Wingtips May 2003

Some Notable Women in Aviation History Part 1

• 1906: E. Lillian Todd (USA) – First woman to design and build an aircraft
• 1908: Therese Peltier (France) – First woman to pilot an aircraft
• 1910: Blanche Stuart Scott (USA) – First woman to Solo an Airplane
• 1910: Raymonde de Laroche (France) – First woman in the world to receive a pilot license
• 1911: Melli Beese (Germany) – First woman in Germany to receive a pilot license
• 1911: Harriet Quimby (USA) – First U.S. woman to earn a pilot certificate and to cross the English Channel
• 1915: Katherine Stinson (USA) – First female aerobatic pilot
• 1918: Marjorie Stinson (USA) – First woman airmail pilot
• 1921: Bessie Coleman (USA) – First African-American (male or female) to receive a pilot license
• 1922: Tadashi Hyodo (Japan) – First woman in Japan to receive a pilot license

RALPH CHARLES
Captain Ralph Charles, thought to be the world’s oldest active pilot until he stopped flying last year, died of pneumonia February 2 in Sommerset, Ohio. He was 103. He helped the Wright brothers build airplanes in 1919, earned his license in 1922, and barnstormed in the 1920s. Charles was also a captain at TWA and other airlines in the 1930s, and a Navy test pilot during World War II. He flew acceptance flights in Curtiss Helldivers and Seagulls from 1943 to 1945. Charles shared a hangar with Charles Lindbergh at one time, and the two remained friends. He stopped flying after WWII when his then-wife, Leona, insisted he was too old. He didn’t fly again for 50 years, but after Leona’s death he took it up again, buying an Aeronca Defender in 1995. Born in 1899, Charles lived in three centuries. His involvement in flying spanned 84 years of powered flight’s 100 years. Several years ago, he “flew” NASA’s Space Shuttle simulator after being invited to a Shuttle launch. In his last years, he flew the tandem two-seater alone.

ABBIE HADDAWAY
Abbie Dill Haddaway made her first solo flight in 1930 when she was 18. She died in Mobile, Alabama on February 5 at the age of 91. Haddaway was a native of Cleveland, Ohio, where she made a parachute jump at the age of 17 in order to have a good topic for a high school English class assignment. During the 1930s she did aerobatic performances at air shows, flying the OX5 Waco, Travel Air, Stearman, Great Lakes, and Gypsy Moth. She was an early member of the Ninety-Nines and helped form the Los Angeles Chapter, as well as the San Fernando Valley Chapter in 1952.

RICHARD NELSON
Richard Nelson, radio operator aboard “Enola Gay,” the B- 29 that dropped the first atomic bomb, died in Los Angeles on February 1. He was 77. Nelson was the youngest of the bomber’s 12-member crew on its historic mission over Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. It was a six-hour mission, some 2,000 miles from an island air base in the western Pacific. The 9,700 pound “Little Boy” bomb was dropped from about 33,000 feet. Nelson sent a coded message immediately after the bomb detonated. His message was forwarded to President Harry Truman. Historians say it read: “Results excellent.” A native of Moscow, Idaho, Nelson hoped to become a pilot when he joined the Army Air Force in 1943 but was transferred to radio school because of poor eyesight. He graduated near the top of his class and was selected for the super-secret 509th Composite Group. “Enola Gay” pilot General Paul W. Tibbets, navigator Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, and weaponeer Morris Jeppson are still alive.

ORVILLE TOSCH
Aviation has lost one of its more colorful characters. Orville Wilbur Tosch died January 9 of complications from a hip fracture. He was 85. Tosch began his aviation career in 1931 at the age of 13, when he sold tickets for a flying circus in South Dakota. He joined the circus when he was 15 as a pilot barnstormer performer. He later became a professional pilot and mechanic. Tosch literally worked from coast to coast, logging hours in Alaska, Florida, and all states in between. In his later years, his specialty was the restoration of rare aircraft. In 1998 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presented Tosch with the Master Mechanic Award. In 2002 he was inducted into the Washington Aviation Hall of Fame.

EVELYN TROUT
Evelyn Trout, 97, daredevil pilot of the 1920s and ’30s, died in February in La Jolla, California. She was the first woman to fly an all-night route. Trout was the last surviving member of the inaugural All-Women’s Transcontinental Air Race, from Santa Monica, California to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1929 – an event Will Rogers dubbed “the Powder Puff Derby.”

 

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT FATIGUE

• Eight hours of rest is as beneficial as eight hours of sleep.
• I know exactly how tired I am.
• I have lost sleep before, and performed just fine.
• I am motivated enough to “push through” it.
• I do not need more than three or four hours of sleep at night.
• If I am tired or sleepy – a cup of coffee is all I need.
• I am a highly experienced and capable pilot with “the right stuff’ and can still fly an aircraft, even if tired.

• Angelina County Airport, Lufkin – Interim Airport Manager, Randy Carswell, 936/634-7511.
• Amarillo International Airport – New name, “Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport,” effective February 24, 2003. (Amarillo native Rick Husband was the Commander of the Space Shuttle Columbia which was lost during re-entry on February 1, 2003.)
• Bishop Municipal Airport – Charles Michalk, Airport Manager, has been called to active duty. Contact Cynthia Contreras, city secretary, for airport information at 361/584-2567.
• McGregor Executive Airport, Waco – New Airport Manager, Bob Blanchard, P. O. Box 192, McGregor, TX 76657.
• Possum Kingdom, Graford – New Operations Manager is Laura Wilson, 301 Observation Point Road, 940/779-2321.
• San Angelo Regional Airport/Mathis Field – New Airport Director, Craig Williams, 915/659-6409, 8618 Terminal Circle, Ste. 101, San Angelo, TX 76904.
• San Patricio County Airport – New name, “Alfred C. ‘Bubba’ Thomas Airport”; Interim Airport Manager is Jim Price Jr., County Commissioner, Precinct 4, San Patricio County, Sinton, Texas.
• Rodriguez Engineering Laboratories, Austin – New address is 13809 Turbine Drive, Austin, TX 78728; 512/251-4454; FAX is 512/251-1380.

Congress Plans to Move Quickly to Reauthorize FAA Programs
Senate Aviation Subcommittee Chairman, Trent Lott, in speaking to the Aero Club of Washington recently, said that Congress plans to move quickly to pass legislation which would reauthorize FAA programs. Of primary interest is extending the FAA Airport Improvement Grant Program. The Administration is seeking a four-year reauthorization term that would provide $3.48 annually for airport grants, the same amount that is currently appropriated for Fiscal Year 2003. The Administration’s proposal also includes an increase in funding share for “small” airports from 63 percent to 66 percent of total AIP grants.

Trying Times for the Airline Industry
Following the events of September 11, 2001, coupled with the ongoing recession, the airline industry is now in the worst financial condition in its history. US Air and United are already in bankruptcy and other earners are threatened as well. Congress is currently investigating ways to assist. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the air transport industry to the well being of our nation. It is hoped that better days are ahead.

TxDOT Awards for Achievement Given at Annual Aviation Conference
Six awards for exceptional achievement were given to worthy recipients during the recent Texas Aviation Conference. Receiving awards were:

Airport Manager of the Year: Mike Wilson, Brownwood Regional Airport
Reliever Airport Manager of the Year: Tim O’ Krongley, Stinson Municipal
Airport of the Year: Sulphur Springs Municipal
Reliever Airport of the Year: Stinson Municipal
Most Improved Airport: Gillespie County
Lifetime Achievement Award: Mrs. Emma C. Browning

Congratulations to all the award winners.

By Marie C. Peinado
Aviation Division

AUSTIN-The 21st Annual Texas Aviation Conference, cosponsored by Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division and the Texas Airport Management Association, was held at Austin’s Double Tree Hotel North from Wednesday, March 19 through Friday, March 21.

There were 551 conference participants at TAC this year. The increase of attendees participating this year gives us great satisfaction in that our efforts of keeping the aviation community abreast of current and relevant issues is on track, TAC through special guest speakers, topic panels. special meetings. and workshops accomplished this feat!

The “Get Acquainted Reception” sponsored by the 58 aviation exhibitors proved to be very popular and was superbly done with cordiality and open hospitality to all.

The 4th Annual Golf Tournament was held at the Bluebonnet Hill Golf Club with approximately 50 players eager to enjoy the day and renew friendships. The Pool Tournament was also well attended and looks like an established feature at TAC. Unfortunately, at press time, the participant figures were not available.

The “Casino Night,” including DJ Music, was another popular event with great participation and enjoyed by many.

At the Awards Banquet the following Aviation and Art Contest Awards for the Year, 2003 were presented:

General Aviation Airport Manager of the Year: Mike Wilson, Brownwood Regional Airport, Brownwood
General Aviation Airport of the Year: Sulphur Springs Municipal Airport
Reliever Airport of the Year: Stinson Municipal Airport. San Antonio
Reliever Airport Manager of the Year: Tim O’Krongley, Stinson Municipal Airport, San Antonio
Most Improved Airport of the Year: Gillespie County Airport, Fredericksburg
Lifetime Achievement Award in Aviation: Emma C. Browning, Austin

The 2003 International Aviation Art Contest Texas winners were:
Category I (Ages 6-9) Amber L. Wang, 8 Gleason Elementary School, Houston
Category II (Ages I 0-13) Calvin Lane, 13 Sibyl’s School of Art, Wheeler
Category III (Ages I 4- I 7) Kathyrn Lee, 16 Clements High School, Sugar Land

Again, it was a great conference! We would like to thank you for attending the Texas Aviation Conference; also, thanks to all of our exhibitors and sponsors for your contributions to TAC. We appreciate your support and efforts in helping us provide another successful conference to our public.

We invite you to mark your calendars for the 22nd Annual Texas Aviation Conference which is scheduled for April I 4-16, 2004, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Town Lake in Austin.