Newsletter of the Coyote Squadron Commemorative Air Force Corsicana, Texas November 2014 Coyote Squadron Officers Squadron Leader Col. Dan Summerall 903-467-7170 dsummerall@nctv.com Executive Officer Col. Tom Peters 817-2193802 mohawktipi@aol.com Operations Officer Col. Gene Hathorn 903-654-0001 genehathorn@att.net Finance Officer Col. Candis Wells 903-545-2993 cwellspsi@yahoo.com Adjutant Col. Joe Mclaughlin 512-721-6721 joemc011@hotmail.com Maintenance Officer Col. Frank DeArmond 903-875-9260 frankair1@cox.net Safety Officer Col. Ken Authier 903-641-8170 ota@hughes.net PX Officer Col. Dottie Hathorn 903-229-1973 drbmayer@att.net Public Information Officer Col. Mary Brown 903-257-8282 maryelizabethbrown@ yahoo.com Fund-raising Officer Col. Jim Wells 903-729-0386 jwellspsi@valornet.com
SQUADRON LEADER We did our normal flyover for the Kerens Cotton Festival this year. Colonels Hathorn and Richmond did a couple of passes with Steve using his smoke system. That really helped for the folks on the ground to key in on what was happening. Colonels Summerall and Grantham in the PT-19 followed by Colonel Shelton in his L-2 did a couple of passes each. In an email I sent to the festival contact regarding our flyover on October 18, she replied: “It was absolutely perfect! I saw them circling, started the National Anthem, it was beautiful sang by Bella Voce, and the timing was perfect. I had announced they were flying over so people would be watching, people stopped activities to watch and sing National Anthem along with Bella Voce to honor America and those that serve our country. Thank you to you Dan Summerall, Bobby Grantham, Jerry Shelton, Gene Hathorn and Steve Richmond for your contribution and time you give the Kerens Cotton Harvest Festival. Best Wishes, Cristine Howell and the festival committee.� On Monday October 20th, they began tearing up the asphalt behind our hangar that we typically use for parking. The asphalt apparently did not meet DOT specs for weight bearing and so it will be replaced with concrete. You can see from the accompanying photos that they have also begun pouring concrete for the three hangars behind us. The construction will continue for quite some time, so anticipate that we will no longer be able to park in the back since that will be a taxiway upon completion. We can park on the East side of the drainage ditch on both sides of the road. Colonels Grantham and Summerall flew to Palestine on October 25th for the Palestine Hot Pepper Festival and the Peppers and Patriots parade. Colonel Grantham did a media flight for the Palestine Herald Press and then performed a flyover for the parade. He also did a couple of other revenue rides before we departed. Glad that we could do this and hopefully we will be invited back again next year. By now you will have received your absentee ballot for the 2014 General Staff elections from Midland. Be sure to read and follow the directions so that your vote will count. You will need to put your Colonel number and your signature on the outside of the ballot envelope. Your number is on the cover letter that came with the ballot and is immediately after your name. Place it in the provided envelope and put in the mailbox by November 10th to be counted. Our elections are also coming up and the nominating committee will have a slate for us to discuss at the meeting. Also, you are still free to nominate others for the openings. Since we had to postpone our trash pickup last month due to rain the night before, we will have a makeup this meeting. We will meet at the hangar at 0830. Corsicana High School ROTC will participate and join us for lunch and our program. Thanks to Colonel Ausley for setting up our program this month. See his write up regarding our speaker for more information. I know that we will enjoy it and it will be good for the cadets to hear also. Col. Dan Summerall, Squadron Leader For those that were in attendance at the October 11, 2014 meeting of the Coyote Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force, you are aware of our visitor from Peru that was in attendance. Maria Jose Belaunde Fernand Zegarra (yes that is her name) was visiting her Aunt Georgina McLaughlin and Uncle Col Joe McLaughlin in Austin and made the trip up for the squadron meeting. The intention was to get her into the PT19 and take to the skies for a few moments but the weather had plans of its own that were not favorable to the flight of this type of aircraft. She was extremely disappointed but really enjoyed the many conversations that she had with some of the squadron members. I am sure each of you would agree that she is a very intelligent lady, is interesting
to talk to and asks all the right questions. I wanted to take this article a little deeper and do a more formal interview with Maria. She is not a Peruvian aviation expert but I was pleased and impressed with her ability to speak in a general sense to the questions in the interview. It is always good insight to get the perspective of someone from another country or culture. What does Peruvian world history teach its students with regards to WWII? Depending on your perspective, this piece of history can be considered to be both good and bad at the same time. Although Peruvian history teaches that the United States is known for “sticking its nose” into other people’s business, it also teaches of the incredible efforts that were undertaken by the United States to rid Europe of an evil dictator and stand up for an oppressed and tortured people. If someone was interested in entering the aviation industry in Peru, what would be the obstacles? Money and the lack of opportunities that would be available to anyone once they had completed their studies. Additionally the programs offered in other countries, such as the United States, are much more worth the money that would be spent on these programs. How prevalent is private aviation in Peru? There is not a lot of private ownership of aircraft. The social structure is such that there are not very many people at the level of the social pyramid that could afford private ownership. Is there an infrastructure in place that would support a more active private aviation sector? There actually are a great number of airports in the cities of Peru so that would probably support more activity. One of the larger problems is the lack of care and oversight in making sure the private aircraft are taken care of and receive the required maintenance. There have been incidents were an aircraft was stated to have had its maintenance when in fact it had not, resulting in accidents and fatalities. Where do the Peruvian Air Force pilots receive their training? The Peruvian Air Force has its own training programs and facilities. If I was a young person in a high school in Peru, would a career counselor recommend and promote the aviation industry to me? No. There are few airline companies in Peru and those that do exist have been questionable in regard to how the aircraft are taken care of. There is simply not a reason for anyone to consider this industry in Peru. With regards to air force recruitment, it is not attractive for young Peruvians to join the Air Force. They tend to feel that they will not be well compensated while serving and will not be well taken care of after retirement. Members of the Air Force typically come from families with members who have previously served in the Air Force. What are some of the principle industries in Peru? The marketing industry has been really growing recently. Other industries that are big in Peru are industrial engineering as well as the legal and medical industries. Maria has been researching universities worldwide as she prepares to begin post graduate studies. It was great to be able to expose someone such as Maria to the Coyote Squadron and its members. She enjoyed the conversations that she had and those conversations will certainly add an additional dimension to an already very active mind. Col Joe McLaughlin, Adjutant MAINTENANCE REPORT Our pride and joy got a look over last Sunday from the chief CAF maintenance officer, Jim “Woody” Woodford, with help from his trusty canine maintenance lineman, Willy Woodford the Pug. Both said she is in pretty good shape. There were just a few minor squawks, which we are working off now Nothing serious though, and they won’t take long to fix at all. We also took the opportunity to re-torque the propeller hub bolts per the requirements and there were no surprises there. So she is really in great shape thanks to everyone’s help in keeping her that way! Col. Frank DeArmond, Maintenance Officer SUPER CHEF CHARLIE SEZ... According to information gathered from Col Summerall and my ranking Colonel, the decision for our November/ROTC meal has been determined to be her World Renown Sweet Baby Ray’s Sloppy Joe’s Super Sandwich. The accessories and complements are to be announced at the meeting, probably as you parade down the food tables. At least this early in the month it should not be turkey and dressing. Col. Charlie Horton, Super Chef Colonel Dan Summerall accepts a certificate of appreciation from J.M. Madera of The American Legion Post 22 for the squadrons participation in their “Never Forget” program in recognition of the 9/11 attack. Colonels Grantham and Summerall did a flyover of the legion at the beginning of their annual ceremony. FROM OUR PET VET Just as the risk of you becoming infected with Ebola is very low, your pet’s risk of becoming infected with Ebola is extremely low, especially when you compare this risk to the preventable, yet deadly, diseases like parvo, distemper, and rabies to which our pets may regularly be exposed. The American Veterinary Medical Association, CDC, and the US Department of Agriculture do not believe that pets are at significant risk for Ebola in the United States. Dr Mike Dunavant, DVM
HEALTH REPORT Colonel Charles Harrison is taking chemo, 2 pills a day and intervienious once a month. He is upbeat and has a good attitude. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Colonel Red Griffin reports he is doing Well, says he is planning on attending Wings Over Houston with Colonel Wyley (Coyote) Smith. Toni Brown, Colonel Mary Brown’s mom, had hip replacement surgery about 3 weeks ago. Mary says Toni is doing great. She’s walking without the aid of a walker and expects to be released to all activities the first week of November. Roy Cundiff has finished with chemo and is doing well.
Thanks to AOPA for allowing us to reprint this article from the November 2014 AOPA Magazine. The article brings attention to the bill in Congress, the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act (GAPPA). AOPA has been working towards this for several years and many pilots have wanted something like this for a long time. The bill has growing support from the House of Representatives and the Senate. Please take time to copy the article and snail mail it to your Congressman and both Texas Senators. I don’t recommend phoning or emailing. I have had some experience with my Congressman’s office, they tell me they have a very good spam filter, so emails get dumped and phones call may not be recorded. Not saying they do this intentionally but they are very busy and stuff happens. Here are some addresses: Senator John Cornyn 517 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Congressman Jeb Hensarling 2228 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515
Senator Ted Cruz 185 Dirksen Washington, DC 20510 Congressman Joe Barton 2107 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC
If you do not know the congressman for your area, Google your city or county (congressman for city/county Texas) and I’m sure you’ll get the address you need. Let’s show them we have an interest, Send ’em some mail! Often it’s the squeaky wheel that gets greased. Colonel John Ausley, Coyote Squadron Colonel Ken Authier at the Lions Club Gold Tournament “Hole-In-One” sponsored by the Coyote Squadron.
GUEST SPEAKER Ray McNeil, flew B-24’s in the European Theater during WWII. He flew 50 missions and had to bail out twice. He will speak to us at the November meeting telling us about his experiences. Ray held the rank of Major when he left the Army Air Force.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Saturday, November 8, Coyote Squadron monthly meeting and highway clean up, Corsicana Municipal Airport. Highway clean up starts at 8:00 AM. Staff meets at 10:00 and squadron at 10:30. Guest speaker, Ray McNeil, WWII B-24 pilot. Saturday, November 8, Georgetown, TX AirFest, Georgetown Municipal Airport.
Reprinted with permission copyright 2014 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.©
Thursday-Monday, February Conference, Midland, TX
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Saturday-Sunday, November 1-2, CAF Wings Over Houston, Ellington Airport, Houston, Texas.
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NOVEMBER 8, 2014 HIGHWAY CLEAN-UP 8 AM STAFF AT 10 AM SQUADRON AT 10:30 AM
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HOT PEPPER FESTIVAL FROM 2500 FEET By James Robertson, Staff Writer, Palestine Herald-Press
This past Saturday I was given a great, possibly once in a lifetime opportunity. As the Hot pepper Festival got underway downtown I was out at the Palestine Municipal Airport getting strapped into the backseat of a World War II trainer aircraft. The plane, a Fairchild PT-19, was used to train pilots before they took on a more agile aircraft. The reason was apparent as the take off and in air maneuvering was very smooth. The aircraft had an open cockpit and the air at 2500 feet was crisp and refreshing. Hailing from the Coyote Squadron, a unit of the Commemorative Air Force, the PT-19 had been fully restored to its hay day glory. The plane is stationed at the N.H. Tucker Hardgrave Hangar located at the Corsicana Municipal Airport. It’s pretty interesting that records have been kept that tracked the change of ownership of the plane. Since the 1940’s ownership had changed eight times. The 200 horse power engine hummed as my pilot took me on a wide circle around Palestine at close to 100 miles per hour. From the air I could see the downtown square preparing for the Hot Pepper Festival parade. I also got a glimpse of Palestine, from the Westwood ISD campuses to the Wal-Mart warehouse behind Autozone. The Coyote Squadron gave me this amazing opportunity. Reprinted with permission copyright 2014 Palestine Herald-Press