LEADER'S WORDS

By Ron Dietes, Squadron Leader

     I am sure those of you who have looked over the Air Show schedule know that Brownsville is now in the history books and we are working to get the Rose ready for the Burnet show.  Most everyone is staying at the Hill Country Inn located in Marble Falls.  Of course you could choose to stay where Grants stays, but I would suggest you bring shower shoes with you.  There are still a few seats available, so if you want to ride up on the Rose let Grant know as soon as you can.  Although the schedule is not what is has been in previous years, we should still be busy.   Don’t forget we will be taking the Rose to Midland for rotation in July and August.  We don’t know the exact dates yet, but as soon as we know we will publish them, in case out of town people were visiting and wanted to see the Rose up close and personal.

     Bob Gardner and crew are also working very hard on proposing San Antonio as the hosting city for the 2007 Doolittle Reunion.  Yeah Bob!  I know we have heard this in the past, but it looks like the 2007 reunion may actually be the last one.  This event has the potential of giving the Yellow Rose and the CAF a vast amount of positive publicity.  So if Bob or anyone on his crew asks for some assistance, please step up and help out.  Not only will it help get the event here, it will make you feel good for volunteering.

     As I write this article, we are working to get an oil pressure gauge.  When Grant and Tim were doing the engine run up for Tim’s CAF PRO ride, the right oil pressure needle went absolutely crazy.  All of you pilots out there know that is a grounding item, so Grant and Tim taxied back in and now we are trying to get an overhauled gauge from a surplus supplier or ours overhauled.  Hopefully, we can have it ready in time for Burnet.  The shop assured me they would do their very best to get it back to us in time to install and check out, prior to leaving for the flight to Burnet.  We have used them in the past and so far, they have been very responsive to our plight.

     The project for the new design T-Shirts has moved right along thanks to Bob Gardner working on the plane photo and Greg contacting the T-Shirt vendor.  We have decided to use the vendor right there in San Marcos as they already have the graphics for the back of the shirt.  Plus Greg thinks they will do a good job and the shirts will be of good quality.  We need to purchase at least 60 shirts to get a good price break.

     Don’t forget about the Adopt-A-Airport project we are doing.  Mike Colaluca will be asking for volunteers to help, now that the weather is getting nicer.  If you happen to see any trash near the road, please stop and pick it up.  After all, every little bit helps.

SAFETY FIRST

By Jerry Taylor, Squadron Safety Officer

I am sure that all of you are tired of me harping on safety issues and procedures.  However, as we are preparing for your second airshow of the season, I once again want to remind all of you to think safety.  We have been so fortunate in that we have had few or no accidents reported.   Even during the inspections this past winter, no real safety issues were called to my attention.  Good job, folks, and keep up the good work.

MINUTES of the April 11th, 2006 MEETING of the YELLOW ROSE SQUADRON

by Dave Howard, Squadron Adjutant

The regular squadron meeting washeld at San Marcos in the Centex Hangar Ready Room.  Squadron Leader Ron Dietes called the meeting to order at 1811.  Guests introduced were John and Liz Stahl, Chuck Throop, John Haakman, and Judy’s grandson, Gage.  The previous meeting’s Minutes were approved as printed in the Briefings.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Ron read the Letter of Commendation received at the CAF Winter Staff Conference to the Yellow Rose Squadron.  He also reported that there is a contest to design a CAF 50-year anniversary patch.

 

REPORTS

 

Operations:  The A-26 (City of Waco) blew an engine on the way to Brownsville.  Ft.Smith is a possible air show on March 25th.  Barksdale AFB is interested for an air show April 13th.  Cannon AFB is a no.  Oshkosh is being looked at for July 24-30th.  It would be pay-your-own-way.  Costs approx. would be $300/night for the house, 7 days/6 nights, $26 pp for the van, 12 hours round trip flying time, $900 pp for fuel, for a total $1150 pp approx. Those wishing to sign up at the meeting were Ron, Lettie, Gregg, William, Jim Liles, and Grant.  Open cockpit day is scheduled at Midland for April 15th.  The CAF is planning a 50 year anniversary convention in Las Vegas.  More information will follow later.

 

Finance:  Judy reported on the opening and closing balances for the month, and income.  Upcoming expenses are estimated at $5000.

 

Maintenance:       Jim reminded us to ensure that the side panels are put back on the engines correctly, and talked about on-going maintenance.  The Kate lost her rudder last weekend, but it's back on now.  

 

Safety:     Be safe out there. Watch working around engines that are running.  Remember that the newsletter deadline is the 25th of each month.

 

PX:         The Brownsville Airsho was a success.  The most popular items were .50 cal. bullets, kitty balls, and snap-together models. A new t-shirt order is being worked on.

 

Publicity:              Bob still needs help getting a list of potential sponsors.  In Brownsville, a contact was made with a title company.  Bill Cavoli wants to come out and sign the Rose on March 25th.  He was the ops officer of the Air Apaches group in WW II.  The Rose has a flight simulator CD now.  It was made at no cost to the squadron and sells for $25 plus $5 for shipping/handling.  It's available through the PX or can be ordered through the Yellow Rose website  Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union folks came out to the hangar recently and are considering donating some money. 

 

OLD BUSINESS

 

Coffee mugs are still available at $7.50. (See Jim Liles)

 

SICK CALL

 

Don Heyden is doing better.

 

The meeting adjourned at 1850.

 

Operations Report

By Grant Lannon, Operations Officer

The Brownsville airshow was a great success with some of the greatest weather they have experienced on that date.  It was windy but clear.  We like attending that one.  See a “first timers” report in another part of this newsletter.  It was great how everyone cooperated to get Steve Gladwin on the flight when we were short of seats.  Thanks to Jack Reeves for stepping aside so Steve could do the first pitch for the Yellow Rose flight simulator add-on at an airshow.  We learned a lot about marketing the software and Steve is the one that can make the changes to materials and the sales pitch so we can all do it better.  Thanks to Steve for making the simulator a reality.

 

2007 DOOLITTLE RAIDER’S REUNION

From a suggestion at the Yellow Rose meeting, getting next years reunion to occur in San Antonio has taken on a momentum of its own.  Bob Gardner has done the most work and between other squadron members who have connections and persistence with San Antonio civic organizations, the likelihood is good!  It doesn’t hurt that the Raiders themselves would like to come to San Antonio.  Thanks to Pat Jopling for very successfully working the military end and I have been talking to fraternal flying organizations to provide a commitment of support (if only verbal at this time).  Bob and Pat are going to Dayton to brief the committee on April 17th and we should know the result soon after.  This promises to be a great opportunity for fund raising and PR for the Yellow Rose.  As soon as we get the okay, we will start the work to make it happen and that includes getting 16 B-25s to San Antonio.  We will be asking for volunteers to help as soon as we know the decision.

 

AIRSHOW SCHEDULE:

 

 

I am still working on getting us scheduled and it is a lot of work.  Many airshow committees wait until the last minute to decide what aircraft their budget will cover.  I have discovered that Howard used to list all shows that we wanted to go to and that is not the way to get the information out accurately.  I have pared the schedule to the shows that we are most likely to attend.  Meanwhile, both Clif and I are trying to contact other venues.

Event	Date	Confirmed	Duration
Brownsville Fiesta	Mar 11-12	Confirmed	2 days
Burnet	8 April	Confirmed	One day
USAA Spring Flyover	6 May	Confirmed	Single Event (Sat)
Temple	May 5-7	Confirmed	two days
Hondo EAA Fly-in	May 12-14		three days
Greenville TX EAA fly-in	20 May	Confirmed	One day (Sat)
Dyess AFB	21 May	Confirmed	One day (Sun)
Ada, OK Fly-in	18 Jun	Confirmed	One day (Sun)
Wichita Flight Festival	25-27 Aug		Two days (Fri arrvl)
Alice TX fly-in	2 Sep	Confirmed	One day (Sun)
Midland Fina	Oct 7-8		two days
Wings Over Houston	Oct 21-22		two days
New Braunfels	Oct 20-21		two days

The airshow schedule is a moving target.  I will be revising it as it changes.  I would suggest that if you want to be included on an airshow that you let me know the month before a scheduled show.  Don’t worry about your “place in line” because we normally have room and if there are too many people signed up, we prioritize on the basis of the work that each have done for the squadron.  We have added an EAA fly-in the day before the Dyess airshow (May 20th) and have added the Wichita airshow on August 26-27.  I expect confirmation on that show within a week of this writing but it is not confirmed yet.  We had to scratch the trip to Oshkosh because we didn’t have enough crew nor people who were willing to make the sponsorship commitment to go.  We will plan on going next year and talk it up more ahead of time.  We did have a rental house that we cancelled out of and we can contact them again next year.  We need to discuss as to whether we are going to the EAA fly-in at Hondo since it will be at our own expense.  I think we may need help with accommodations from our members in San Antonio (how about another pool party at Jack Reeve’s house with an air mattress outdoor sleep-in)?  We might also need members to donate toward fuel, as they were going to do if we went to Oshkosh.

The Rose cranks with her usual cloud of smoke at Brownsville.       Photo from Bob Gardner

JULIAN’S FIRST AIRSHOW

BROWNSVILLE, MARCH 11-12

By Julian Serda

     I grew up in the early fifties two blocks from the railroad tracks in Albuquerque and just five miles from Kirtland AFB. I guess I got somewhat used to the loud sounds of steam and diesel-electric locomotives, as well as to the sounds of many WWII and post WWII airplanes. I’ve always enjoyed the sound of propeller-driven airplanes, so one of my dreams had always been to fly in a war bird. 

     I turned 60 in January, and I vowed to myself to find a pilot who could give me a 30-minute ride in a war bird. Thanks to the Internet for helping to simplify my search. That’s how I found Grant Lannon and got to ride in his T-6. The flight was short, but I savored every minute of it. It was just as I thought it would be – invigorating and unforgettable.

     Later that same day on my birthday I was introduced to a number of CAF members. I can’t say enough about the friendliness and supportive environment that I felt from my visit at the San Marcos CAF hangar. Having met Bob Gardner and his introduction to the Yellow Rose sold me on the idea of joining the YR B-25 Squadron. I had no hesitations whatsoever. I knew it’s what I wanted to do now and for as long as I possibly could.

     It didn’t take very long for me to witness the dedication, hard work, care and pride that all members of the Yellow Rose crew take in maintaining the B-25. I resolved to do whatever was necessary to support the mission, so I came in on Saturdays to pitch in. I didn’t mind the grunt work. I figured I had to start somewhere. Thanks to some guidance from Bob, Mike, Ray, Ron and others, I was able to find ways to contribute to the overall effort of preparing the Rose for its first air show. o:p>

     I guess I was lucky to get my name on the flight crew list for the first air show of the season in Brownsville. I don’t imagine that there’s anyone who’s flown in the Yellow Rose for the first time that didn’t feel the way I did – flying in a B-25 bomber provides a thrill you cannot get from most other airplanes. To ride in the same type of plane that was flown in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo in 1942 was an incredible experience. But I didn’t realize the inside of the Rose was going to be as noisy as it was. Still, I wanted the experience to be as natural as it always has been in the history of the Yellow Rose.

     I was impressed with the professionalism of the pilots, Ron and Ken, and the discipline of the flight mechanic, Mike, who supported the pilots every step of the way. The flight to Brownsville went smooth and on schedule. I particularly enjoyed sitting at the nose of the B-25. It seemed to be the coolest part of the airplane and it also provided the best view. I was told this seat was offered to rookies; however, there was a catch to it as I learned later. The longer I sat at the nose, the more rounds of beer I would have to buy for the rest of the crew.

     On the ground at the Brownsville air show I got to experience the real importance of the Yellow Rose’s existence. Upon arriving at the CAF air show registration area, I was surprised by the welcome greetings presented by folks on the ground. “Hey! There’s the Yellow Rose flight crew!” Then I saw our crew shaking hands with and hugging old friends – man or woman. It didn’t make a difference. I could see the camaraderie of the CAF going beyond just the YR squadron.

     The Yellow Rose and its crew brought many smiles and awe to everyone – children, teens, adults, seniors and to even the Navy and Air Force pilots and flight crew that toured the plane. I’m sure that the audience experienced the same spine-tingling feeling I had when the Yellow Rose taxied in front of the crowds with Old Glory and the Lone Star flags flying from the cockpit windows. I immediately realized the importance of what we are doing – ambassadors of good will and maintaining a valuable historical part of our American heritage – a B-25 bomber named Yellow Rose.

2006 Yellow Rose B-25
Squadron Staff Officers

Squadron Leader - Ron Dietes

dietes.ron@heb.com

Executive Officer - Tim Black

tangblack@austin.rr.com

Finance Officer - Judy McMillan

heyjude@texas.net

Adjutant - Dave Howard

dave.howard@baesystems.com

Operations Officer - Grant Lannon (interim)

glannon@texas.net

Maintenance Officer - Jim Liles

james.liles@tstr.net

Safety Officer - Jerry Taylor

james_j_taylor@msn.com

PX Officer - Greg Young

tbolt52@hotmail.com

Publicity Officer - Bob Gardner

bob@rhga.com