A16
NEWS
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
JOSEPH FLY-IN
LANDS JULY 12
Boeing CH47
“Chinook” Army
National Guard twin
rotor helicopter
“Bird” biplane,
courtesy of Dick
and Lucas Stangel
(pre-WWII)
LifeFlight helicopter
Historic DC-3 called to duty at D-Day reenactment
Curtiss P40 “War-
hawk” (WWII era)
Aero Vodchody L39
“Albatros” jet trainer/
fi ghter & now racer
(Czech Cold War era)
By Katherine Stickroth
For the Chieftain
As a young man, Bill Hall worked on
his grandfather’s ranch which overlooks the
Joseph State Airport. Hall is now a director of
the upcoming 2019 Wallowa County Fly-in,
which will bring an array of historic aircraft
to the Joseph airport on July 12 and 13. Planes
include several WWII war birds — a P-40
and a replica of a P-64. The event also helps
support Joseph Charter School’s unique avia-
tion program.
For the past fi ve years, a big, crowd-pleas-
ing DC-3 has announced the opening of the
Fly-in with a low level fl ight coming up the
Wallowa Valley. That plane, now more than 80
years old, was fl ying for the Army Air Corps in
WWII, although it spent its wartime tour state-
side. This year it will miss the Joseph Fly-in
because after fl ying to England for the 75th
anniversary of the Normandy inva-
sion, it’s getting a well-earned rest
and refurbishment in England, and
a few more European engagements
before heading back to the U.S.
The DC-3 was built in 1937.
Famous WWI fl ying ace and
Medal of Honor recipient Eddie
Rickenbacker, then vice-pres-
ident of Eastern Airlines, pur-
chased the plane as one of the
airline’s original Silver Fleet. It
is one of the oldest DC-3s
still in fl ight and holds the world’s record for
DC-3 fl ight time.
The DC-3s regular appearance at the
Joseph Fly-in can be credited, in a way, to
local fl ying icon Ted Grote, who passed away
in late in 2014, and on Bill Hall’s connec-
tions among the historic aviation commu-
nity. During WWII, Grote fl ew DC-3s from
Texas to California as the fi rst leg of their
mission in the war effort. “Knowing that Ted
Grote would be really interested in seeing that
plane,” Hall said, “I invited Pete Nickerson,
the DC-3s present owner, to bring the DC-3
to our 2014 Fly-in.” Nickerson did. Ted Grote
was delighted. Grote broke into a grin as he
watched it taxi to the tarmac.
“I used to fl y those,” he said. “Beautiful
old bird.” Soon after this special reunion, Ted
passed away.
Last month, Hall accompanied ten other
men in the same DC-3 on a fl ight from Aurora,
Oregon, across the United States, crossing the
Atlantic and arriving at Duxford, England, air-
base. The aircraft joined additional DC-3s and
C-47s which were gathering for a fl yover to
Normandy, France to commemorate the 75th
anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
Hall describes, “We stopped in Montana,
North Dakota, Michigan and Maine. We then
hopped across the northern Atlantic, land-
ing at former WWII landing strips — Can-
ada, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland- used by
the United States to transport equipment to
AIRCRAFT FLYING IN
AND ON DISPLAY
North American AT6
“Texan” (WWII era)
At the 2014 fl y-in Ted Grote, 94, takes the
controls of the historic DC-3 aircraft similar to
those he piloted during WWII.
England during the war. We arrived at Dux-
ford where briefi ngs were held for pilots pre-
paring for the reenactment. Many participants
were dressed in WWII uniforms for the event.”
The DC-3 bore its WWII Army Air Corps
star and registration number assigned when
requisitioned in 1943.
About his time on the DC-3, in England
and on the beaches of Normandy for the his-
toric memorial, Navy veteran Hall com-
mented, “The whole experience added up to
something quite moving for me.”
This year’s fl y-in — and the days before the
offi cial fl y-in, will likely welcome some out-
standing and historic aircraft, Bill Hall noted.
About 10 or 11 a.m. on the morning of
Thursday, July 11, we’ll have two outstand-
ing, historic jet aircraft fl ying over Joseph,”
Hall said.
“Mark Peterson and Phil Fogg will fl y in
for the morning of Thursday the 11th and we
expect them to fl y over from Boise in forma-
tion and do a missed approach pass before
landing at Joseph,” he said. “They will both
be fl ying jets. Mark Peterson will be piloting
the Dornier Alpha Jet (a German aircraft). Phil
Fogg will be fl ying the Aero L-39 “Albatros”
Czech-built jet that he was in last year. Phil
won grand champion at the Reno Air Races Jet
Category in 2014, racing an L39.”
Hall expects the L-39 to remain in Joseph
North American
P64 (WWII era,
replica)
Quest Kodiak 100
Utility Bush Plane
Boeing Stearman
PT-17 military train-
ers (WWII era)
Stinson V77 “Reli-
ant” 1930’s through
1943, commercial
and military
1934 Perth Amboy
July 12 and 13.
Various STOL (Short take-off and land-
ing) aircraft will provide demonstrations and
some special event at this year’s fl ying, Hall
noted. “The STOL demonstrations by some of
our most experienced local Wallowa County
canyon pilots will be fun to watch. They’ll be
fl ying in highly capable aircraft well-suited to
STOL work, Piper Super Cubs and modifi ed
Cessna 170s.
For even more fun and a great opportunity
to experience historic aircraft, the North Amer-
ican AT6 will be available to take paying cus-
tomers on half hour and one hour rides with
aerobatic demonstrations and instruction by
request. Jim Shotwell, pilot.Jim will also give
some selective rides to military veterans at no
charge, time permitting. Priority goes to oldest
veterans interested in a ride.
“We are always surprised and pleased by
some of the interesting aircraft that fl y in on
Friday and Saturday. We don’t always know
everything that is going to show up so we may
very well have additional noteworthy and his-
toric aircraft on the ramp to pique the interest
of aviation fans and fl y-in attendees,” he said.
A P-40 Flying Tiger aircraft at the National
Aircraft Museum, is similar to the plane
that will be at the Joseph Fly-In on July 12.
U.S.A.F. National Flight Museum
Caleb Klauder Country Band
Kory Quin
Dom Flemons
Bart Budwig
1919!
Ural Thomas
& The Pain
Jon Cleary & the Absolute Gentlemen
Party like it’s
JOIN
US THIS
WEEKEND!
OK Theatre Centennial
Celebration
Dinner on
Main Street &
How the West
was Dun
a western melodrama
and dinner
Friday July 12th
Tickets $50
Tickets available at:
eventbrite.com, theoldok.com
or by calling 541-263-0941
Party on
Main Street!
$25 per person or
$50 per family!
208 W. Main Street, Enterprise, Oregon
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