We've got a lot to learn from the ultra-light and sport aviation movement folks.  Not everyone learns to fly for utilitarian reasons.  Some pilots (and most local pilots I might add), learn to fly not to get from point A to point B.  They learn to fly for fun and to experience the art of flight.  Ninety percent of our rental flights fall under these perimeters:  Day, VFR, solo or with one passenger, within the local area.  They fly for the same reason a Harley owner takes a ride up and down Grand Ave.  Because that's what they enjoy.

     Don't misunderstand me because business general aviation is one of the reasons that WFS is able to stay in business.  Cessna and Piper perpetuated this philosophy in the 70's with their training programs.  These companies planned on the fact that pilots who earned their private pilot license would go on to earn their instrument and multi-engine ratings as well.  Those business travelers would also purchase bigger and faster airplanes.  (Sound familiar Merrill?)  This philosopy was true to a certain extent, and it did serve its purpose.  But that's not the whole shabang when you describe general aviation.  Let's not forget about the average Joe aviator who flies a putt-putt plane like you and I. 

     A putt-putt pilot flies our kind of airplane.  It might be a sport plane, an experimental, an ultralight, a Piper Cub, Ercoupe, Luscombe, Warrior or Skyhawk.  It's our flavor of airplane.  We fly it because we love it.  We don't need a reason to go, a destination, or a cash flow analysis.  Most of us don't try to justify it.  If you do, you immediately miss the point.  And that's something to be proud of!

     For all you putt-putt pilots we've created Putt-Putt Patrol.  It's a trip back to the grassroots days of flight.  The days when pilots used to gather for the camaraderie and flew for the fun of it. 

Starting May 3rd, every Tuesday we'll meet at WFS around 5:30 p.m.   Bring your own food.  We'll have a grill.  We'll eat and then we'll fly.  It will be informal.  Bring a friend.  Where will we go?  Up!  Who cares!  We'll figure it out that evening.  If we get weathered, we'll watch a flying movie.  So if what I've described sounds like you, come join us for Putt-Putt Patrol. 

     Feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and if you know of someone who may be interested in receiving "Contact!", email me at taildraggerflyer@yahoo.com.  CAVU and wishes for safe flight to you all!!!

What is Putt-Putt Patrol?  It’s like Friday Lunch Club.   Except after we eat, we fly!

1. Bring your own food & drink.  We’ll bring the     grill.
2. After dinner, we fly . . . who cares where!
3. It’s informal

     EAA Chapter 243 has coordinated the visit of the Experimental Aircraft Association's B-17 to Wausau Downtown Airport July 15th - 17th.  The restored World War II heavy bomber will be offering rides and airplane tours. 

Flight experience cost will be $355 per person for current EAA members and their guests, and $395 per person for non-EAA members (which includes $40 for new EAA membership).  EAA/B-17 merchandise will also be available for sale.  You can sign up ahead of time with EAA Membership services for a flight slot at 1 800 843-3612.  Or you can coordinate with Chapter 243 volunteers after the airplane arrives.

     Thank you very much EAA Chapters 243 & 640 and EAA Ultralight Chapter 75 for all your efforts in setting up this B-17 visit to Wausau Downtown Airport.  Profits from the stop will be divided equally between the three chapters.

Here's a true story to get you in the mood to visit the B-17 this summer .   I just read about this  World War II mission and it's incredible so read on!

Tomorrow morning they'll lay the remains of Glenn Rojohn to rest in the Peace Lutheran Cemetery in the little town of Greenock, Pa., just southeast of Pittsburgh. He was 81, and had been in the air conditioning and plumbing business in nearby McKeesport. If you had seen him on the street he would probably have looked to you like so many other graying, bespectacled old World War II veterans whose names appear so often now on obituary pages.

But like so many of them, though he seldom talked about it, he could have told you one hell of a story. He won the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart all in one fell swoop in the skies over Germany on December 31, 1944.

Fell swoop indeed.

Capt. Glenn Rojohn, of the 8th Air Force's 100th Bomb Group, was flying his B-17G Flying Fortress bomber on a raid over Hamburg. His formation had braved heavy flak to drop their bombs, then turned 180 degrees to head out over the North Sea.

They had finally turned northwest, headed back to England, when they were jumped by German fighters at 22,000 feet. The Messerschmitt Me-109s pressed their attack so closely that Capt. Rojohn could see the faces of the German pilots.

He and other pilots fought to remain in formation so they could use each other's guns to defend the group. Rojohn saw a B-17 ahead of him burst into flames and slide sickeningly toward the earth. He gunned his ship forward to fill in the gap.

He felt a huge impact. The big bomber shuddered, felt suddenly very heavy and began losing altitude. Rojohn grasped almost immediately that he had collided with another plane. A B-17 below him, piloted by Lt. William G. McNab, had slammed the top of its fuselage into the bottom of Rojohn's. The top turret gun of McNab's plane was now locked in the belly of Rojohn's plane and the ball turret in the belly of  Rojohn's had smashed through the top of McNab's. The two bombers were almost perfectly aligned - the tail of the lower plane was slightly to the left of Rojohn's tailpiece. They were stuck together, as a crewman later recalled, "like mating dragon flies."

No one will ever know exactly how it happened. Perhaps both pilots had moved instinctively to fill the same gap in formation. Perhaps McNab's plane had hit an air pocket.

Three of the engines on the bottom plane were still running, as were all four of Rojohn's. The fourth engine on the lower bomber was on fire and the flames were spreading to the rest of the aircraft. The two were losing altitude quickly. Rojohn tried several times to gun his engines and break free of the other plane. The two were inextricably locked together. Fearing a fire, Rojohn cuts his engines and rang the bailout bell. If his crew had any chance of parachuting, he had to keep the plane under control somehow.

The ball turret, hanging below the belly of the B-17, was considered by many to be a death trap - the worst station on the bomber. In this case, both ball turrets figured in a swift and terrible drama of life and death. Staff Sgt. Edward L. Woodall, Jr., in the ball turret of the lower bomber, had felt the impact of the collision above him and saw shards of metal drop past him. Worse, he realized both electrical and hydraulic power was gone.

Remembering escape drills, he grabbed the hand crank, released the clutch and cranked the turret and its guns until they were straight down, then turned and climbed out the back of the turret up into the fuselage.

Once inside the plane's belly Woodall saw a chilling sight, the ball turret of the other bomber protruding through the top of the fuselage. In that turret, hopelessly trapped, was Staff Sgt. Joseph Russo. Several crewmembers on Rojohn's plane tried frantically to crank Russo's turret around so he could escape. But, jammed into the fuselage of the lower plane, the turret would not budge.

Aware of his plight, but possibly unaware that his voice was going out over the intercom of his plane, Sgt. Russo began reciting his Hail Marys.

Up in the cockpit, Capt. Rojohn and his co-pilot, 2nd Lt. William G. Leek, Jr., had propped their feet against the instrument panel so  they could pull back on their controls with all their strength, trying to prevent their plane from going into a spinning dive that would prevent the crew from jumping out.

Rojohn, immediately grasping that crew could not exit from the bottom of his plane, ordered his top turret gunner and his radio operator, Tech Sgts. Orville Elkin and Edward G. Neuhaus, to make their way to the back of the fuselage and out the waist door behind the left wing.

Then he got his navigator, 2nd Lt. Robert Washington, and his bombardier, Sgt. James Shirley to follow them. As Rojohn and Leek somehow held the plane steady, these four men, as well as waist gunner Sgt. Roy Little and tail gunner Staff Sgt. Francis Chase were able to bail out.

Now the plane locked below them was aflame. Fire poured over Rojohn's left wing. He could feel the heat from the plane below and hear the sound of 50 caliber machinegun ammunition "cooking off" in the flames.

Capt. Rojohn ordered Lieut. Leek to bail out. Leek knew that without him helping keep the controls back, the plane would drop in a flaming spiral and the centrifugal force would prevent Rojohn from bailing. He refused the order.

Meanwhile, German soldiers and civilians on the ground that afternoon looked up in wonder. Some of them thought they were seeing a new Allied secret weapon - a strange eight-engine double bomber. But anti-aircraft gunners on the North Sea coastal island of Wangerooge had seen the collision. A German battery captain wrote in his logbook at 12:47 p.m.:

"Two fortresses collided in a formation in the NE. The planes flew hooked together and flew 20 miles south. The two planes were unable to fight anymore. The crash could be awaited so I stopped the firing at these two planes."

Suspended in his parachute in the cold December sky, Bob Washington watched with deadly fascination as the mated bombers, trailing black smoke fell to earth about three miles away, their downward trip ending in an ugly boiling blossom of fire.

In the cockpit Rojohn and Leek held grimly to the controls trying to ride a falling rock. Leek tersely recalled, "The ground came up faster and faster. Praying was allowed. We gave it one last effort and slammed into the ground."

The McNab plane on the bottom exploded, vaulting the other B-17 upward and forward. It hit the ground and slid along until its left wing slammed through a wooden building and the smoldering mass of aluminum came to a stop.

Rojohn and Leek were still seated in their cockpit. The nose of the plane was relatively intact, but everything from the B-17's massive wings back was destroyed. They looked at each other incredulously. Neither was badly injured.

Movies have nothing on reality. Still perhaps in shock, Leek crawled out through a huge hole behind the cockpit, felt for the familiar pack in his uniform pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He placed it in his mouth and was about to light it! Then he noticed a young German soldier pointing a rifle at him. The soldier looked scared and annoyed. He grabbed the cigarette out of Leek's mouth and pointed down to the gasoline pouring out
over the wing from a ruptured fuel tank.

Two of the six men who parachuted from Rojohn's plane did not survive the jump. But the other four and, amazingly, four men from the other bomber, including ball turret gunner Woodall, survived. All were taken prisoner. Several of them were interrogated at length by the Germans until they were satisfied that what had crashed was not a new American secret weapon.

Rojohn, typically, didn't talk much about his Distinguished Flying Cross. Of Leek, he said, "In all fairness to my co-pilot, he's the reason I'm alive today."

Like so many veterans, Rojohn got back to life unsentimentally after the war, marrying and raising a son and daughter. For many years, though, he tried to link back up with Leek, going through government records to try to track him down. It took him 40 years, but in 1986, he found the number of Leek's mother, in Washington State.

Yes, her son Bill was visiting from California. Would Rojohn like to speak with him? Two old men on a phone line, trying to pick up some familiar timbre of youth in each other's voice. One can imagine that first conversation between the two men who had shared that wild ride in the cockpit of a B-17.

A year later, the two were re-united at a reunion of the 100th Bomb Group in Long Beach, Calif. Bill Leek died the following year.

Glenn Rojohn was the last survivor of the remarkable piggyback flight. He was like thousands upon thousands of men -- soda jerks and lumberjacks, teachers and dentists, students and lawyers and service station attendants and store clerks and farm boys -- who in the prime of their lives went to war in World War II. They sometimes did incredible things, endured awful things, and for the most part most of them pretty much kept it to themselves and just faded back into the fabric of civilian life.

Capt. Glenn Rojohn, AAF, died last Saturday after a long siege of illness. But he apparently faced that final battle with the same grim aplomb he displayed that remarkable day over Germany so long ago.

Let us be thankful for such men. A great story! I wonder how many more stories like this one are lost each day as members of the Greatest Generation pass on.

Click This B-17 To Build This Fidders Green Model for $9.95

 
 
 
 

BOEING B-17F FLYING FORTRESS (1941) A bomber designed in 1934, it made its first flight on July 28,1935, but wasn't ready for delivery until March 1940. Hoisting a deadly load of bombs into the frozen skies, the B-17 Flying Fortress was the United States' workhorse heavy bomber during the WWII. B-17s served around the globe, but they are perhaps most famous for their Eigth Air Force daylight strategic bombing raids on Germany. Flying in close formation and bristling with machine guns, the 'Forts' battled through storms of anti-aircraft fire and swarms of German fighters to reach their targets.  More information on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber Link to Bob Pennikas' Report on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Model  Boeing B17 Flying Fortress: The B-17 was slower than it's counterpart bomber, the B-24 Liberator. It carried fewer bombs and couldn't fly as far as the B-24. Yet, because of the B-17s sturdy and stout design, its crews trusted their aircraft believing that their 'Forts' wouldn't let them down. B-17s returned to England daily with their noses blown open, tails gashed and wings riddled with flack damage. Often they touched down with one or two oil-streaked engines stone cold, with the remaining engines moaning under the strain.Many crews felt that they owed their lives to 'the old bird' that just wouldn't give up.. As many as 12,731 Flying Fortresses were built.

 

For those of you who are interested in or have signed up for the May Tailwheel Clinic, you can save money by sending your payment of $69 in by May 7th.  After that date the cost will be $79.  Last year we had too many no-shows for our "Adventures" so we thought we would solve that problem by giving a savings if advance payment was made.

"Tailwheel" Clinic This adventure in flying “conventional gear” airplanes is taught by WFS flight instructor, John Chmiel.  The clinic will discuss the art of flying a tailwheel airplane with specific reference to the Champion Citabria. The $49 cost includes 2.5 hours of ground discussion and 1/2 hour of dual flight instruction in our Citabria. Subjects will include:        Rental Rules/FAR's       Insurance       Pilot Experience Requirements        Aircraft Systems (Citabria)        Weight and Balance (Citabria)        Tailwheel Transition Maneuvers        3-point Landing Technique        Wheel Landing Technique  Inexperienced pilots with no tailwheel experience who would like to earn a tailwheel endorsement are encouraged to attend. Also welcome to attend are experienced tailwheel pilots who may want to try out WFS's newest rental, our Champion Citabria 7ECA.   This course counts as an FAA Safety Program (WINGS).  If you take it now you'll get (2) hours of additional dual for free!

What:  Clinic on How to Fly a Taildragger Where:  Wausau Flying Service, Inc. When:  Saturday, May 21st  Time:  9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Why:  Its fun & is qualifies for the ground portion of the Wings Program How Much: Now Only $69, this is regularly a $160 dollar value!

Sign Up List 1. Joe Grassl 2. Dr. Sherwood Williams 3. Paul Kobussen 4. Andy Gille 5. Marcelaine Lewis  6. John Lewis 7. Steve Eiler 8. Jerry Eiler 9. Tom Voelker 10.Art Polnisch 11. Gus Moulas 12. Doug Treat 13. Bob Glentz 14. Rolly Yocum 15. Chuck Ercegovac 16.  17. 18. 19. 20. CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP NOW!

 

     Sorry but what we had feared would happen has happened.  Lack of FAA funding has thrown a wrench into the whole works and this year's "Survival Adventure"  has been cancelled.  We spoke with the guys at the CAMI office at the FAA and we're still hoping the event can visit Wausau sometime when funding is restored.  We'll keep you posted. 

     Are you rebuilding a fabric aircraft?  Want to know more about Piper Cubs and their history.  Interested in a locally held 3 day seminar by Clyde Smith Jr. the "Cub Doctor" ?  The "Cub Doctor" rebuilds Piper Cubs and travels throughout the country putting on tube and fabric seminars.  And now he's visiting our area!

     The PCATD upgades are complete. For the first time we have full functionality of the instructor station in both modes, personal and PCATD. We have also installed Flight Sim 2004.  Rod Machado's personalized flight lessons are included with the software and will make a great supplement to our primary flight training programs.

     Here's a springtime special offer to allow you to get acquainted with the upgraded PCATD.  Our special price for:

     Regular pricing for using   the "On Top" PCATD will be as follows:

Billing time will be based on "clock time".  Normal ground instruction rates will apply ($30/hr primary, $35/hr advanced).  Pilots can use up to 10 hours of dual instruction (with a CFII) on the PCATD toward their pilot experience requirements for an instrument pilot rating.

ASA's "On Top" PCATD (Personal Computer Aviation Training Device) is an FAA approved IFR simulator which can be used for initial instrument training, as an instrument proficiency trainer, and as part of a SBT (Scenario Based Training) program. 

     Up to 10 hours of PCATD time can be logged towards the instrument rating, plus an unlimited amount of ground training hours.  By using the "On Top" PCATD and mastering the necessary instrument flight skills on the ground, students can cut significantly into the time and cost of traditional flight training.

     Non-instrument rated pilots will benefit from "Scenario Based Training" which can simulate systems malfunctions, engine failures, and other emergency scenarios which are often experienced during VFR flight conditions.

     The "On Top" PCATD includes all the components that meet FAA requirements for a loggable training device as outlined in AC 61-126.  The components include:  PFC Cirrus yoke and rudders; PFC Throttle Quadrant; AV-1 Avionics Panel, Instrument Rating Syllabus, and Instructor's Guide.  The seperate "Instructor's Station" allows the CFII to observe pilots in action and introduce situations which can make the flight a more memorable experience!  Our new PCATD is coming soon so pay attention to future issues of "Contact!" for updates!   For more information or to schedule an "Intro Flight" on our PCATD, call us at 715 845-3400 or email taildraggerflyer@yahoo.com.
 
 

MIDDLETON, WI. (March 25, 2005) — Blue Sky Moments ~ A Collection of Wisconsin Aviation Memories is the latest book published by the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame. Blue Sky Moments is filled with aviation quotes and images, both historical and recent. Photos were specifically chosen to represent the diverse aviation history of Wisconsin, as well as to highlight the important elements of aviation in Wisconsin today. The 100-page soft cover book also includes photos and a listing of the organization’s over seventy-five Hall of Fame inductees. 

The book celebrates the rich and colorful aviation history of Wisconsin and was produced in conjunction with the organization’s 20th anniversary. Funding was provided in part by Eagle Fuel Cells, Eagle River, Wisconsin, and Mead & Hunt, Madison, Wisconsin. 

Copies of Blue Sky Moments are available for a minimum donation of $7. The book is also available free of charge to those who become members of the organization by December 31, 2005. For more information on becoming a member, contact Rose Dorcey at 608-836-9840 or 715-421-0055. 

To order a book, checks can be made out to the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame and sent to:

The Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame was organized in 1985. Its mission is to collect and preserve the aviation history of Wisconsin, recognize those who made that history, inform others of it, and promote aviation education for future generations.
 
 

     The WFS crew has finally come up with the 2005 Adventure Season.  Here's the tentative line up and schedule.  Right now, the events that you see specific dates for are set.  We'll have more info and descriptions of each event in future issues of "Contact!"

Tailwheel Clinic  May 21st
	Flight Night  May - September  Tuesdays 5:00 p.m. - sunset
Youth Flight Camp  June 20 - 24
	Wausau Balloon Rally  July 8 - 10
EAA B-17 Visit  July 15 -17
	"The Art of Flight" How to Use OVR to fly Safer!  August 13
Wausau Air Rally 2005  September 10th

     There are three immediate T-hangar openings at Wausau Downtown Airport. 

• T-hangar #7 has a manual door and rents for $90.11 (includes tax) & faces west.
• T-hangar #12 has an electric door and rents for $120.12 (includes tax) & faces east

CLASSIFIEDS

• "Got some pilot supplies just sitting around gathering dust?  Wanna upgrade your old headset, hand-held radio or GPS?  What should you do with your old one?  We can sell it for you through our consignment program!  You set the price.  We'll display it and advertise it. 
• Want to display your aircraft for sale in "CONTACT!"?  $50 gets you 6 months.  Includes color pictures and spec. list.  We'll include an automatic email link for your ad too.  If you sell your airplane through your "CONTACT!" classified we ask for an additional $50 commission.  "CONTACT!" comes out twice monthly and goes out to 500+ subscribers.  Our subscriber list is growing every day.  Just email us at taildraggerflyer@yahoo.com for details!"

Total Time:  3973 
Engines 0-540-A1D5:    Right Engine:  2521 SMOH/compressions 70+ 
                                        Left Engine:  960/compressions 75+
Props:       95 SPOH
Annual:     10/04 
Fuel Capacity:  198 gallons

Comm #1/Nav #1:  King KX155 w/ glide slope 
Comm #2/Nav #2:  King KX155
ADF:   King KR85
XPDR:  Terra AT50A w/Encoder (last pitot/static/trans. inspection 05/16/2003)
Audio/Marker:  King KMA24 Audio Panel/Marker Rec.
Multi Function Display:  ARGUS 5000 
Loran:  ARNAV PFS5000
Autopilot:  Altimatic (inoperative)
Intercom:  2-place

Special Equipment:  Wing Tip/Trail Strobes, 198 gal Fuel (wing tip mod),  oxygen system (inoperative)

Paint:    1998 stock red/white/black paint scheme “9”
Interior: Brown “4” 
Logbooks:  Available

Call 715 845-3400 or email taildraggerflyer@yahoo.com

PITTS S2A

Factory Built  1974,  973 TTSN  A&E,  2 Place aerobatic,  200 hp. Lycoming,  Inverted fuel & oil,  Hooker Harness,  Narco Nav-com,  Fresh Annual with sale!

Now Only $52,900
Call Glen at 715 571-2121

Pre-Owned Pilot Supplies For Sale

Garmin 195 GPS Map (Handheld GPS) 
comes with yoke mount & case

now only $330!

---

Sporty's Electronic E6B

now only $25!

Total Time:  8657 
Engines:    Right Engine:  0 SMOH 10-520-MB   Left Engine:  142 SFREMAN 10-520-MB
Props:       Right Prop:  Due May 2004     Left Prop:  Due March 2005
Annual:    Due September 2004 
Alt. Static TXP:  Due August 2004 
Fuel Capacity:  Standard
Right/Left Prop Govenors:  SMOH: 0/0
Heater:  SMOH: 758
Current Part 135 Status:  MKE FSDO

Comm #1:  KY196 
Nav #1:  King KCS55/KI-525 Compass H.S.I. System 
Nav #2 / RNAV:  Com ARC RT328T
ADF:   King KR87
XPDR:  Encoder 
Audio/Marker:  ARC 300 Audio Panel/Marker Rec.
Radar:  RCA Sperry Weather Scout II
Autopilot:  400B

Special Equipment:  Wing Tip/Trail Strobes, Air door Seal, Electric Prop Heat, 163 gal Fuel, Blade Antennas, Large Baggage Door, Fire Extinguisher, VC KIT W. 150# Increase Gross, Cleveland Brakes, Bracket Air Filters, Alcojol W/S Ice Plates, Boots- Left Wing:  Good Condition, Right Wing:  Fair

Paint:    White with Brown and Orange “6”
Interior: Brown “6” 
Damage History (Major):  No Known Damage
All Logs:  Available

 Total Time: 6908 
 Engines: 1600 T.B.O. by Western Skyways    L1004/R328
 Props: Left - 629, Right - 728 
 IFR. Certificates: 2254 
 Reweighing Due: September 2003 
 Fuel Capacity: 255 (Long Range) 

 Comm #1: King 900A 
 Comm #1: Garmin 250XL 
 Nav #1: King Gold Crown KNR600/GS KGS681 
 Nav #2 / RNAV: KNS80-IFR Certified GS KGS681 
 ADF: KR85
 XPDR: KT76 
 Audio/Marker: KMA20 
 Radar: Bendix RDR160 
 Autopilot: Bendix FCS810 
 HSI: King KCS55A
 Encoder: Yes 
 RMI: King KI226 
 GPS: Garmin 250XL, Moving Map 
 Intercom: Flight Com 

 Cleveland wheels and brakes 
 Copilot instruments 
 Oxygen system 
 Ground power plug 
 Cabin deck divider 
 Part 135 current
 EGT
 Refreshment center 
 Full de-ice
 Flight hour recorder 
 Heater hour recorder 
 Wing & tail strobes 
 JB air conditioner 
 Courtesy lights 
 Executive tables 
 Engine heaters 
 Tail beacon 
 New main and horizontal boots 

 Paint: White / Tan (8 out of 10) 
 Interior: Light brown cloth (6 out of 10)
 Annual Due: 08/03 
 Damage History (Major): None