LadiesLoveTaildraggers

Talk about how a chance meeting can change a person’s life, here’s a story about how an entire family’s lives were changed. At the heart is Susan Theodorelos & Andy Heins’ passion for flying and their wish to share it with everyone. Susan sent us this great story about her new friends Sophia, Kathie and Mike Lucas.

Sophia & Susan & the Waco RNF

Andy was giving  rides at Moraine one Saturday — and noticed one girl in the sea of boys. He knows that young boys will go just because their buddies are going – -but a young girl shows up – -she’s really interested. So Andy singles her out to go with him in the Citabria.

Kathie and Sophia at the Taildragger Fly-in down at Waynesville. Sep 2011

He shows her how all the controls work and she’s a natural! When they land he began talking to her parents and her science teacher who gave her the information about the Young Eagle rides. I had just landed and Andy motioned for me to taxi over and stop. He introduced me to Sophia and we piled her in the front seat of the RNF. As we were taxiing out, I asked Sophia if she wanted to be a pilot and she said “Oh yes!” And I said, “That’s great — we need more women flying because they are really good at it!” I hear this soft but determined voice reply, “Women are a lot better at a lot of things!” I told her she was my new BFF!

For Sophia's 12th Birthday (which fell on the Saturday of the Waco Museum fly-in) we bought her an instruction ride in the T-6. The pilot and his wife were a little skeptical at first - but she climbed right up on that big bird and sat down in the back rarin' to go! When they returned, the pilot said -- "She's a natural! I usually ask them to put the plane in a turn and then start explaining the instruments and most people fall out of the turn -- no her! She just kept doing what she was supposed to!" Her log book reads like the who's who of aviation... Student Prince time logged, T-6 time logged, Citabria logged... Yay Sophia! Sep 2011

We had a great ride in the RNF and we told her parents, Kathie and Mike to come down the airport any time and we would take them flying. They are now part of “The Gang” and we love having them as part of our Moraine Family!

Sophia's first official lesson at 11 years old with Tim Pond in the Citabria -- not bad! Jun 2011

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Sophia sporting her new "Fly C77" shirt we got her from our trip through Poplar Grove and a set of Dave Clark's that Anne Wright sent to her! She's all set!

I remember Kathie in the beginning was very hesitant about flying at all. She would get motion sick often. So Andy would take her up in the Citabria for nice easy flights and explain how things in the airplane worked. It was the turns that seemed to make her most nervous — so he said — lean into the turns like a motorcycle…. and from that day forward the motion sickness became less of an issue. Kathie really likes flying int he RNF — fresh air helps a lot! Andy kept taking Kathie up and eventually she started flying the airplane and was doing really well! One evening when Terri Hull flew her plane down for the weekend, she took Kathie up and gave her her first official student pilot flight!

Kathie's first flying lesson!

Kathie now has logged time and really enjoys the planes. She asks all the important questions about why and how and will be a great pilot!

This photo is in the Citabria and Sophia's getting ready to go flyin! First official lesson! Jun 2011

Sophia’s dad, Mike, has started taildragger lessons at Red Stewart Airport ….. now they are all taking lessons with logged time… the Flying Lucas’!

Mike Lucas

Marti Whitmore is based at 5TX0, Hidden Valley Airpark, Lake Dallas, Texas.

Marti Whitmore & Lucky, the poochie

Marti Whitmore is a taildragger pilot, fiercly proud to claim the title. She is married to Alex and they have two musical, flying children, Eleanor and Bonnie.

My Great Flying Adventure Life

I had two other real experiences when I was also very young. One was a plane ride my father purchased for me to fly above my home town of Borger, Texas, and the other is when my first grade class went for a class trip, flying from Borger to Amarillo in a DC3 and having to take a road trip back home because the airplane we flew in was going on to more exotic destinations like Dallas.

After I graduated from high school, I headed to Six Flags over Texas to sing in the shows (music’s my other passion) and I met a young guitar playing student, Alex Whitmore, who was on his way to his last year in college and then to the Navy pilot training program. He had quite a background in aviation. His dad was a pilot for Douglas in Tulsa and he had a picture of himself seated on the step of a 30’s vintage Stinson when he was two years old.

When Alex and I got married three years later he was on his third airplane, an Aeronca L-3 which we flew all over the Sacramento Valley in California and down to Baja California in Mexico for a week before he left on cruise to defend our country in Vietnam. I got my license in the L-3.

Flying has given me is a wealth of friends who have become like family to me and the freedom to go to places on and off the beaten path that I might otherwise have never seen. It has taken me to the homes of complete strangers like the couple who put me and my two small daughters up for the night in Okema, Oklahoma when a thunderstorm overtook us. It’s the man who gave me $50.00 when I discovered that I had left my wallet in our car back in Terlingua so that I could buy enough gas to get on back to Denton. It’s the man who kept me company while I waited for my husband to arrange to pick me up after my propeller departed my airplane and I had to land on a dirt road near Byhalia, Mississippi. And it’s the newspaper reporter in North Carolina who took our picture and called us campers so we wouldn’t have to report yet another engine failure in that same PA12.

We had two airplanes that time and managed to fit the contents of the two airplanes into the L-3 and it’s the farmer who put a fence around the airplane to keep the cows from munching on it until we could come back and fix it. This is an incomplete list, but you get the point.

Some places we may have visited only once but some we have visited over and over again and these are the places where our children grew up. Places like Blakesburg, Iowa, Brodhead, Wisconsin, Johnson Creek, Idaho, and Pauls Valley Oklahoma. At some point during the summer there were and still are fly ins at these places and many more.

Bonnie’s bio on Facebook reads ‘Hanging out the window of a Bamboo Bomber, groovin to the tunes of Verdi and Wagner. That in a nut shell was my childhood.’ The Bamboo Bomber she is referring to was at Blakesburg. She’d just gotten a ride in it and when her dad bought one soon after she knew it was her airplane.

Our children have always felt that all the airplanes belonged to them personally (some more than others), but one in particular was their favorite and when it left the nest, I thought that our kids might never forgive us. It was the Travelair 4000. Eleanor went to her first fly in at the ripe old age of 3 months in that airplane and it is referenced appropriately in her song.

The music in this great video is “Born in a red Travelair” by Marti’s daughter Eleanor. The music doesn’t start immediately…just keep watching. Judy

Corkey Fornof at Silver Wings Fraternity Convention

Enterprise, AL  KEDN

Oct 14-15, 2011

8 AM-11 PM both days

Silver Wings Fraternity is a fraternal and charitable membership organization founded in 1958 by aviation pioneers. Its membership consists of pilots who soloed more than 25 years ago, younger pilots, and others with a genuine interest in aviation, who endeavor to provide educational opportunities in aviation to young people, and who seek fellowship and camaraderie with aviators worldwide. It is best known for celebrating the aviation achievements of its members, for providing scholarship funds and mentoring opportunities to young people, and for its clubhouse at the annual Sun n’ Fun International Fly–In & Expo in Lakeland, Florida. For more information, access their website at www.silverwings.org.”

www.silverwings.org

Oh, I love this one Lisa! You and Wendy and Victoria flying out for a  girl’s flying/camping weekend in Colorado — all of you in your own Cubs — you’re the envy of all of us. Beautiful Cubs, wonderful adventures, great fun! Good one girls!!

Lisa, Wendy & Victoria

From Lisa Martin;  Three of us from the Ladies Love Taildraggers group met at a private airstrip near Marble, CO for a fall camping weekend.

Crystal River Canyon about 10 min from Marble

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Marble Air Strip just past the pond

We had people driving, hiking and flying in to say “Hi” to “the Ladies Love Taildraggers”. This group seems to be gaining quite a name for itself!

The Super girls' Cub Club

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It takes an interview, a signed liability form and verbal permission from the owner to land on this private strip

We hiked, helped a poor guy who’s cub was damaged by a ground loop, was invited to supper at a lodge with a group of vacationers that included several pilots, was investigated by a local fireman seeking information about a reported UFO sighting, sat around a campfire and watched space junk falling from a crystal clear mountain sky.

Wendy and Victoria

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Sunrise at Marble

It was awesome. I’m just being silly about the “Super Girls’ Cub Club”…we are Ladies (who) Love Taildraggers!

Touring the Marble Mill Site

Lisa Martin

Jerry Griggs has been a supporter of our lady taildraggers organization for a long time – practically  since I posted the first lady taildragger pilot (that would be me!!).  Jerry’s a cool guy and sent an email inviting all the lady taildragger pilots to his fly-in on Saturday, October 8. If you’re anywhere near Goddard, Kansas please stop by and say hello to Jerry – and grab something good to eat while you’re there!

Jerry with Andrea Hattan-Stang & Janice Griggs after he soloed the 16 year old girls.

Please join us at Lake Waltanna Airfield for pancakes, hamburgers and brats.  The Griggs-Mardis Fly-in will be on October 8th starting about 8AM until sunset.  Fly, drive, walk or bicycle but please come. 

• Lake Waltanna is SN65 in your flight planning software
• GPS coordinates are N37.5900 W097.6000
• 2100′ grass
• Right traffic for runway 17
• Left traffic for runway 35
• Monitor 122.9
• If driving, we are at 17 Lakeridge Drive, Goddard, KS. 67052

Jerry once sent me this picture and note, “ If you ever come through Kansas, let us know.  I could arrange for a flight in a Learjet simulator for you.  Sorry, the Learjet’s have nosewheels.”

I told you he was a cool guy!! I gotta get my butt out there!!

Hi, Judy! Your great post about the end of summer (and your young lady co-pilot!) reminded me to send the blog some farewell-to-summer shots.

Instructor Elaine Kauh & Myron who restored his dad's 7AC Champ

Grass-roots flying at its best! September gave us the longest stretch of nice, dry weather we’ve had in Wisconsin all summer! Temps topped out at 75 degrees, with light winds and day after day of sunshine. The fall colors are just starting to show. The snow can fly as early as Halloween up here, so we enjoy the green turf for as long as we can.

Back taxi along the corn in the Champ

I just completed a few hours of recurrent taildragger instruction for a pilot who had fixed up his dad’s Aeronca 7AC Champ. I used to fly a similar Champ several years ago, so it was a joy to get re-acquainted with this fun little taildragger. It lives at Stoughton Airport, a private grass strip just outside Madison, WI.

Champ flying!

We took a short flight in mid-September to Brodhead Airport for the Midwest Antique Aircraft fly-in. Taildragger heaven! Three grass runways nestled in among the tall corn and trees, and pilots camping under their wings.

Downwind @ C37 Brodhead

For anyone traveling through WI or going to Airventure in Oshkosh, Brodhead is a stop to keep in mind – they have lots of events for taildraggers all summer.

Lots of Wacos!

Happy Fall Flying!
Elaine Kauh

Hello everybody! Fall is officially here and I’m counting on some nice, dry, cool flying weather for awhile. I had a very busy summer flying every chance I got and I don’t expect that to change just because the weather is changing. My great niece Kaylise and sister-in-law Regina were in town last month and Kaylise couldn’t wait to get a ride in an airplane. She argued that her brother was her age when he got an airplane ride … like I was going to say “No”?!

Kaylise & me

Boyd’s Mooney 231 was sitting right there and I think she was thinking “that’s pretty cool, let’s go in that!”  I had to convince her how great a ride in the Rans S7 was going to be. I think I finally won her over when she realized the difference between sitting in a side-by-side airplane was having to look around somebody else to see out. You just can’t beat a tandem, stick airplane!

 

Kaylise having a good time wearing her headset. I've got my new Halo headsets on which are comfortable & quiet but I won't be wearing them with the doors open. They're so light they'd probably get sucked right out the door.

Kaylise was thrilled to get belted in, taxi out to the runway and watch & listen as I did the run up.  She was as excited and happy a passenger as I’ve ever had and sooooo disappointed when I told her we were heading back to the airport.

Nice ride

A couple weeks later I flew to Marion, Indiana for the Fly-in/Cruise-in and ended up doing an interview with local WIWU TV51. It was kind of fun being interviewed by a woman reporter and her woman camera crew! I may not have done a great job but they sure did! They made the rounds that day interviewing pilots and attendees for their 30 minute TV program “Crossroads” – here’s the very short “commerical” version if you’d like to take a look. The temperature was a sticky 98 degrees that day!

Keep on flying and having fun doing it girls. Life goes by fast and we’re only here once. Leave with no regrets.

Thank you to Amal Ajmi for sending this incredible report about her caribou hunting trip in Alaska –  flown in her Cub Special. Most of us won’t ever experience this kind of Alaskan back-country flying or go caribou hunting in the wild. I, for one, am in awe of the remoteness, the beauty, the ruggedness, and the risks that surround this kind of flying – this kind of adventure. You’ve got my respect, Amal!  Judy

2011 BOU HUNT

The end of summer in Alaska is a time of furious hunting and gathering activities in preparation for the long winter. My freezer, although full of berries and garden vegetable harvest, was scary lean on meat. Good thing I had planned out my annual Caribou (Bou) Hunt. I decided to return to the area I successfully hunted in 2010 to see if I could get a slightly bigger bull. Mark decided this year that he would try for his first Bou, so we set off on a bright day hoping for a fun, safe, and successful hunt.

There is a man Back there

My bird is a small thing, and I can only pack so much into her. Mark endured the 2 hour flight wedged tight somewhere in the back with half the gear. I have to make two flights for all our gear, as weight and room are always a factor when dealing with two people. We flew out on a calm day, wispy morning clouds scattered, and sometimes cloaking the lower hills, little peeks of yellow leaves often blazing with sunlight reminding me winter would soon be upon us. Further in, the low clouds dissipated and allowed us, mostly me because Mark just couldn’t see anything, to view the tundra; already past peak change the vegetation had turned brown awaiting winter snows. We landed at the strip and I unpacked the man and gear, and set off again to retrieve the rest of the gear at a half way point I stash fuel.

Off for the Second Load

My favorite thing in the world on a flying trip is to get where you are going, tie the bird down, put her covers on, set up camp and then take a deep breath.

Camp

For me, that is when you know you have worked hard and been safe and all is well.

My Bird all tucked in

Despite the thrill of being in the air and all the wonder that you see while in flight, there is always a buzzy attentiveness in your gut when you are in-route. You listen to your engine, watch the skies for weather, swing wide around hills not sure of winds around the corner, and concentrate on landing on that tiny little strip.

Camp at a distance

When you are done for the day, and you stand next to your bird feeling her warm engine, that buzz subsides, you are so very grateful for the beautiful day, the flight, thankful your bird is such the trooper and that she can take you to such remote areas……what a great feeling!!

Caribou in the River

Mark gave me a Bou report upon my return and it looked promising; he had scouted out the areas we would hunt the next day. Caribou are an interesting critter, and I have learned that they will “do what- ever they do”. There must be some sort of reason why they move the way they do, why they may be in one area one year and not the next year, but it escapes me. I have learned to be adaptive and patient when hunting Bou. Mark is a long time experienced and successful hunter and has an eye for behavior and movement. He really nailed the movements this year, and I got the first bull the very next day.

My Bull

Mark got his bull the day after and we decided that the weather would allow for deboning in the field to save on weight for the trip back home.

Mark's Bull

After three days, the meat all bagged up, I took a deep breath and just took it all in. What a great state to live in, what awesome opportunities for fun and flying, am so very grateful for it all.

Celebrating a successful hunt

The next day we packed up the meat and I set off for home, but encountered scary wind shears about 10 miles out. Stick and rudder, level wings and center the ball Amal!!!! I managed to get back to the strip and sat down for a bit, looking at the little bird that helped me get out of that stuff and safely back on the ground. The next day I decided to try the long way back home, flying through lower hills to get to an airport on the road system. This worked out great until carrying the man and last load we encountered wind gusts of 35 mph at the airport. Luckily, there is a cross-wind grass strip and the little bird took the gusts on the nose all the way down. Safely on the grass we came to a stop and I remembered to breathe. We tied down the little bird tight, put her wing covers and spoilers on and watched the wind blow hard. I walked over to her again amazed at what a great plane I have.

Cold Nights

The end of the trip was very uneventful. I called a friend and we were able to drive home that night to care for the meat; having to leave the little plane tied down at the airport. I didn’t sleep well that night, didn’t eat b-fast, couldn’t even breathe very well, until I drove back to the airport the next morning making sure she had weathered the winds. I checked her out with the usual pre-flight, got in and flew her home the last 75 miles. Riding the steady, calm morning air……..I thought about our little adventure, how much more I had learned about hunting, but mostly how piloting my little bird will be an ever learning experience….one I hope will last a very long time.

Amal Ajmi

I think I can safely say we’re all sick about last weekend’s accident at the Reno Air Races. I’ve been to Reno twice, most recently in 2006 the year my good friend Will Mathews won Silver in his experimental White Lightening. That was a happy year for Will and it was happy for the rest of us who were there to cheer him on. Talk about some great races!! But that was 5 years ago. Will called my house the night of the tragedy, and even though he wasn’t at Reno this year, he had every right to be distraught about the news we had all just heard. One of his comments was, “that’s it for Reno”. I thought it. Boyd said it. Others have mentioned it. We’ve all seen the media reports and know it really could be “all over” for the Reno Air Races. Hopefully, level heads will prevail and there will many, many more years of great racing at Reno. I pulled the following from an article on Aero News Network that I think is worth the read…..

Life just ain’t safe to live…

A risk averse society, fed by a number of government and media entities seeking to provide cradle to grave ‘safety’ for all those too scared to make their own decisions and live their own lives may react in a way that does create new and aggressive restrictions for Air Racing and other aviation activities. The aviation world has a tough job ahead of it… it needs to show people how hard we work to be safe, and that when accidents do happen, that free people have made intelligent decisions to accept some risk to live a much larger life. You can go through life afraid to die… or you can live a life that celebrates every second you have before God calls you home. Three guesses what most pilots choose?

Still… we can not discount the impact of the fact that ten people lost their lives this weekend due to some relationship/participation with the aviation world… and so we must be respectful, circumspect, professional and careful with every word we say when confronted by those who would seek to take our life choices away from us. A tragedy has occurred… some dear friends and loved ones have died… we can not make light of that, but we can respect the fact that each of them were where they were by choice and were living exciting moments in their lives. And yet, for ten people, ‘that call’ had to be made to countess loved ones, friends and family to explain the ultimate tragedy of life… that none of us are getting through this game of life without it ending at some point.

Read entire article at Reno Race Accident Investigation Continues

To the Kiwi chapter girls – you are looking GOOD in those t-shirts!! We all love Neroli, Bill and the girls and want to welcome you all to our fun little group. I have to say, that’s one fine looking line up of taildraggers in your picture and we’re anxious to see more! Be sure and register on LLT so we can get to know you a little better, see what you’re all flying and hear some lady taildragger Down Under adventures.

Thanks Neroli Henwood for your note and pictures!

Judy
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Had to send you this photo of the lady taildragger pilots at the Hastings Taildragger Fly-in in New Zealand. This is an annual event which gets bigger each year. We had a good variety of aircraft including Piper Cubs, Pacer, Stearman, Tigermoth, Bird Dog, 180/185, Helio, Microlights and homebuilts.

Four of the Kiwi lady taildragger pilots- Jan, Wendy, Stephanie and Neroli in front of Cub ZK-BRO. Love those shirts!

This year I thought we would get the girls into your tee shirts and let the boys know that our numbers are growing . The ladies loved the tee shirts and wore them proudly all weekend (even though it was a bit chilly at times). We were a couple of shirts short though, as there were more ladies there than I had anticipated!

The girls all did well in the competitions. We have a bombing comp which is called Jailbar Bombing. This is an old Ford Jailbar truck which becomes a moving target, the bombs to be dropped onto the back of the truck for a perfect score. It may not come as a surprise that it has only been hit about 3 times in 5 years and the judge stands on the back of the truck as he feels it is the safest spot!

After a wild food lunch we had our version of Valdez STOL competition. This was the first time I have been able to do it without my husband in the back as instructor. What a difference it makes with no weight in the back Lots of fun and everyone seems to get better each year.

Thanks again for sending the shirts, they were a hit. Hopefully there will be a few more visitors to the LLT website from down this way too.

Take care,

Neroli