COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

The

C MPASS
M ISSOURI W ING

P.O. Box 637 St.Charles, MO 63302 St. Charles County Smartt Airport 636-250-4515 Fax 636-250-4515 www.cafmo.org

MISSOURI WING

A PRIL
2013 BOMBERS FIRST FLIGHT
OF THE

E XECUTIVE S TAFF
WING LEADER Col. Patrick Kesler 28 Confederate Way St. Charles, MO 63303 636-928-5687 636-250-4515 Wing wingleader@cafmo.org ADJUTANT Col.Bob Moore 6 Hidden Meadow Court St. Charles, MO 63303 636-928-5546 home 314-486-1205 cell moorerw@charter.net EXECUTIVE OFFICER Col. Bob Lawrence 111 W. Essex Ave. Kirkwood, MO 63122 314-494-7539 cell 314-894-3200 x103 work FINANCE Col. Steve Gossett 4 Limerick Lane O'Fallon, MO 63366 636-474-9763 314-306-5021 OPERATIONS OFFICER Col.Craig O'Mara 1085 Graywolf Court Fairview Heights, IL 62208 618-632-6113 home 618-558-7211 cell craigo777@juno.com MAINTENANCE OFFICER Col. Pat Fenwick 6 Heather Drive St. Peters, MO 63376 636-441-2856 SAFETY OFFICER Col. Chris Herrmann 309 Clearwater Drive Belleville, IL 62220 618-233-4782 PIO OFFICER Col. Cecilia Holechek 314-920-5118 infocafmo@gmail.com

1
Photo by Lou Tacchi

YEAR

U PCOMING E VENTS
NOTE: NC = Not Confirmed

View The Compass in color at cafmo.org

Apr 6 Hot Springs, AR Aerospace Day B-25, TBM, PX LHFEs Apr 8 B-25 Busch Stadium Flyover - Cardinal Baseball Home Opener - 3:15 pm Apr 12 Flyover Stan Musial Harmonica Night at Busch Stadium - 6:58 pm Apr 13 General Meeting 1:30pm Apr 20 B-25 & TBM Aircrew Safety Training 10 am Apr 17-20 71st Doolittle Raider Reunion Eglin AFB, FL B-25 LHFEs (NC) Apr 27 B-25 & TBM Aircrew Safety Training 10 am May 5 Valley of Flowers Parade - Florissant, Mo. 4 May 11 General Meeting 1:30pm May 19 Canton, IL B-25 LHFEs May 24-26 Columbia, MO Salute To Veterans B-25, TBM Jun 8-9 Cameron, MO Airshow B-25, LHFEs, PX (NC) Jun 8 General Meeting 1:30pm Jun 21-23 Davenport, IA Quad Cities Airshow B-25, TBM, LHFEs, PX Jun 28-29 Cape Girardeau, MO B-25, TBM, L-3, LHFEs, PX (NC) July 4 Fourth of July Parade - Webster Groves, Mo. July 13 General Meeting 1:30pm Aug 10 General Meeting 1:30pm Aug 11 Festival of the Little Hills Parade - St. Charles, Mo. Aug 24 Sullivan, MO B-25, L-3 LHFEs, PX (NC) Sep 14 General Meeting 1:30pm Sep 19-21 Camdenton, MO Lake Airshow B-25, L-3, LHFEs, PX Sep 21 HANGAR DANCE! Sep 28 Jefferson City, MO Open House B-25, L-3, LHFEs, PX (NC) Oct 11-13 AIRSHO 2013 Midland, Texas B-25 (crew pays own expenses) Oct 12 General Meeting 1:30pm Oct 19 Mt. Vernon, IL Little Egypt Fly-In B-25, TBM, L-3, LHFEs, PX (NC) Oct 26 Smartt Field Open House & Pumpkin Drop (NC) Nov 9 General Meeting 1:30pm Nov 9 Veteran's Day Parade - Florissant, MO

Saturday - April 13 - General Meeting - 1:30 pm

WING LEADER'S REPORT

Spring has sprung but were still a month behind in temperatures. By time you read this we will have hopefully participated in our first flying events of 2013 the Hot Springs Aerospace weekend and a couple Busch Stadium National Anthem fly-bys. Col. Matt Conrad has been very busy coordinating the currently scheduled events while researching possible future airshows and flying events. The pilots have been busy with annual ground schools and training and the mechanics have continued doing what they do 12 months out of the year maintaining the three best WWII era aircraft in the CAF. I would like to personally thank Cols. Peter Sherwin, Matt Conrad, Craig OMara and Clyde Zellers for conducting all of the required annual B-25 and TBM Pilot Ground School training sessions on March 9th and 10th, respectively. Matt was once again able to secure a warm, professional atmosphere for us at his work place the Trans States Airlines facility over by Lambert Airport. Coffee and donuts were available and everyone brought a sack lunch. Col. Bob Moore was kind enough to run the Wing Staff and General Membership meetings while I was taking tests and remembering numbers, limitations, regulations and LHFE do and donts. Thanks guys for making some boring subjects very interesting and refreshing Our new PIO, Col. Cecilia Holechek (with assistance from her hubby John) has been amazingly active in restructuring our public information and marketing entities. She has kept me on my toes and taught me a great deal about areas I previously knew nothing about. Bear with me on this one Decades ago, while pursuing my bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering, I always considered the Business majors as sub-human, lazy individuals who were buying an unmarketable, worthless degree which had no meaning or value in the real world. I thought all of the economic, marketing and business-associated students were studying to be unemployed and wasting their time and their parents money on courses which had no structure, meaning or application possibilities because of their simple nature. Most of the engineering students that didnt like (or couldnt hack) the engineering courses seemed to always transfer to the School of Business. That school was a true burial yard of once-hopeful aeronautical, electrical or mechanical engineering studs. There was even a hoard of ex dirt (civil) engineering students located in those smoke-filled buildings that housed the business flunkies and soon to be unemployed rummies. Boy! Was I ever shocked when I entered the realm of post college adventures and Im glad we get smarter as we age. I have since realized that those Business-type majors were pretty darn smart and many of them actually progressed to high-paying, intelligent, demanding, worthwhile positions at big corporations. Some of them actually entered the armed forces and elevated themselves to highranking, important positions because of their studies while in college. My hat is off to Cecilia!!! There is so much more to marketing, business and her PIO position then I ever realized. We are fortunate to have her and John as members. Oh, and Ive heard that John is an expert when it comes to applying for Corporate Grants. I definitely expect the MO Wing to benefit from these two recently discovered assets. I apologize for the long dissertation, but feel its important at times to talk about things other than airplanes and wrenches. Its that time of year when we hear mention of the words possible flooding, and because of that ugly term, we always revisit the Wing FEP (Flood Evacuation Procedure). The FEP was developed from the challenges of the 1993 flood and is reviewed

each March/April as we approach those months where flooding is possible. Check elsewhere in this issue for the FEP. We will be updating the 3 Team Leaders and volunteer members of each team at the April General Membership meeting. Remember, Flood Stage at Grafton on the Mississippi is 18 feet and we recently reached 18.78 feet on March 17th. It is now back down to normal. The water is nipping at the hangar doors when the Mississippi reaches 31 feet, so we have a long way to go. It reached 38.2 feet in August, 1993 during the 500 year flood. On Tuesday, March 19th, Frank Vitello passed away. Frank was one of our Air Force veterans and a long-time Missouri Wing member. He always sat on the front row when he was able to attend the general meeting and seemed to come up with some of the more thought-provoking questions when I opened the floor for discussion after the agenda was complete. He had a very gentle nature and we will all miss him. Please stay warm and dry and plan on getting active at the Wing. We can always use your help and certainly look forward to seeing the smiles, handshakes, and enthusiasm this organization continues to generate. Cant wait to hear those hangar doors opening and those tugs tugging! We are so fortunate!!! And remember, you can help Keep Em Flying and have a great, rewarding time in your life while doing so. Its always great to make new memories especially when they are associated with the memories of that Great Generation. Respectfully submitted, CAF Col. Pat Kesler, Wing Leader

AIRCRAFT GROUND SCHOOLS

Very soon our first rate corps of aircraft mechanics will have our 3 aircraft back in the air after their annual Winter overhauls. To complete the process of getting the aircraft to this years shows, our pilots must then go through their training to re qualify after a Winter of inactivity. This begins with refreshing their knowledge of the aircraft systems and CAF regulations in our annual ground school which will occur the weekend of the 9th and 10th of March. Our resident B-25 expert, Peter Sherwin, will take us through everything that we need to know to safely operate Show Me. We will have a new instructor for the TBM this year as our usual instructor, John Lohmar, will be busy bringing the Arbus 320 to Americans fleet. Clyde Zellers has agreed to teach the systems on the TBM to our current and future TBM pilots. And our very own, Mr. L-3, Bob Cushman, will take Hubert Looney and I through L-3 ground school, so that we can safely operate our little L Bird. After ground school will come the usual test flights in all 3 aircraft followed by many hours of flight training so that we can practice all of the maneuvers that well need to fly the Airshow season. It takes a lot of work on the part of a lot of our people to fulfill our mission of keeping the memory of the Greatest Generation alive, but its all worth it. Please take part in our mission by flying with the aircraft to the shows or volunteering wherever your desires lead you. Thanks for all that you do for the Wing! CAF Colonel Craig OMara, Operations Officer

EXECUTIVE OFFICER REPORT

The National Meeting down at Headquarters that Bob Moore and myself attended was very beneficial. Personally I left energized about who we are as a group as well as our mission. Conferences are things I attend 12+ times a year and I have to say that our Headquarters puts together a good one. You can always find improvements that could be done but that is a normal reaction. The CAF as we all know is a great group and at the same time a business. It was good to see that the strength of the national organization has been approving as it does have a direct relation to us here in the Missouri Wing. As the national has their business we do as well. I know that Col. Steve Gossett as well as Col. Pat Kesler talk about this on a regular basis. The way we sell ourselves is in our LHFE program, PX, Fuel and a few other ways. It is important to remember that every time we put our aircraft in front of the public we are increasing the possibility of selling from any of these sales avenues. Its the same with billboards, you have to spend a little to make a little more. Each time we do a parade we are advertising, every time we do an event like a free fly over we are advertising. While we are spending actual dollars these are investments to bring in more actual dollars from new sources. As our Headquarters has found ways to be profitable we too have those means. As a group I truly feel we can make this wing more profitable. I am not trying to take away the fun aspect in everything we do by saying this, but I think we all know that in the end we need cash And on a selfish note ensure it will still be around another 30 years so that I can continue to enjoy the camaraderie and have a means to get out of cutting the grass on Saturdays. Membership: Membership Cards are now completed and will be available at the Wing. Again I apologize for the delay in getting these out. Again I will put out the plea if anyone wants to assist me in Membership please contact me. PX: I continue to get questions about volunteering for the PX. I will always accept the help however there are considerations based on the negotiated room count for each show. Sometimes there are not enough rooms for everyone and then it becomes necessary to get your own room. To maintain profitability of the PX this is why I tend to use flight crew members. However I always appreciate the assistance! Web Site: The new website is currently in design phase. As I have stated before I am a novice at this and attempt to make progress as quickly as I can. This new site I have brought in a few companies I work with in order to assist me in developing a site that will offer the general public a better experience as well as our members a secure section for information and all around fun. I will keep everyone posted on how it is going. CAF Col. Bob Lawrence

Jordan and Nicholas Brown

BIG THANKS

Here is a list of monetary donors for this year, thru 2/28/13 Tee Baur Joe Bodziony Gerald Carpenter Kevin Cotter Logan Doyle Everett Feltham Ben Hilderbrand Art Hofmann Al Kaser David Lee Rick Rea Shane Roden Bob Rutledge John Scholes Jack Seeman Pete Sherwin Mike Silberstein David Thompsen Boeing St. Louis-Employees Community Fund No matter how big or small the amount, all donations are very much appreciated and needed to help support the continuing operations of the Wing. Thank you very much. CAF Col. $teve Gossett

Chris Herrmann getting his bounces in.

Our advertised fuel price is on 2 websites

AirNav and 100LL

Remember - NO SMOKING within 50 feet of Aircraft and Fuel Pump!

Jordan Brown getting his bounces in.

CAFMO COLONELS ATTEND HISTORY ALIVE PROGRAM

On March 15 CAF Col Nick Talarico and myself were invited to attend Lindbergh High Schools History Alive Program at the school. Local veterans organizations, along with the Missouri Wing, distributed information about the services, events, and activities they offer to the program participants. According to history teacher, Brad Durnell, the project was designed to bring historical events out of the textbooks and into the classroom. Over fifty WWII veterans from all branches of service were on hand to share their stories, memorabilia, and at times, hair-raising exploits during the war. Durnell stated the program is not only a rewarding experience for the students who get to talk face to face with individuals who lived through the history they study, but for the veterans as well. It provides a unique opportunity for veterans to share their stories with future generations of Americans in a more intimate and personal way. There are three more sessions scheduled, and Durnell is inviting all veterans of the Korean conflict to attend April 12 at the school. The Vietnam War session will be May 6, and the wars in the Middle East May 10. For more information about the program and register for any of the upcoming sessions contact Brad Durnell at 314-4899326, or email him at <bdurnell@lindberghschools.ws> CAF Col. Cecelia Holechek

A veteran shares his experiences as a crewman on a B-17 in the European Theater of Operations during WWII with Lindbergh High School students.

2013 AIRCREW SAFETY TRAINING SCHEDULED

Maintenance is almost complete. Pilot ground school is complete. Flight training is about to start. Airshow season is just around the corner. Once again, it is time for our annual Aircrew Safety Training. Last year, we had an awesome safety record and to ensure that trend continues, we have determined dates for the required annual event. As announced at the January meeting, the staff has made the decision that in order to fly any missions as an aircrew member, wing members are required to complete annual Aircrew Safety Training. Crew lists will be scrubbed prior to airshows to ensure everyone has completed the required training on the aircraft they are scheduled. So if you would like to fly on Show Me, the TBM or Lil Show Me, you have to complete this training. The first two training events are scheduled for April 20th and 27th beginning at 1000 hours. There is no limitation on class size. Training will consist of a review of general procedures, aircraft handling procedures, emergency procedures, emergency equipment, and safety items. Training should only last a couple of hours, and all three of our aircraft will be covered. To ensure you get to experience the thrill of air shows this year and dont miss out on the opportunities and fun, mark your calendars and arrive early. CAF Col. Chris Herrmann

CAF Col Nick Talarico is ready to share information about the Missouri Wing with program participants.

Nick Talarico discussing the history and membership opportunities with Commemorative Air Force Missouri Wing with a visitor.

Bud and Joe replacing exhaust clamp on "Show Me".

SHOW ME SCHEDULED FOR BUSCH STADIUM FLYOVERS

Through the efforts of the Wings new PIO, Cecilia Holechek, Show Me has been invited by the Cardinals to do a fly-by during the Opening Day ceremonies at Busch Stadium April 8 at 3:15 p.m. In addition, Show Me will do a second flyover four days later on April 12 to kick off the Stan Musial Harmonica give away night game against the Milwaukee Brewers at 6:58 p.m. Pilots CAF Col Matt Conrad and Wing Leader Pat Kesler will be in the cockpit flying over at 500 feet above predicted sell out crowds at Busch Stadium. When the Cardinals learned Show Me came off the North American Aviation production line in 1944 they were anxious to schedule a flyover for the Stan Musial Harmonica give away game too. Musial hit his only home run in 4 World Series against the St. Louis Browns in an all St. Louis city series in 1944. This was also the only World Series he batted .300, hitting .304 making the fly-by a fitting tribute to Stan the Man. *Sidebar: The story goes, as Major Greg Pappy Boyingtons exploits against the Japanese in the South Pacific and his Black Sheep Squadron grew in late 1943, the World Champion Cardinals took note. They challenge Boyington, saying they would give him a Cardinal ball cap for every Japanese plane he shot down. However, it was said that the Black Sheep were shooting down so many planes so quickly the Cardinals presented the entire squadron with caps and baseball bats in recognition for their outstanding service.

Stan the Man at bat.

A big thanks to Matt and Pat for ramrodding the FAA airspace waiver request through in record time to make these flights possible. Of course, there wouldn't be any flights possible without the dedicated maintenance crews that keep the Wings warbirds flying. Thanks, to their tireless efforts and countless hours spent preparing the aircraft we can look forward with enormous pride and anticipation to the 2013 Air Show season. It cannot be stressed enough, that these flyovers require maximum effort by the air crew and co-ordinators on the ground to hit the exact times alloted for the flights over the stadium. Weather permitting, and barring any mechanical problems, I look forward to giving a full report in the May Compass. CAF Col John Holechek

Members of Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-214 the Black Sheep posing on the wings of one of their F4U-1A Corsairs with their Cardinals caps and bats. Pappy Boyington stands in the front row fourth from the left. photo credit: LIFE magazine 1944 Article and photo submitted by CAF Col. John Holechek

MEDAL

OF

PARADE - MARCH 16, 2013 FLASH

The annual St. Pat's parade was held in downtown St. Louis with our Staff Car participating. Originally we planned to have all three vehicles, but the Jeeps battery wouldnt charge and shortage of certified drivers precluded the Duce. However the Staff Car, usually the problem, performed without flaw. No Huberts trailer this time; we drove it to and from the parade site sometimes exceeding 48 Knots and as slow as 1 knot in the parade. What a performance, thanks to our Motor Pool Officer Col. Don Huser who also drove the car!!! The parade was awesome. Some 200,000 persons jammed the parade route down Market Street from 18th Street to Broadway. We were in slot 29 of 135 (big parade!!!), with an Irish/Country band in front and a Scottish Bag Pipe band behind. The car was decorated with clovers and streamers thanks to Col. Bob Moore, our former parade chairman. (He loves to decorate.) People cheered our entry as we passed by. We all agreed that the St. Pat's parade is a must for future planning. Our next parade is the Valley of Flowers parade in the city of Florissant May 14, 2013. This will be another first for the Wing. See the Compass schedule for future parades. CAF Col. Nick Talarico

In past articles, we have reviewed MOH aviation recipients from WWI. As we move forward to WWII aviation, a total of 38 Medals of Honor were awarded to members of the Army Air Corps. This month we honor Lt Col Jimmy Doolittle as the 1st aviator to receive the Medal of Honor in WWII for his daring first strike on the Japanese mainland on 18 April 1942 in B-25 Mitchell bombers. His citation reads: For conspicuous leadership above the call of duty, involving personal valor and intrepidity at an extreme hazard to life. With the apparent certainty of being forced to land in enemy territory or to perish at sea, Gen. Doolittle personally led a squadron of Army bombers, manned by volunteer crews, in a highly destructive raid on the Japanese mainland. The following is an excerpt from Home of Heroes Ebook: Any doubts about the value of airpower or the effectiveness of the airplane as a military weapon were quickly dispelled in the stunning December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. In less than two hours 360 Japanese airplanes literally destroyed the American Pacific fleet, killing nearly 2,500 Americans, and with a loss of less than a dozen of their own aircraft. Reeling from the staggering losses, America needed a glimmer of hope in the early dark days of World War II. Four months after the Day of Infamy, 80 Army aviators performed the unthinkable, flying 16 B-25 bombers from the deck of an aircraft carrier 400 miles from the Japanese homeland, to strike back. The first moral victory of World War II was appropriately achieved by the knights of the air, and was achieved not only because of their great valor, but also because of their ingenuity. Americas airmen continued to push the envelope. Launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet, After dropping their bombs, mainly on or near their intended targets, Doolittles sixteen B-25B bombers left Japanese airspace, essentially unhindered by enemy air interception and anti-aircraft gunfire. One of them, suffering from excessive fuel consumption, had no hope of reaching China and so headed for the closer Soviet Maritime region. After landing north of Vladivostok, this plane and its five crew members were interned by the then-neutral Soviet authorities. The crew ultimately returned to the U.S. by way of Iran. The other fifteen planes, with their seventy-five men, flew on toward China, where darkness forced four to crash-land or ditch offshore. With fuel running out after some fifteen hours of flying, eleven crews took to their parachutes. Three men were killed at this time. Local residents saved most of the others and heroically spirited them through Japanese-held territory to safety. The vengeful enemy retaliated with a vicious ground offensive, killing tens of thousands of Chinese over the following months. The Japanese also were able to capture eight men from two planes crews. Three of these prisoners of war, Second Lieutenants Dean E. Hallmark and William G. Farrow and Sergeant Harold A. Spatz, were executed at Shanghai in October 1942. Another, Lieutenant Robert J. Meder, died in prison more than a year later.

HONOR - WWII AVIATION

Brig Gen Jimmy Doolittle

B-25 Bombers on the Carrier Hornet for the Raid

Live with Honor, Hubert Looney taxi testing the L3.

CAF Col. Tim Mohr

NEW MEMBER

GENERAL MEETING MINUTES

1:30 PM March 9, 2013 CALL TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLIGIENCE ROLL CALL OF STAFF RECOGNIZE VISITORS AND GUESTS MINUTES OF LAST MEETING in COMPASS INFIRMED MEMBERS OLD BUSINESS WING STAFF CONFERENCE - Bob Moore & Bob Lawrence attended. DOOLITTLE Not going (reasons in WLs Report in COMPASS MAINTENANCE STORAGE BLDG Building or trailers. Bob Lawrence suggested using one or two semi-trailers. NEW BUSINESS 1. AIRCRAFT STATUS: B-25 Annual Insp TBM Annual Insp L-3 A/W 2. HANGAR HALL AREA Next to be upgraded in Spring. Ideas? 3. STEVE BROWN VISIT Currently scheduled to visit MO Wing on Saturday, May 11th. Encourage maximum attendance. 4. 2013 FLYING SCHEDULE Sign-up clipboard currently at pilot ground school Will be available in hangar hall next week. Check schedule on website Encourage everyone to review current COMPASS Airshow Procedures article. 5. AIRCREW SAFETY TRAINING Everyone that flies in the B-25, TBM, or L-3 to any airshows/flying events must have received this training prior to any flights. This is an Annual requirement. Training dates will be published and disseminated soon. Meeting Adjourned @2:30PM

We are pleased to report that Phil Best has become a new member of the Missouri Wing this month. Phil is 30 years old, lives in St. Louis, and has 3 children. His father spent his career in the Army and Phil served in the Marine Corp. He is currently employed as an engineer for the Union Pacific railroad. Phil has a passion for airplanes and flying and is presently taking flight training lessons at St Charles Flying Service. After obtaining his private license, he plans to get his instrument and commercial licenses. You may have already seen him helping clean the outside of Show-me and other entry level jobs at the Wing. Be sure to say hello and welcome him when you see him. CAF Col. Bob Moore

HEADQUARTERS FINANCIAL AUDIT

On April 2nd, Floyd Houdyshell, (VP of Finance), and April Robinson, (Unit Accountant) met me at the hangar for an audit of the Wing financial transactions for 2012. They did the following: * Reviewed all invoices we paid in 2012 * Reviewed all invoices weve paid so far in 2013 * Reviewed year end bank balances vs. the bank statement * Did a sampling of PX inventory prices * Reviewed our Endowment Fund balances * Discussed fixed asset acquisitions ( this year it was only our office remodeling) and asset deletions (my old computer) * Reviewed my 12/31/12 accrued assets and liabilities * Took a tour of our facilities They found 5 invoices, dated late December 2012 that I paid in January 2013, that they wanted journaled back into 2012. Since the amounts were insignificant I felt it wasnt worth challenging. The audit took only three hours and they complimented us on being organized and ready for them. CAF Col. Gossett

Hubert Looney and Pat Fenwick discussing the bomber's flight.

Here comes Looney taxiing the L-3 again...

GONE WEST

Paul Conley has just about finished making the B-25 viewing stand easier to use and a lot safer. Good job Pau!

MO Wing members, Im sad to report that our friend CAF Col. Frank Vitello passed away Tuesday, March 19th. He was one of our great Air Force veterans and a long-time member of the Wing. Frank will surely be missed. CAF Col. Pat Kesler

COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

MISSOURI WING P.O. Box 637 St. Charles, MO 63302-0637

APRIL 2013

"Two G un T om"

Clyde Zeller maintenace flight and 3 bounces.

TBM FIRST FLIGHT 2013

April Birthdays!

Eric Baldwin (7) David Woodson (14) Bill Coffey (15) Mark Pruitt (18) Darren Nash (18) David Reed (27) Rick Rea (30) June Newsletter - Need info by May 23

Compass Deadline: May Newsletter - Need info by April 26