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DFW NEWSFLASH - December 2015

December 2015 DFW AIRPORT PERMIT NO. 239084

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Donning the uniform he wore in WWII, Pete Durso took a ride in a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress, the aircraft he was assigned to as a togglier 70 years ago. / Photo by Courtney Ouellette

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COVER STORY The entire contents of this magazine are the sole property of Rambler Newspapers, Inc., with all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. If you have an upcoming event, game, a press release, or interesting story, please let us know. DFW NewsFlash encourages submission of articles, facts, and photographs pertaining to the people, life, business, and entertainment of aviation industry in the DFW metroplex. DFW NewsFlash is published monthly by Rambler Newspapers, Inc. and is distributed throughout the DFW Airport in businesses and public areas. DFW NewsFlash is also delivered to locations at many of the other airports throughout the DFW metroplex market. Deadline for the submission of articles and advertising is the 10th of the month prior to the publication date. All submitted articles are subject to editing. Opinions expressed in submitted advertisements, articles, editorial, or commentary are those of the writer, and not necessarily those of DFW NewsFlash, the publisher, editor, or any staff member. All articles, press releases, photographs and other materials submitted become the property of Rambler Newspapers, Inc. The Publication of columnists’ views, as well as advertising, does not constitute endorsement. Rambler Newspapers, Inc. reserves the right to reject or edit any advertising. DFW NewsFlash, its publisher, and editor are not responsible for errors in advertising. Mailed subscriptions of DFW NewsFlash are $45 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rambler Newspapers, Inc., P.O. Box 177731, Irving, TX 75017.

WWII vets share stories aboard Flying Fortress By Courtney Ouellette Aviation enthusiasts and veterans gathered at the Frontiers of Flight Museum to experience aviation history through a B-17 aircraft that was assembled during WWII. Museum guests were able to watch the 65,000lb Aluminum Overcast take to the air as it did during its glory days. As part of the Aluminum Overcast’s visit to Love Field, a group of special WWII veterans were invited to fly on the B-17, while other guests could purchase tickets to take part in an historic journey into aviation’s past on Oct. 29. Restored and maintained by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the aircraft and its crews tour the United States. Lorraine Morris and her husband serve as two of the B-17’s pilots during its nine month tour each year. Based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the plane travels with six volunteers including two pilots and two mechanics or crew chiefs. “The interesting thing is

Restored to its former glory by the Experimental Aircraft Association, the WWII aircraft now tours the U.S. offering people a chance to experience living history. / Photo by Courtney Ouellette

they made 12,731 [B-17s]. Of that number, 11 of them are flyable in the world. So they made that huge number, and half of them were made by Boeing,” Morris said. “The ones that are left tend to be the Lockheed or the Douglas. Of those 11 that are flyable, most of them sit in museums.” Despite its nickname, the Flying Fortress is quite small on the inside, making maneuvering in the plane dif-

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Taking turns in the pilot and copilot seat, Lorraine Morris and her husband operate the aircraft several times a year. / Photo by Courtney Ouellette

ficult. “When you look at [the plane], it looks big on the outside, and when you get in, you’re just amazed at how really, it’s not that big,” Morris said. “It’s a neat airplane. It’s got a distinctive sound and look. It gets people to look and brings them in, so hopefully we can educate them about the veterans that are fewer and fewer every day because they’re aging.” For Morris, the veterans are the most important aspect of the B-17 tours. “Picture yourself in their position, because we’re actually pretty spoiled these days. We’re a soft generation. We haven’t had it tough,” Morris said. “They did. We try to give them the honor they’re due and the respect that they should have. “Meeting the veterans like Pete [Durso]; they’re getting older all the time and hearing the stories and the humility that they have is incredible. Most of them don’t talk about it much. Their families will come out with them and say

www.dfwnewsflash.com they’ve never heard these stories before. The airplane will just open them up and they’ll start talking about it and reliving memories and talk about stories their family has no clue about. “We were in Iowa, and there was a senior center. They organized a mass group to come out, so they had one of these mini buses. One gentleman got off and he had a walker and he was pretty spry. He walked right up to me and said ‘I was a waist gunner in this airplane and every time I came back I gave it a kiss,’ and he said ‘Can I kiss this one?’ He walked right up and laid a kiss on the side of it right under the gun,” Morris said. Another function of the tour is to spread awareness about aviation regulations and EAA. “It’s an outreach program for the Experimental Aircraft Association, which their main goal is to keep flying in the United States free. Not free cost-wise, but the ability to get up and fly places without an overwhelming number of regulations,” Morris said. “Volunteer groups like EAA are trying to promote that and keep regulations down.” WWII veteran Pete Durso traveled from his home in Oklahoma City to visit his old friend, the Flying Fortress. Now 92 years old, Durso recalled his time as a B-17 togglier. “In February of ’43, I was in New York - Brooklyn. They drafted me, and they put me on a train. In about four weeks they sent me to Miami Beach, Florida,” Durso said. He was then sent to Santa Maria, California where he joined the quartermaster truck company, preparing to leave for Africa to deliver supplies.

DFW NEWSFLASH - December 2015 “I was only there for a week or two when the colonel calls me in and he says ‘Private Durso,’ and I say ‘Yes, sir,’ naturally. He said ‘I looked at your school records and they’re pretty good,’ and I say ‘Yep,’ and he says ‘You went through four years of high school in two and you did this, you did that, you haven’t been arrested.’” The colonel asked Durso if he’d like to go pilot training. A few days later, he was on his way to Oklahoma for the training, where he met his wife. During his time off, Durso and a few friends went out with a group of girls in town. “The door opened and this beautiful little young thing comes walking out. I blink and this voice hits me and says, ‘That’s going to be your wife.’ Well, I didn’t think anything of it. I had a plan, and I wasn’t going to get married until I was 24,” he said. The two hit it off immediately, and following WWII, the pair married and started a family. Unfortunately, it was decided no more candidates were needed for pilot training. There was however, a need for more gunnery school candidates, where Durso became a togglier. The togglier watched the lead bomber and was in charge of opening the bomb bay doors and releasing his aircraft’s bombs. “I flew 29 missions, and three of the missions we called chow missions or mercy missions. One where we took the bomb racks out, put skids there, filled it with rations. We went over Holland, and we dropped them off in a place where there was a big X, and they wrote ‘Thanks, Yanks,’” Durso said. Another mission that had always stood out to Durso

involved picking up French prisoners from Austria. Because the space was so limited, Durso had the crew go without him to make room for more prisoners, but he remembered the pilot’s tail. “He said, ‘When we landed, and they saw that it was the airport in Paris, they turned around, came back and hugged every member of the crew. So I missed out on a good hug,” Durso said. “We also went on a bombing run. By then we didn’t

Page 3 later, the captain told Durso he was not able to close the bomb bay doors and told him to find out why. “So I went back there and looked, and there’s one of them stupid bombs, still hanging on one shackle. I want it to drop straight down, not to touch the side of the plane or else there’d be 10 of us with angel wings on,” he said. Durso was now tasked with safely getting the bomb free. “I said ‘Give me a little time’.

The Flying Fortress takes off from Dallas Love Field carrying veterans and aviation enthusiasts. / Photo by Courtney Ouellette have much German fighters to worry about, because they’d been pretty much decimated. We did a lot of bombing of the plants where they did manufacturing and airports. “We got to the bombing place and the pilot says ‘I’m going on a bombing run.’ So he opens the bomb bay doors. No pin-pointing, I didn’t have a bomb site, but I could set the triggers to where they go 100 feet, and they had to fall just right, you know, they can’t tumble, it has to go straight down,” Durso said. After releasing the bombs, Durso assumed all went well, and they were on their way home. A few minutes

I had an oxygen mask, and I went out there and tried to kick it, but I couldn’t reach it. Finally I said this thing doesn’t want to go down, what are we going to do about it?” Supported by whatever he could grab inside the plane, Durso hazardously leaned over the doors to get closer to the bomb. “I kicked and pushed and prayed. Finally we were closer to the Channel, and I tried rocking it a little more and nothing happened. We just got to the edge of the Channel when all of the sudden that thing just fell off by itself, thank you Lord. There was a fishing boat just underneath See B-17, Page 5

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Continued from page 3 us, and it just missed it,” he said. Surrounded by family and friends, Durso recently received the French Legion of Honor medal for his service in France. Tony Crawford, another guest connected to the B-17 shares special ties with the aircraft, but in a different way than Durso. “When I was six years old, I overheard my grandmother in prayer, and she was saying ‘Please bring Charlie home.’ Well, at six years old that was kind of a shock to me, and I always carried it around with me. I knew who

Charlie was, and Charlie was missing. He was on the first Hamburg raid in 1943, and he never came back,” Crawford said. Because of this, Crawford decided to find his uncle Charlie. “I interviewed all of these people that Charlie would’ve known, went all over the country, went searching for his plane, interviewing Germans in the area where the plane was supposed to be, and they were very helpful,” he said. In 2006, Crawford hit a breakthrough. He came across a chart that detailed

where some of the planes had landed and were left. Charlie, who was a gunner aboard a B-17 bomber, and his 10-man crew was shot down by German fighter planes near the HollandGermany border on June 25, 1943. The plane was found in an embankment where they went down. According to Crawford, negotiations are underway to have the aircraft lifted from its tomb. Charles Crawford was one of four who did not survive the crash. Charlie remains Missing In Action, and his body has never been recovered.

Crawford documented his 14-year search for his uncle in a book titled The Search for Miss Deal and The Early Raiders on The Reich. The book can be purchased on Amazon. Like Morris, Crawford believes having the opportunity to be around the B-17 and WWII veterans is a special and extremely important opportunity. “It’s a terrific experience,” Crawford said. “It’s a trip back in history and I wish that everyone could do it, because it’s part of the guys before us who gave up everything in combat.”

Japan Airlines begins 787 Dreamliner Service from DFW to Tokyo Narita Airport By Jess Paniszczyn Japan Airlines (JAL) began nonstop service between Tokyo Narita (NRT) Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport Nov. 30, reviving a route that had been discontinued in 2001. JAL will start the service with four flights per week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday utilizing Boeing 787-

8 Dreamliner aircraft, and the airline announced it plans to increase to daily service on March 20, 2016. Japan Airlines is one of the world’s leading air carriers from Japan, with hubs in Tokyo Narita and Haneda, and it is a member of the oneworld® alliance in partnership with American Airlines and 13 other carriers.

A traditional Japanese Kumi-daiko performance welcomes the return of JAL to DFW Airport. /Photo by John Starkey

“We’re excited to welcome Japan Airlines back to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport with their Dreamliner service to Tokyo,” said DFW Airport CEO Sean Donohue. “Japan Airlines is known for providing an exceptional level of customer service, and it is the same kind of service that DFW seeks to provide to its customers. We know that DFW will be a convenient mid-continent gateway for travelers from Japan to the United States and Latin America. “With the start of the Japan Airline service, the service to Tokyo will now be the second largest market internationally out of DFW airport. London is the number one market, but now with three daily services with Japan Airlines and American Airlines’ two services, it reinforces how important the DFW to Japan,

and the DFW to Tokyo market is and beyond to Asia and obviously the great connectivity that American brings to Japan on the arrivals here. “From a DFW airport perspective, we welcome back our partner and our friend Japan Airlines, we look forward to the daily service starting in March, and we look forward to this market continuing to be a very successful market for both Japan airlines and American airlines,” he said. JAL Chairman Masaru Onishi led a traditional Japan Airlines gate ceremony to officially send off the aircraft to Tokyo. Departing passengers were invited to take part in the gate celebration, which included traditional Japanese cuisine, entertainment and gifts. “The Dallas/Fort Worth region is a strategic addition to See JAPAN, Page 6

Page 6 Continued from page 5 Japan Airlines’ growing network of global destinations,” JAL Chairman Onishi said. “With DFW Airport’s central location, abundant connecting routes and exceptional amenities, we believe that more convenience and travel options can be offered to our customers travelling to and from Japan and beyond. “All of our Japan airline employees here in Dallas-Fort Worth and throughout our network look forward to serving you, our customers. We are always striving to offer the best possible service to our customers with our sincerest appreciation. We are also continuously working to improve our customer satisfaction and our aim is to become the most loved and regarded airline in the world,” he said. Japan Airlines serves 55 destinations within Japan and another 37 international destinations in addition to DFW. American Airlines’ first flight to Japan was in 1987. “It is an exciting day for American Airlines and our partnership with JAL,” Doug Parker, CEO and Chairman of American Airlines, said. “We’re taking another step forward for customers regarding greater access between our home hub of DFW and Tokyo Narita. JAL’s return to DFW is a great symbol of the warm friendship between our teams and further proof that as joint business partners we can accomplish things that we cannot do individually. We have achieved so much in 25 years as partners. “This partnership has been fundamental in laying the groundwork for a tremendous growth between the United States and Asia, one

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Looking forward to a beautiful and long lasting partnership, DFW Airport, JAL, American Airlines and local dignitaries prepare to cut a ceremonial ribbon honoring JAL’s return to the airport. /Photo by John Starkey of the fastest growing parts of our business. When our joint business started in 2011, there were 14 transpacific flights for American and JAL. This new flight from Narita makes 23, a remarkable 64 percent growth in just four years. It has been a very fruitful partnership indeed,” he said. With its return to DFW, Japan Airlines becomes the 14th international carrier to serve Dallas Fort Worth from DFW’s International Terminal D. “Each new long-haul trip is worth about $200 million [to the local economy] because there’s already service in the market our estimate is that this is probably worth between $100 million dollars and $150 million annually,” Donohue said. “We are delighted that JAL is back. It has been 14 years. They announced the service three months ago and already they are going to daily, so I think that is a great signal. Between American and JAL and their partnership, it is going to be a very, very good market for the DFW region.” Over the past decade, DFW Airport has expanded its focus on international des-

tinations and world-class amenities, attracting 12 new international carriers and 22 new international destinations. Today, the Airport hosts routes to 149 domestic

and 58 international destinations and serves 7 million international passengers annually, an increase of more than 38 percent.

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Vietnam Veterans, Air Force honored at 2015 American Airlines’ Sky Ball By Courtney Ouellette Every year, American Airlines celebrates our nation’s armed forces during their Annual Sky Ball celebration, which benefits the Airpower Foundation. With several opportunities to join the celebration, including a concert featuring Pit Bull, a Purple Heart Ceremony and a gala with guests like celebrity chef Robert Irvine and actor Gary Sinise, the celebration paid special tribute to Vietnam veterans, the U.S. Air Force and Medal of Honor Recipients. The Airpower Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 2001. Its mission is to provide essential support to our nation’s service members, veterans and their families. During his keynote address at the Oct. 24 Sky Ball Gala, General Norton Schwartz, USAF retired, paid special tribute to those who served in Vietnam. A Vietnam veteran himself, Schwartz recalled his time in Asia. “One of my first missions happened to be a closing chapter in this war, the American evacuation of Saigon. We did our best to bring American and military personnel out of harm’s way because as Americans we never, never, leave a teammate behind,” Schwartz said. Unfortunately for many veterans, returning to the United States did not really feel like returning home. “The country these heroes came home to was different than the one that they

Veterans and servicemen who contributed to the traditional GROG raise their glasses to those who have dedicated their time and talents to the armed services. /Photo by John Starkey left. The physical and emotional wounds were real, as was the ambivalence and at times hostility of those who greeted them. Some had the strong support of family and government institutions to help them, others were not so fortunate,” Schwartz said. After several decades, however, Americans are attempting to make up for the way Vietnam veterans were treated in the years following their return home. “It’s hard to believe that it’s been 50 years since we began the ground work in Vietnam,” Schwartz said. “Commemorations like this send a strong message to those who served, and the families, and the loved ones, they are not and will never, never be forgotten. “Some came home; some 58,000 did not. It is to them and the commitment Vietnam veterans made decades ago

that American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines will never again experience the disdain of their fellow citizens that they experienced, and I ask you to celebrate that tonight,” he said. Shifting his focus to our current servicemen and women, Schwartz asked that everyone use the regrettable handling of Vietnam veterans as an opportunity for growth, and a call to do better for our veterans. “Afghanistan and Iraq veterans owe their predecessors a lot, because their welcome home was so markedly different,” Schwartz said. “It is for this generation of veterans to pay it forward, so that those who bear the nation’s cross in battle return in the days to come with the respect, the affection and concern of the American people they so richly deserve. “If the Vietnam War taught

us anything, and I believe it taught us many lessons, it is that America can and must do a better job for our veterans. No one who has worn the uniform should be homeless. No one who has served in battle should have extreme difficulty finding employment. No one suffering from physical or mental injuries should suffer from substandard care; and no one’s bravery, services, sacrifice should be forgotten. “In the decades following Vietnam our government and the nonprofit sector addressed many of the problems plaguing veterans returning from combat overseas. We’ve made progress, but headlines remind us, our institutions tasked with helping our heroes are imperfect. That’s why our efforts spearheaded by the numerous philanthropies in the Dallas See SKY BALL, Page 8

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Continued from page 7 area are so critical,” he said. For many people like a young Gary Sinise, Vietnam was simply something that showed up on the TV or in the paper occasionally, because they were not personally affected by the war or its repercussions. “As I did not know anyone personally who was serving in Vietnam, I was not aware of the sacrifices and hardships so many Americans, just slightly older than I, were enduring in Vietnam,” Sinise said. “I’ve always regretted that and have tried to do what I can to make up for it over the years by supporting our veterans.” Sinise has dedicated a large part of his time to supporting service members and their families through fundraising, supporting awareness campaigns and touring military bases with the Lt. Dan Band. Both Sinise and his wife’s family include several veterans, making his work even more personal. “Our family’s history of military service to our country dates back generations. My grandfather served in France in WWI. My two uncles served in WWII. My father did his service in the Navy in the early ‘50s, yet by the time I was of the age to start to understand what they ex-

perienced, their service was long behind them, and they never really spoke about their military days,” Sinise said. It was the Vietnam veterans who truly opened his eyes to what military members face in the midst of a conflict. “Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, it would be the Vietnam veterans on my wife’s side of the family that would educate me more and open my eyes. I was in high school during the Vietnam War, but by the time I graduated, combat operations in Vietnam had come to a close,” he said. “My wife’s two brothers both served in the army in Vietnam. The youngest of the two, Arthur Harris, served as a helicopter pilot in southeast Asia flying combat missions. The eldest brother, Boyd, a West Point graduate, served two combat tours in southeast Asia, the first as a lieutenant and a platoon leader and then again as a captain and a company commander. “He received the Silver Star for gallantry in Vietnam, and after the war, he taught as a major in West Point. I learned much from him in the short time I knew him. He became an inspiration for the military leader aspect of the character that I played in Forest Gump,” he said.

Veterans, special guests and Medal of Honor recipients contribute meaningful ingredients to the GROG, from bedpan ice cream to whiskey. /Photo by John Starkey

Young men and women pledge to serve in the United States Air Force during the Sky Ball Gala. /Photo by John Starkey “We will never forget. I continue to do my best and do my part to ensure that your stories and your sacrifices are never taken for granted and that your legacy of service continues to pass from one generation to the next,” Sinise said. One such effort is the Edu-

cation Center at the memorial wall in Washington D.C. The Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial stands as a symbol of America’s honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War. It’s funded through the Veterans Memorial Fund, which

www.dfwnewsflash.com is the nonprofit organization authorized by congress in 1980 to build the memorial. “The center will help to educate future generations and honor America’s legacy of service, including those serving in our nation’s armed forces today,” Senise said. “It will put a face to every one of the more than 58,000 names listed on the wall and help ensure that there is a place on the national mall where the stories and sacrifices of our Vietnam heroes will never be forgotten.” One of those heroes, Dave Roever, participated as a guest of honor during the event. The Vietnam veteran was an Elite Brown Water Black Beret in the Navy and served as a forward gunner on a PBR (patrol boat, river). A Texas native, Roever made

DFW NEWSFLASH - December 2015 a huge sacrifice during Vietnam, but managed to turn tragedy into triumph. “My second day in boot camp they told me I was going to Vietnam, and I ended up at an NAB, a naval amphibious base. I became the forward gunner on a PBR,” Roever said. “I loved my job. I regret that I was injured, because it cut short my tour of duty. I was in the 8th month when I drew back a white phosphorus hand grenade. I had one second to deliver that grenade and I didn’t deliver it the way I intended. “As the grenade was by my face, a sniper opened fire and put a bullet through the back of my hand and in one second, my life changed forever. I looked down, my face was on my boots. I looked

A guest finds the name of his family member on a replica of a veterans memorial wall on display at the Sky Ball gala. / Photo by John Starkey

closer, and I could see my heart beating, skin dripping off my arms, blind in my eye, deaf in my ear, my hair was blown off,” he said. Despite the tremendous pain and the repercussions of the life altering event, Roever refused to let it change who he is, always maintain his sense of humor. “I got my hair back! I bought it,” he said. “It was blown off in Vietnam, but it was blown off in South Carolina the other day in a high wind. I was chasing my hair across the parking lot. It was very embarrassing, but a dog brought it back, that’s even worse.” Roever wears his scars proudly and helps today’s injured troops who are strug-

Page 9 gling through their own injuries and traumas. “I feel as though I’ve had two lives; one serving in Vietnam and the other serving down range with the Air Force and the Army in particular,” Rooever said. “I’ve had the joy of holding in my arms the men who have been so severely injured, whether it be in Kabul or in Baghdad. “When the Department of Defense invited me to tour among our troops, I wondered why me? But I discovered that a man with a scar has a story to tell. To begin this story I want to say to you that I am proud of my scars and stripes, that’s my play on words in case you didn’t know it. I’m proud of the men I served with,” he said.

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7-Eleven offers Slurpees and other treats at post-security airport location for first time By Jess Paniszczyn

Slurpee fanatics and convenience store lovers rejoiced during a celebration of the opening of the first post-security airport 7-Eleven location in the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Located in the newly renovated Terminal A near gate A25, this 7-Eleven store is a partnership between Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail and 7-Eleven. “The opening of the first 7-Eleven at Terminal A inside security at a U.S. Airport sets DFW Airport apart from other airports,” said Ken Buchanan, executive vice president of revenue management at DFW. “This is the first post security 7-Eleven store in the U.S., and we are proud to claim that. We have been working really hard on this for over the last four years, and it is finally here. “This is another opportunity to cater to our customers from around the world familiar with the 7-Eleven brand and deliver a customer experience only found at DFW. We are proud to have a local Texas brand at our airport to serve the more than 63 million passengers we have each year.” In honor of our nation’s veterans, 7-Eleven made the day extra special by donating to the Texas Christian University (TCU) Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and Dallas / Fort Worth United Service Organizations (USO) chapters. The donation of $711 to TCU ROTC came from the 7-Eleven Project A Game, where franchisees and corporate

store managers identify a local school with a specific need. The DFW USO chapter also benefited from Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail with the same amount. “It’s very exciting to have this store among our 8,000+ stores in the United States as a flagship to welcome people in and out of this fantastic international airport,” Michelle Cram, market manager for 7-Eleven said. “We were very intentional when we decided which day we wanted to do this particular event. We wanted to host it on Veterans Day. 7-Eleven has a rich history of supporting veterans and our military, so this day just seemed to make perfect sense. I feel it is important that we have representation here from the

DFW Airport USO as well as from the TCU ROTC.” The 1,320-square-foot store caters to passengers and airport employees, and features a contemporary design that embraces the recently renovated terminal’s aesthetics. Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail currently operates 32

stores in DFW Airport, including travel essential and specialty retail concepts. The company will open a second 7-Eleven store in the airport in 2016 and was recently awarded two significant food and beverage contracts featuring Texas culinary legend Kent Rathbun.

Surrounded by Slurpee lovers, Connie Richbourg and Ray Quintanilla cut the ceremonial ribbon officially opening America’s first post-security 7-Eleven. /Photo by John Starkey

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DFW Newsflash photographer flies with Golden Knights By Jess Paniszczyn The DFW NewsFlash’s accomplished and slightly aviophobic (afraid of flying) photographer, John Starkey, recently received an invitation to accompany the United States Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights. So setting his fears aside, John donned his heaviest winter coat and joined the Golden Knights in their C-31 Friendship Fokker as they performed in the Randolf Air Show in San Antonio on Nov. 1. “The plane was not pressurized at all,” John said. “It had two large open doors at the back, one on each side. Everyone needed to have coats and gloves. When we got there we were told to pare down to the minimal amount of stuff that we needed. We could not switch lenses or anything, because everything had to be strapped down in some shape, form or fashion. Even the cameras we were using had to have safety straps attached to them, which made them a

Leaving the safety of a perfectly sound airplane, a member of the United States Army’s Golden Knights steps into thin air. / Photo by John Starkey lot more cumbersome to use. They did not want anything, no matter how small, to inadvertently fall out.

Hanging out in the rear of a C-31 is just another day at the office for some of the best parachutists in the country. / Photo by John Starkey

“They strapped me in right beside the door on the righthand side of the plane. I had a double seatbelt system attached to me. “I have a little problem with heights. I have learned flying on planes that if I can just avoid looking outside for the first few hundred feet, I am reasonably fine after that. In the first few hundred feet, you watch the ground sort of fade away, and that bothers me. Once we got up high enough, my mind just said it was normal,” he said. “When we got up off the ground, the parachutists unstrapped and started getting ready. They were walking back and forth in the cabin. They had no problem walking up to the doors and

hanging out. Yes, they had parachutes on their backs, but it took a little to get used to their cavalier attitude,” John said. The image of the first parachutist leaving the plane is the most memorable for John. “They were having problems sighting the target because of cloud cover. A female parachutist was leaning out of the plane, kneeling on the floor and looking out the door. She just suddenly stood up and stepped out into space. One minute she was there, then you saw her hanging for a second outside the plane, and then she just vanished,” John said. “No one was prepared for it. There were several other photographers there, and not one of us got a photo of it, because we were all taken completely by surprise. “They dropped batons to try to get an idea of the wind flow between the plane and the ground. The plane went to about 15,000 feet. The

With preparations completed, the Golden Knights are ready to board their plane and perform for thousands of fans. /Photo by John Starkey

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Continued from page 12 clouds were just too dense underneath the plane for the parachutists to actually see the target. They ended up flying back down. The female parachutist jumped out at a lower altitude, because she had smoke the others could see her descent. Then the plane went back up to about 11,000 or 12,000 feet, and the other parachutists jumped from there. “Eight tandem teams were scheduled to jump, but only six teams jumped. The last

tandem team did not jump, because they needed the extra couple of thousand feet to have that last tandem team jump out. “It takes a certain type of person to comfortably hop out of a plane at 12,000 feet,” John said. “They have to rely heavily on everyone on the team doing their job right, otherwise their lives are forfeit. They seemed very confident and very happy. They were definitely enjoying themselves.”

Not worried about bugs, a member of the Golden Knights tests the air before his jump. / Photo by John Starkey

Wings, Wine & Whiskey supports museum’s educational endeavors: C.R. Smith Museum raises funds for STEM programs By Sarah Bays To walk into the C.R. Smith Museum in Fort Worth is to find yourself inside a world of flight. Inside are hidden treasures of the aviation industry. Dozens of people mingled around food and beverage stations around a restored 1940 Douglas DC-3, Flagship Knoxville. The chrome and orange of the airplane drove the energy at Wings, Wine & Whiskey, the museum’s annual fundraiser. Live music drew in a few dancers at the Nov. 6 evening event. The fundraiser benefits the museum’s education pro-

grams. Jay Luippold, the museum’s executive director, said the museum works to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in schools while incorporating history: American Airlines history, aviation history and transportation history. “We find we can do both, and that’s really what’s happening in the schools today,” Luippold said. “The emphasis is on STEM, and so a few years ago, we adapted a mission to incorporate history with STEM. We have a lot of science programs.”

One of the museums initiatives is Saturday at the Smith, a monthly event that includes experiments and other scientific activities. “We want to do more, and that’s why we have this annual fundraiser,” he said. The STEM education program includes field trip grants, educational camps in the summer and the regular museum offerings. An all-girl camp is coming next year during engineering week, February 21-27. “We’re going to show girls everything they need to know about STEM and that they too can be an engineer, they can be a mechanic, they can be whatever they want to be,” Angie Gofredo, the Smith’s director of development said. The Smith also has an art program. Recently, it received 350 entries for a student contest for grades 1 through 12. “Anything that flies, kids get excited,” Gofredo said. “But what we try to show them is

it’s not just about flying the plane, or not just about being a flight attendant. There’s a lot of other things it takes to make that plane get in the air. “So we’re able to take the aviation part of it, spark the interest, plant the seed and hopefully that we can build up our STEM education workforce,” she said. “Right now the workforce for STEM is hurting. So we’re trying to do our part in that area.” Gofredo said she expected the event would raise $40,000 to $45,000. Donors purchased a ticket to the event, which included catering from local restaurants. Sponsors included Boeing, Bombardier, Airbus and others. The museum is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. It is funded by corporate sponsors and the support of American Airlines. It is named for C.R. Smith, who was a former president of American Airlines as well as a pioneer in aviation.

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DFW AIRPORT POLICE REPORT Theft On October 26, 2015 at approximately 2:52 p.m. an officer met with the victim who stated his vehicle was stolen (Dark Blue, 2004 Audi A6) at Terminal C Lower Roadway Gate 11 by a white male. Officers located the Audi (matching the description and license plate) in Terminal E Upper Roadway Gate 36 and attempted to stop the vehicle by turning on the overhead lights and siren of their Patrol Vehicle. The Audi turned left into the parking garage and continued to move through the garage until traffic at the Valet area blocked its path. The Audi stopped and the thief exited the vehicle with his hands up above his head. The thief ignored officer’s orders to drop the keys of the vehicle (which the thief had in his hand), and the thief then re-entered the vehicle after officers instructed him to do so. The officers approached the driver side door and instructed the thief to place his hands on steering wheel, which the thief ignored. The thief attempted to put the keys back in the ignition of the vehicle and an officer attempted to open the vehicle’s driver’s door from the outside, but the door was locked. The officer reached in the open window and opened the driver’s door from the inside. As the door was opened the thief was able to start the vehicle and drove away at a high rate of speed. The officers pursued the thief in their patrol vehicle through Terminal E parking garage. The officers located the Audi, which the thief abandoned on Level C Gate 36 near the end of the parking garage. Additional officers arrived to assist. The thief exited the driver’s door and ran from the vehicle. The thief then attempting to flee officers jumped over the parking garage ledge. The officers looked over the ledge of the parking garage and observed the thief with a bloody face lying on the ground of Level B of the parking garage directly below where they were standing. Officers placed the thief under arrest and EMS was requested. EMS arrived on scene, assessed the thief and transported him to Parkland Hospital. The owner of the stolen vehicle (the victim) arrived on scene with Officer the victim. The Audi was released to the owner after crime scene processed it. He advised the driver seat was moved from its original position and there was no damage to the vehicle. He valued the car at $6500. After further investigation, damage

was discovered on a black BMW M3 (2013.) The trunk of the BMW had two dents on the trunk, where it appeared the thief landed. An officer placed a sticker on the vehicle notifying the owner of the damage and report number. Due to the thief unlawfully appropriating the victim’s vehicle without the victim’s effective consent, with the intent to deprive the victim of the vehicle, the thief will be charged with Theft. Due to the thief intentionally fleeing from officers (uniformed peace officers in a marked patrol car with over head lights activated and siren on), who were attempting to lawfully detain him, the thief will be charged with Evading Arrest or Detention. Upon further investigation, officers discovered the thief abandoned a different stolen vehicle at C North AOA Gate and a firearm was found in the vehicle after it was processed by crime scene. A criminal history check revealed the thief was convicted for the following: Theft by Taking, Felony, Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, Conviction 12/17/2012; Theft by Taking, Felony, Columbus Police Department, Conviction 12/17/2012. Due to the thief being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm, the thief will be charged with Unlawful Possession of Firearm. Public Intoxication On November 2, 2015, at approximately 4:05 p.m., officers were dispatched to Terminal C, Gate 20, in reference to an intoxicated passenger on the jet bridge. Upon arrival, the officer observed a male arguing loudly with an American Airlines representative and using a series of expletives. As the officer approached the subject, he could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage. The subject was swaying back and forth while standing to the point it looked like he was going to fall down. The officer asked him what was going on today and he replied “Nothing�. When asked how much he had to drink today, the subject again replied “Nothing�. Another officer asked the subject if he had been removed from the plane and he said “No�. The subject went on to say he did nothing wrong and was just trying to get to his home state of Wisconsin. Whe asked if he was going to talk to us, the subject replied “I want to talk to my lawyer.�The officer asked if the subject had any identification and he asked “Why?� At this time the officer advised because the subject was being detained, and he replied “You can talk to my lawyer.� The

officer again asked for his identification and he shouted, “F**k yourself man�. An American Airlines Customer Service advised the plane had already boarded and left the gate with the subject on board. Prior to takeoff, the pilot had to return to the gate due to the subject being belligerent At this time, the officer informed the subject to place his hands behind his back because he was being placed under arrest for Public Intoxication. The subject then raised his right arm with a balled up right fist and attempted to punch the other officer. While the subject’s arm was in the air and reared back, the officer grabbed his right wrist and spun him around and deployed his taser from the holster. The subject asked “Oh are you going to tase me?� and the officer replied “Yes sir.� Due to the subject facing me and was no longer displaying a threat (no longer attempting to actively punch officers) the officer re-holstered his taser. At this time, PPCT tactics were not working, so officers attempted to control the subject’s arms. While holding his arms, the officers were giving loud commands to the subject to get on the ground. The subject was actively trying to pull away and was not complying. With officers on either side of the subject, they brought him to the ground to be handcuffed. The subject was on his back while on the ground, making it difficult to handcuff him behind his back. The subject was still actively trying to pull his arms and hands away from us while kicking an officer in the process. The officers were finally able to handcuff the subject in the front, and they controlled him there (on his back, handcuffed in the front) until backup units arrived on scene. Neither the subject nor officers sustained any injuries during this process. During the process of getting the subject handcuffed, and also while controlling him until backup officers arrived, the subject was attempting to bite the officers’ hands. Once the backup officers arrived, they were able to get the subject in a wheelchair and wheel him to the curb to be transported. Once on the curb, the subject was taken from the wheelchair and his handcuffs were removed and he was re-handcuffed behind his back. During this process, the subject was actively kicking at officers. Leg restraints had to be used to get the subject into the back of the vehicle. The subject did not provide officers with his name or any form of identification

at the scene. In order to enter his name and date of birth at the jail, the officer had to gather that information from American Airlines. While in the jail for book in procedures, the subject was again attempting to bite officers and was very uncooperative. Jail officers had to place the subject in a restraint chair. The subject was originally placed under arrest for Public Intoxication. The charge Resisting Arrest, Search or Transportation was added. Voluntary Witness statements were filled out by two Customer Service Managers for American Airlines. Disregard Barricade On November 11, 2015 an officer was conducting traffic enforcement at the intersection of Glade Rd. and West Airfield Dr. due to Glade Rd. being shut down for bridge repair. The officer observed a vehicle, 2012 red Ford F150, approach the intersection from the north, slow down, drive through the orange traffic cones blocking off the right turn lane and continue west on Glade Rd. The Ford pulled in the parking lot of Simuflight where the officer conducted a traffic stop for the violation. The officer approached the driver, identified himself, stated the reason for the stop and asked the driver for his license and proof of insurance. The driver provided the requested documents. The officer wrote a citation for Obeying Warning Signs and Barricades. The officer informed the driver he was being issued a citation and asked him to sign it. The driver advised he was going to argue the citation in court because he was a Police Officer from Grapevine, TX in the past. The officer informed him that would be fine and that as a past peace officer the driver should have known not to drive through the cones blocking off the turn lane.

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December 2015 - DFW NEWSFLASH

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