid-1939 when the Association took month's editorial. condensed statement which will appear its first hesitant steps. Their support has Attesting to the steadfastness of the in a subsequent issue of The PILOT. been unfaltering ever since, and they early members is the fact that 33 of Many early AOPAers paid compli• formed the initial nucleus of what is AOPA's first 200 members are still ac• ments in their statements to AOPA's now the world's largest pilot and air• tive despite normal attrition, the war long-time staff members and to achieve• craft owner organization. years and other calamities over the past ments of the Association over the years. A total of 184 of the original 1,001 three decades. A running box score of Most of the words of praise were deleted members are still active in AOPA ranks the first 1,001 members finds 12 of the from the statements to provide the max• as of this 30th Anniversary observance first 50 still active, in Association af• imum amount of space to the individual of the Association's birth. Five years fairs, 33 of the first 200, 29 of the first members involved. Comments from Leo ago, on AOPA's 25th Anniversary, there 300, 78 of the first '400, 98 of the first J. Scheberle (AOP A 614) best summa• were 201 remaining within this select 500, 117 of the first 600, 138 of the first rize the complimentary words in the group. Almost 65% of the remaining 700, 154 of the first 800, 168 of the first statements from the early members: 184 took time out from their personal 900 and, as mentioned earlier, a grand "The intervening years have proved to schedules to furnish The PILOT with ei- total of 184 of the first 1,001. me that AOPA is the finest pilots' and 84 THE AOPA PILOT I MAY 1969 ( •..~~~ ' - Brian Aherne (AOPA 9) Harry A. Bruno (AOPA 12) John M. Wells (AOPA 34) Joseph J. Trapuzzano (AOPA 43) Kenneth E. Benson (AOPA 74) ~~ ..... ~ Marion "Babe" Ruth (AOPA 109) W. H. Ice (AOPA 115) Jean Adams Shaw (AOPA 116) Robert C. Quinlan (AOPA 122) Loren L. Cluster (AOPA 137) Robert Beasley (AOPA 144) Roland M. Smith (AOPA 195) Col. Waldo B. Jones (AOPA 198) Dr. Eugene Smith (AOPA 201) Elmer E. Wood (AOPA 202) -- L. A. Muller (AOPA 260) Edward A. Zoeller (AOPA 268) Albert C. Potter (AOPA 274) Dr. John F. Roberts (AOPA 279) 85 airplane owners' organization in the na• tion. I have always been proud of the accomplishments of the dedicated lead• ers and members of AOPA, and of my association with the organization. "It is undeniably the most vocal and effective instrument for the attainment of the rights and desires of the many members and, indeed, of all of the 'general aviation' people. Keep up the good work." The PILOT editors express their sin• cere apologies for not being able to re• print in full and share with all members the entire statements from the early members because of space limitations. In addition, apologies are extended for the necessity of reducing to a uniform size the many photographs which were requested and supplied by the early members. Unfortunately, a small number of the personal photographs supplied by the early members were technically unre• producible for various reasons. Despite these shortcomings, the PILOT editors hope the membership will enjoy hearing from and about the remaining first 1,001 as much as the AOPA staff has. The condensed statements are presented in numerical order consistent with the AOPA number held by each member. Brian Aherne (AOPA 9), Vevey, Switzer• land. Screen and stage celebrity Brian Aherne lives on the shores of Lake Ge• neva. He now travels and flies "to the sunshine in the winters," he said, but added, "alas, I fly the airlines and not my own plane. I have written the story of my foolish life, which will be pub• lished in October by the Houghton, Mif• flin Company under the title, 'A Proper Job.' Those of our members who have the decency to buy the book will read quite a bit about my flying days, from the 1920's into the 1950's." To young AOPA members contemplating marriage, Aherne says: "Marry a girl who likes to fly and who likes to play golf, and re• ject all others. By so doing, you will en• sure that both your middle and your later years will be filled with interest and enjoyment." Harry A. Bruno (AOPA 12), New York, N.Y. Bruno is the visionary and the ac• tive booster of aviation he has always been since his first teenage flight in a homemade glider back in 1910. While his 46-year-old public relations firm, H.