Stalwart pilot Jack Wilhite’s Final Flight

Aug 18, 1928 – Jan 26, 2015 It’s hard to believe Jack is gone. Even at 86, he was like an iron man whose plate was always full of things he was either already involved with or wanted to do. His passion for flying and baseball is reflected in the fact that he was a member of both the Colorado Historical Society Aviation Hall of Fame and the Over 60 Baseball Hall of Fame. His final day was a microcosm of his incredibly full life. That Monday morning, Jack and his cousin Ross got in two hours of baseball one-on-one batting practice in antici-pation of their 2015 60+ season with the Denver Rockies. After hitting some shots, Jack drove to the Rocky Moun-tain Metro Airport, broke out his Steen Skybolt and went flying – one last 16-minute venture into the Wild Blue Yon-der. He took off at 1405, departed the pattern to the south-west and returned to make his final landing at 1421. He must have really enjoyed that flight, because he called Bea at about 5:30 to tell her about it and to say he was going to work out at the Point Athletic Club. They agreed he’d tell her about his flight when he got home, which, sadly, he nev-er did. He was found, deceased, in the club’s hot tub. To say that Jack sported a unique resume would be an un-derstatement of gigantic proportions: an Army Air Force antiaircraft artilleryman; FBI agent; professional baseball player in the Yankees organization until Korea came along; schooling in criminology and law; Air Force fighter jet combat pilot; a stint with the RAF; career with the Air Na-tional Guard (270 F-100 combat missions in Vietnam); ca-reer with United Air Lines; career as a reserve deputy with the JeffCo Sheriff’s Department; air show performer in his MIG-17 and Steen Skybolt; President of the Colorado Avia-tion Hall of Fame; ball player and pilot to the end. Find Jack’s complete biography by the Centennial Jour-nal’s Di Freeze on the Flight 18 web site at this link: http://www.ghspaulding.com/JACK%20WILHITE%20BIO%20.PDF Jack Wilhite was the personification of those well known words about Life’s Journey being one hell of a ride. (See the actual quote on page 7 of this newsletter.) What a ride, Jack, what a ride! Blue skies and tailwinds.

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2015 Flight Sked Flight 18 normally meets on the third Friday of each month. Exceptions are announced in the newsletter and through the caller phone tree. Your caller should contact you via phone/e-mail 10 days prior to each meeting. If not, please advise Flight Adjutant Walt Wise, wwise364@comcast.net.

Date Location Activity/Speaker

16 Jan Aurora Hills* Roy Poole -“ Old 666” 20 Feb Aurora Hills* The Butch O’Hare story 20 Mar Aurora Hills* Ger Spaulding-Toss Up 17 Apr Aurora Hills* Open 15 May Aurora Hills* Andy Parks-PV Update 28-31 May San Antonio National Convention 19 Jun Aurora Hills* Aviation Humor 17 Jul Buckley AFB Lunch and tour 21 Aug Wings Over Rox TBA 18 Sep Aurora Hills* TBA 16 Oct Aurora Hills* TBA 20 Nov Aurora Hills* Bus. Mtg/Elections ?? Dec TBA Christmas Party * Aurora Hills Golf Course Tin Cup Bar & Grill

(Left) Oct 2004 - Bea Wilhite pre-sents Jack’s Colo Aviation Hall of Fame medallion. (Far left) Mar 2013 - Jack at his induction into the Over 60 Baseball Hall of Fame. (Below) Jack’s Mig 17 at Jeffco.

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Memo from the Flight Captain

Fellow Daedalians, The other day, I was going through my wallet (not much mon-ey in there…) so that I could refill the business cards I use. One of those cards, I give away to friends who need a way to con-tact me. Underneath a jet I used to fly in days long passed are the words, "The older I get, the better a pilot I used to be." That started me thinking about military flying and youth. Which led me to think about our Order of Daedalians. If Mile High Flight 18 is any indication, we must have been the bestest pilots ever! We aren't exactly spring falcons. Which is fine, as long as we re-member that the young pilots of today who serve throughout the military, will one day be ones who tell other Daedalians of skills of courage, innovation, and steadiness. Thanks to the commitment of our current pilots out at Buckley AFB, we have the pleasure of meeting many of those young pilots - at the airfield - in July. We've been too-long away from the Buckley air-field, and there is a lot to learn about how their pilots are fulfilling the mission through airpower. Make sure to mark your calendar for July and the Flight 18 meeting. After meeting the military pilots of 2015, I'm sure - like me - you'll want them to become members in the Order of Daedalians. The Or-der sustains a continuing, 100-year, tradition of military aviation from

the first aerial combat, to the chal-lenges of worldwide terrorism. Yes, 100 years ago, in 1915, the first aerial combat took place in the skies over Europe. The best "sales pitch" for joining the Order of Daedalians is not some brochure or video … it's you and it's me. When we begin to share our own careers and lives with potential members, we easily let them know how belonging to such a long tradi-tion is something we will cherish forever. Finally, if you'd like to influence future military aviators, you have a great chance to do so at the Red Rock Community College (13300 6th Ave. in Lakewood) Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the end of WWII. Retired Major Stuart Lawrence told us about the event at our Janu-ary meeting. He's promised a table to sit at, where you can talk with interested young people about your personal experiences and your fly-ing careers. Drop by on April 9th, any time between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm to enjoy military displays from both Pacific and European theaters; catch a USO show; and watch the military fly-by while standing beside 1940's cars. It's free, and mostly indoors. Sunny skies, and "cleared direct."

Volabamus Volamus

Roy A. Poole, LtCol, USAF (Ret) Flight Captain

Welcome Aboard

Jeffrey A. Roy COL, USA (Ret)

Jeff’s thumbnail bio

DOB: 16 Apr 1946, Lawrence, MA Education: Undergrad NH College; MPA U of OK; MAS (Aero Science), Embry-Riddle; PHD Public Policy & Mgmt, Univ of MO, Kansas City. Wings: 1966, Warrant Off Rotary Wing Course, Ft. Rucker, AL Commissioned 2nd Lt: Dec 1967 Assignments: Platoon Ldr, Assault Helos RVN; Svc Pltn Ldr, Air Cav, Germany; Fixed wing maint,+ Plans &Training Off, Bat Hq, RVN; Rotary wing flight instructor, Ft Rucker; several Reserve transportation/ logistics assignments, including commander of an Army Transport Terminal Unit & Dep/Cdr (IMA) Corpus Christi Army Depot, TX. Aircraft flown:UH-1A/B/C/D,H; UH 23D; OH-13E/G/H/T; OH-6A; OH-58A; O-1A; U-6A; T-41B; T-42A; U-3A/B; U-8F; C-12. Retired: 1994 at Kansas City, MO. Civilian employment: Retired from FAA in 2002 after 22 years. Flight time: 8,600 hrs mil; 6,500 hrs civ; 15,100 hours total Highest pilot rating: Master Aviator Spouse: Angelique Offspring: Two sons, one daughter Residence: Longmont, CO Sponsor: Walt Wise ________________________________________

Go to Welcome Aboard page 3. Meanwhile, we look forward to welcoming prospective members Vance Adler and Robert Schmidt. ________________________________________

A thought about Leadership:

"No man is a leader until his appointment is ratified in the minds and hearts of his men" -- Anonymous, The Infantry Journal

2015 FLIGHT DUES - $15 (Due 1 Jan, as are National dues paid to HQ in San Antonio)

Please mail this coupon along with a check for your 2015 plus any delinquent Flight dues you owe. Add any amount you desire to donate to the Scholarship Fund. NOTE: Daedalian Life Members (LMs) and Daedalians whose Nation-al dues are current may purchase Flight 18 Life Memberships. If you choose this option, please select the appropri-ate dues amount from the above schedule, enter that amount in the FLM space below and include it in your check.

Name: _____________________________ Daedalian # ________ Home Phone: (_____)_____________

Address: ___________________________________________________ e-mail:_____________________

Amount enclosed for: [2015 Flight Dues $15.00 or FLM DUES $__________] + Flight Dues for prior years + Scholarship Fund $__________ = Total Enclosed $____________

** Make check payable to: DAEDALIAN FLIGHT 18 ** Mail to: Flight 18 Treasurer, 7544 S. Rosemary Circle, Centennial, CO 80112

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Welcome Aboard from page 2

Darrel J. Ankeny CAPT, USAF (Sep)

Darrel’s thumbnail bio

DOB: 7 Sep 1941, Rolla, ND Education: BA, Business – U of WA Wings: 1965 Vance AFB, OK Assignments: Pilot training Vance AFB, OK; Advanced Survival Trng; F-4C pilot trng Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ; Tactical Sea Survival course, Langley, AFB, VA; OPACAF Jungle Survival School; 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, FL; 435th TFS, Ubon Royal Thai AFB, Thai-land; 831st Combat Support Group, George AFB, CA. Mil Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, F-4C/D; C-47; C-54; U6A. Separated from Mil Svc: 1969 at George AFB, CA. Civilian employment: United Air Lines: B-727, 737, 747, 757, 767 and DC-10. Flight time: 15,200 hours total (1,200 hrs mil; 14,000 hrs civ) Spouse: Patricia Offspring: Two daughters Residence: Highlands Ranch, CO Sponsor: Jim Adair _______________________________________________________________

Chris Bruce

LT COL, USAF (Ret)

Continued column 3

Chris’s thumbnail bio

DOB: 24 Oct, 1948 San Francisco, CA Education: BS CSU; MS, MBA Embry-Riddle Wings: 1977 Williams AFB, AZ Assignments: C-130 navigator at Pope AFB, NC; Pilot Training, Williams AFB, AZ; 8th MAS McChord AFB, WA; Airlift Control Center, RAF Mildenhall, UK; Headquar-ters, Military Airlift Command, Scott AFB, IL;7th MAS Travis AFB, CA. Military Aircraft flown: C-141. Retired: 1991 Travis AFB, CA Civilian employment: United Air Lines 22 years: B-727, 737, 757, 767, 777. Flight time: 18,000 hours total (5,000 hrs mil; 13,000 hrs civ) Spouse: Lynn Offspring: Two daughters. Residence: Denver, CO Sponsor: N/A - Daedalian Life Member

Flight 18 Life Membership Dues Effective Jan 2012

Age Group

30/under….$385 61 – 65….$205

31 – 35…….$370 66 – 70.…$170

36 – 40…….$350 71 – 75….$140

41 – 45…....$325 76 – 80….$115

46 – 50…….$295 81 – 85…....$95

51 – 55…….$265 86/0ver…...$75

56 – 60…….$235

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Boeing 707: The aircraft that

changed the way we fly

Jonathan Glancey 20 October 2014

Whenever Frank Sinatra sang “Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away,” the image of a Boeing 707, all etched-white vapour trails jetting across some deep blue transcontinental stratosphere, could never be far from mind. This song was from Sinatra’s al-bum of the same name. It was released in January 1958, a month after the epochal, swept-wing jet air-liner made its maiden flight. Before the year was out, the sleek 707 was in service with Pan-Am. It was to change the way we fly and see the world.

Curiously, the graphic designer working for Capi-tol Records appeared to have been behind the times. The artwork for Come Fly With Me shows a snap-pily dressed Sinatra taking the hand of a girl as he cocks his thumb towards a TWA Lockheed Constel-lation, the last of the great American piston-engine airliners. Constellations were to be pushed aside by the all-conquering 707, an aircraft synonymous with the new jet age and a design that led, step by rapid step, to the Boeing 747 ‘Jumbo Jet’ and the era of mass air-travel. The 707 might have been one of the most glamorous of all forms of transport when it entered service with Pan-Am, yet its very success led ultimately to the horrendous and heartbreakingly banal conditions the majority of us fly in today. As for Sinatra, he so admired the new 707 – the aircraft that should have been on the sleeve of Come Fly With Me – that he bought his very own. This was an ex-Qantas 707, built in 1964, that, since 1998, has belonged to John Travolta, Hollywood

star and pilot. Travolta’s estate in Florida has its own runway. Some people like to gaze at the curves of their prize classic car, or latest Ferrari: Travolta opts for the sight of a four-engine, 600mph jet. The 707 began as a discussion and some sketches in 1949 when Boeing engineers Ed Wells, George Schairer and John Alexander began thinking about a swept-wing jet airliner. Boeing was an innovative company and its military aircraft were second to none. Ed Wells, for example, appointed Boeing’s chief engineer in 1943, had worked on the design of the famous B-17 Flying Fortress bomber of which 12,731 were built. Boeing’s subsequent B-29 Super-fortress, B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress bombers were all aviation milestones and commer-cially successful. In the field of civil aviation, how-ever, Boeing played a very junior fiddle to its rivals Douglas, of DC-3 or ‘Dakota’ fame, and Lockheed, with its pre-war Electra and post-war Constellation. In fact, Boeing had lost money on virtually all its airliners including its latest, and last, piston-engine design, the 377 Stratocruiser of which just 46 were built for a deficit of $13.5m.

Taking off

The British were first to build a jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet. It went into service with BOAC in 1952, but several fatal accidents caused by airframe failure led to its withdrawal. The French and the Russians were pushing ahead with jet designs, but the tussle for the global market was essentially be-tween Douglas and Boeing. Boeing was first into the air with its 367-80, or ‘Dash 80’, the prototype of the 707 which made its maiden flight in July 1954. Powered by a version of the same Pratt & Whitney turbojets fitted to USAF F-100 Super-Sabre fighter jets and B-52 Stratofor-tresses, the Dash 80 was very fast. No passenger aircraft had flown at 550mph in level flight before. It could handle, too. In August 1955, Tex Johnston, Boeing’s chief test pilot, barrel-rolled the precious aircraft over Lake Washington. While this is not something any of us would want our pilots to do while we toy with cocktails at 35,000ft over the At-lantic, potential buyers watching from the ground that summer day could hardly fail to have been im-pressed.

Go to Boeing 707 on page 6

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ChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmas 2014201420142014 at eagle bendat eagle bendat eagle bendat eagle bend

And a Merry Christmas to all. Flight Captain Roy “Snooker-Santa” Poole welcomes everyone before dinner and, after all are sated, introduces guest speaker Fredric Arnold. The Heritage House served up a fine buffet, featuring a deli-cious salmon and a prime rib carving station. Fredric mes-merized our gathering by re-calling his experiences flying P-38s during WWII. He also ex-plained his motivation to build a life-size bronze statue of 12 P-38 pilots at a mission briefing. The finished work is headed to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. His books were a popu-lar buy after his talk. The club was adorned with more than 20 fully decorated Christmas trees. We enjoyed live music before and after dinner, while, outside, a winter snow was falling (bottom right). Photos by Mike “Dice” Paradise

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Boeing 707 from page 4

The race was still on, though, between Douglas, which had yet to build its superficially identical DC-8, and Boeing. Pan-Am, the airline forever associated with the 707, ordered 20 707s and, at the very same time, 25 DC-8s. What was holding Boeing back was the fact that the 707 was narrower and slightly smaller than the DC-8. When William Allen, Boeing’s presi-dent offered American Airlines an extra half-inch in width over the DC-8, he won an order for fifty 707s. From that moment, the sales success of the Boeing was assured. Boeing built 1,010 707s for commercial airlines be-tween 1958 and 1978, and a further 800 for the mili-tary up until 1991, while Douglas assembled 556 DC-8s between 1958 and 1972. Allen had invested, or, as the media liked to say, gambled, $135m on the 707 programme, or more than the net worth of Boeing at the time. Although 707s were not particularly profit-able – there were many variations and the company bent over backwards to please customers – the air-craft’s dominance of intercontinental flight in the 1960s led to profitable future airliners, including the Jumbo, and to a point when three-quarters of all civil airliners were Boeings. A lyrical promotional film from 1959, The Wonder-ful Jet World of Pan-American, captures the magic of flying by 707 in an era when passengers dressed up to fly, when aircrews were seen as glamorous and when the age of ‘no frills’ budget airlines was all but incon-ceivable. What is fascinating is just how much atten-tion Pan-Am devoted to its beloved airliners. Today, the millions of casually dressed passengers squeezed onto lookalike aircraft rarely glance at the machines that will wing them across continents. Air-lines, meanwhile, sell themselves through cheap fares, in-flight entertainment and destinations rather than aircraft themselves. Boeing, though, has persevered, promoting its latest 787 as the ‘Dreamliner’, even when most flights are nightmares. The Boeing 707 had, of course, been designed for a less crowded age. Even so, it was stretched over time with later models seating up to 189 passengers. The airlines it served from the beginning – Pan-Am, TWA – have long gone, while Saha Air, an airline based in Tehran, ceased active operations last year, and with it the world’s last 707s in regular passenger service.

Pan Am 707 in 1957

Hugely popular in its heyday, and a symbol of a new, high-flying age powered by forward-looking technology and design, the 707 featured not just in films and songs, but in fashionable product launches like Jantzen’s 1957 ‘707’ swimwear. Films like Boe-ing, Boeing (1965), starring Jerry Lewis and Tony Curtis are probably best forgotten – Come Fly With Me, a British effort from 1963 is far worse – but the aircraft itself remains a superb achievement, a mag-nificent commercial gamble and a truly great design. “If it ain’t Boeing”, went the cliche, “I’m not going”. The 707 was not perfect – by today’s standards it was a noisy gas guzzler, but for better or worse it changed the way we fly. ###

Jonathan Glancey is a journalist and broadcaster who writes for the Daily Telegraph and works with the BBC on radio and television documentaries. His books include: The Story of Ar-chitecture, Lost Buildings, Spitfire: the biography, Nagaland and Giants of Steam.

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Adjutant goes from Quick to Wise

With only one exception all of the Flight Officers elected or appointed for 2014 were returned to their respective offices for 2015, the result of our Officer elections last November. That single exception was the crucially important Adjutant position. Walt Wise volun-teered and was elected to take over the duties of Adju-tant after Ed Quick withdrew from consideration. Ed plans to commence an extensive travel itinerary to conduct research for his first novel, Adjutant Sniper. Sincere thanks to Ed for a job well done and here’s hop-ing your book gets panned by Michael Moore, which would ensure its success. See page 7 of this newsletter for a complete listing of your 2015 Flight Officers, superbly led by Flight Captain Roy “Snooker” Poole. Thank you one and all.

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*** Sea Biscuits and Scuttlebutt ***

“Honey, look! How cool is this?”

January 24, 1935, was the day cans of Krueger's Finest Beer and Krueger's Cream Ale went on sale in Richmond, VA. Produced by the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company of Newark, NJ, Krue-ger’s thus became the first canned beer ever sold in America. Note: “Church key” required.

EMAIL FROM A FRIEND ABOUT

EFFECTIVE HOME SECURITY

The older we get the wiser we become. I've dis-connected my home alarm system and de-registered from the Neighborhood Watch. I've got two Pakistani flags raised in the front yard, one at each corner, and the black flag of ISIS in the center. The local police, sheriff, FBI, CIA, NSA, Home-land Security, Secret Service and other agencies are all watching the house 24/7. I've never felt safer. And I’m saving $49.95 a month.

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Life a ride, not a journey

Dedicated to our departed brother Jack Wilhite

Mile High Flight 18 – 2015

Flight Captain……....... Roy Poole, LT COL, USAF (Ret) Vice Flt Capt ….……………Tim Conklin, COL, COANG Adjutant…..………………Walt Wise, MAJ, ARNG (Ret) Treasurer ….…….. Spencer Mamber, CAPT, USAF (Sep) Provost Marshall……..... Dale Boggie, COL, USAF (Ret) Asst Treasurer.. Hugh Greenwood, CAPT, USAFR (Sep) Scholarships……..… Bill Greener, LT COL, USAF (Ret) Newsletter…............... Ger Spaulding, CAPT, USN (Ret)

COANG Liaison…………..Mitch Neff, LT COL, COANG (Positions in bold elected, those in italics appointed) ♠ Flight 18 normally meets the third Friday of each month at the Aurora Hills Tin Cup Bar & Grill, located just north of Alameda and just east of Peoria. Social hour at 11:00, lunch at 12:00. Exceptions via newsletter and caller notification. ♠ The newsletter is published quarterly. Contact the editor at (719) 638-5786 or via e-mail at gerkar@comcast.net. Web: http://www.ghspaulding.com/orderofdaedalianshome.htm

Life is not a journey to the grave with the inten-

tion of arriving safely in an attractive and well

preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, a martini in the other,

body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming, “Holy Shit, what a ride!”

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China’s only aircraft carrier, the Soviet-built Kuznetsov-class Varyag–renamed Lioaning by the Chinese–conducts flight ops of the J-15, a problem-

plagued clone of the Russian SU-33. The carrier had been launched but was unfinished when the Soviet Union collapsed. It was transferred to Ukraine, which ultimately auctioned it off for $20 million to a Chinese company to use as a floating casino. The company handed it over to the Chinese Navy, which refurbished and upgraded it for naval use. The original Soviet-designed “ski jump” flight deck remains, however, the ship is expected to be augmented by an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) for launching heavier aircraft. Lioaning (CV-16) carries about 50 aircraft, including helicopters.

Mile High Flight 18 Order of Daedalians P.O. Box 472976 Aurora, CO 80047-2976

J-15 Flying Shark Made in China