LEADER'S WORDS

By Ron Dietes, Squadron Leader

     Another month has gone by and we are finally almost finished with the Doolittle Reunion.  Judy gave us the final numbers at our last squadron meeting and it was very good news since I was just hoping we would break even.  We did significantly better than breaking even and the money will certainly be well spent.  By the way, if you have any Doolittle memorabilia that you would like to contribute to the Squadron, please bring it with you to our next meeting, which will be Tuesday July 10th at 6pm in the briefing room of the hangar.  At the meeting we will gather ideas on how we can display and care for the items we have gathered.  If you are not able to come to the meeting, call or email Bob or Judy Gardner with your thoughts and memorabilia items.  One more item related to Doolittle comes to mind and that is the presentation to the folks at Karam’s restaurant.  Bubba is coordinating that and he should have more info at the meeting.

     As some of you already know, the two engines are now at Global Aircraft Engines in Oklahoma City.  They are working on one of the engines and I am sorry to have to report to you, that one of the engines was not actually an overhauled engine but had over 500 hours on it.  So I have been in contact with Bill Sugarek and David Stevenson about how we are going to proceed.  Hopefully, I will have more information at the next squadron meeting.  Several things have come to light since our last meeting and I would rather discuss them at the meeting.  So, if you want the absolute latest info, come to the meeting.  At the time I am writing this for the newsletter, Global is still on track for meeting their 60 day overhaul timeframe.  So, I would think we should be back and flying sometime in September 2007.  Of course that depends on no surprises when we actually have the old engine off and the new engine ready to mount on the Rose.

     Jim Liles and crew have been working on the Rose getting ready for the engine swap.  Some of the things that need to be done, but somehow have not gotten done are in the works.  We are going to replace the glass in the Rear Gunners station and also work on the carburetor idling issues with the left engine.  Also, some sheet metal work has been started and hopefully with some parts from AeroTrader, those can be completed soon.

     At the last meeting we discussed the need for a Ride-For-Hire Coordinator.  This is a very important job and I am extremely happy to report that I have a volunteer, but I cannot tell you who that person is quite yet as I have some info I have to get to the volunteer before a decision is made.  I am working on that now and hopefully I can announce the persons name at our next meeting.

     I received an email from Judy McMillan informing me of a new Yellow Rose sponsor.  I do not have a name, but hopefully Judy has a name.  This is just one more bit of information you can learn if you attend the meeting.

     Thanks to Pat Moore for getting an updated Roster out to the membership.

From Maintenance

By Jim Liles, Maintenance Officer

     As everyone knows by now we are down for a right engine change.  There are still things that can be done to the Rose before we get the new engine.  The last couple of Saturdays, some of our members have been doing work on the plane and so far the following items have been done:

1. Removed both sets of spark plugs (not cleaned).
2. Airducts for spark plugs have been removed, cleaned, painted and stored.
3. Support brackets for cowls cleaned, painted, and stored.
4. Dog house removed, cleaned, and stored.
5. Oil drained.
6. Exhaust system has been removed, cleaned, and stored.
7. Left main tire has been replaced with a “new” recapped tire (the old one is now the spare).
8. Both brakes on the left main have been cleaned and adjusted.
9. Tail gunner’s glass three pieces have been replaced.
10. Spare rim has been cleaned, painted, and stored.

  There is still a lot of work to be do prior to changing the right engine.  Any one who wants to work just show up on any Saturday with old clothes.

  One final note.  Both of the B-4 stands have been reworked and are back in service.  Our thanks to the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph AFB for this work!

News from the PX

By Greg Young, PX Officer

There is not much to report this month PX wise due to the airplane being grounded.  I have not ordered any more items.  There have been several hundred dollars worth of sales from either members or off the internet site concerning Doolittle items.  So if you want to buy anything please let me know as the PX is still open for business.  I have even managed to sell items to people who come visit the hangar. I plan on having the PX at the Midland AIRSHO whether the airplane is ready or not.  That’s about it for this month, happy landings.    

MINUTES of the June 12th, 2007 MEETING of the YELLOW ROSE SQUADRON

By Pat Moore, Squadron Adjutant

Meeting convened at 1804 hrs

 

Pledge of Allegiance

 

Prayer

 

Jim Liles made a motion, seconded by William Foster, to accept the minutes from the last meeting as published in the newsletter-motion carried.

 

GUESTS:  Dr. William Peck, a WWII B-17 pilot, and his son, Jim Peck, a free-lance writer for Warbird Digest, were our guests this evening and may join the squadron.  Jim owns a PT-26.

 

REPORTS

 

EXECUTIVE OFFICER:  No report

 

OPERATIONS OFFICER:  No report

 

Chuck Clayton made a motion, seconded by Bob Gardner, to appoint Ken Udcoff as Operations Officer to replace the vacancy left by Dave Howard.  Motion carried.

 

FINANCE:  Judy McMillan gave a finance report-again broken down by the squadron finances and the reunion finances.  We did very well in the final numbers of the reunion and would have done even better had it not been for the thefts of the art work she passed around a statement of the finance report for squadron members to view.

Judy also announced the squadron member Dennis Shields just became a sponsor of the Yellow Rose.

Jerry Taylor made a motion, seconded by Jim Liles, to accept the finance report as given-motion carried.

 

ADJUTANT:  Pat Moore announced that the new directory he had just put out is not the final one and asked members to contact him with any needed corrections.  He would like to turn out a couple of directories a year.

 

MAINTENANCE: Jim Liles reported on the bad right engine on the Rose. He has removed some of the parts from that engine and tagged them and is storing them upstairs.  He told squadron members that although the aircraft is currently down, there is still plenty of work squadron members could help out with.

Jim then reported that he is going to replace 3 panes of Plexiglas in the tail with Lexan.  He also reported that he’s looking to replace the #9 cylinder on the left engine.

 

PX: Pat Moore gave the report as Greg was out of town; Greg said the most recent airshow was Fairhope, Alabama where the PX and cockpit tours brought in some pretty good money.  Since ESCO discontinued carrying some items he had to substitute them with some items ESCO gave him at no cost.

With the engine situation, Greg isn’t going to order anymore inventory in the near future although some Yellow Rose patches he had ordered are already en route.  He also states he still has some Doolittle Reunion items on hand should the website provide anymore orders.  Greg is available at the hangar on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays if anyone needs anything.

 

SAFETY:  Jerry Taylor reminded everyone that will be working on the engines to be extra careful as the engines are heavy.

Jerry also reminded the squadron that items for the newsletter are due to him by the 25th of the month, and welcomed any articles from the membership.

 

ADOPT-AN-AIRPORT:  Mike will be here this Saturday and needs some people to assist in clearing brush at the entrance to the airport.

 

P.R.:  Bob asked that members who had photos of the reunion to send them to him and perhaps they’ll get published.

So far, Bob has gone through some 1200 photos and 6 hours of video from the reunion.

Bob also encourage people to take a look at Doc’s photos and order some of them-Doc can customize them for people anyway they wish. Doc had also brought down five CDs of the reunion.  You make take these CDs to make copies, but please be sure to return them.

     Bob had brought in a very large t-shirt that had the saying “Last year I had a job, this year I Doolittle” (invented by Bubba).  Bob wants squadron members to sign the t-shirt which will be sent to the people in Dallas who are hosting the 2008 reunion.

     Jim Liles mentioned that the air show in Michigan in July is using the Doolittle Raid as a theme and we could use our left-over Doolittle Reunion PX items to sell there.

 

 

SQUADRON LEADER: Ron stated he has received quite a few thank you letters and notes from people regarding the reunion and encouraged the membership to come and read them after the meeting.

     Ron then gave the sad news that Jack Simms, co-pilot of plane #14 on the Doolittle raid, died early that morning.

     Ron then spoke about the new engines.  Basically, we have been offered that if we buy one engine, we get the other one free.  Jerry Taylor made a motion that we buy the second engine conditional on price and condition the first engine is in. Chuck Clayton seconded.  Discussion followed.  Judy McMillan emphasized that we first see what condition the first engine is in before buying the second one-which would run the squadron roughly $13,000.00.  Right now, the engines are at Lone Star in Galveston.  The engines will be shipped to Oklahoma City via Federal Express for $1700.00 (for both engines). The motion passed.

     Ron said we had to give Lone Star two days notice before shipment so they can borrow a forklift. If we act soon, the engines should be in Oklahoma City this Thursday or Friday.

     Ron announced that we may be able to make Randolph this year and also be able to sell our PX items there. With luck, the Rose should be in the air again in August.  Also, work needs to be done on the old engine stands in the hangar to make them usable for the engine work.

     Judy McMillan suggested that since the Rose can’t make the Thunder over Michigan Airshow we make arrangements with another B-25 crew going up there to take some of our Reunion merchandise along to sell as the theme of the airshow is the Doolittle Raid.

NEW BUSINESS: Ron said the squadron needs a Ride-for-hire coordinator to book rides for the Rose and keep the records and the paperwork for the rides.  It’s a big job so he wanted squadron members to be thinking of taking on this very important position.

     Jim Liles made a motion the meeting be adjourned-Jerry Taylor seconded-motion carried.

     Meeting adjourned at 1846 hrs.

 

 

A PATH TO SPONSORSHIP

By Grant Lannon

     Headquarters relayed an e-mail to me from someone who was looking for a WWII airplane to perform an ashes drop.  I contacted the executor of the deceased, Mike Redel, to get details about Col. Ralph “Pat” Patterson.  He had flown A-20s, LB30s, and P-38s during WWII, C-47s in Korea and the list of other aircraft is extensive.  He entered aviation cadets and graduated from flying training in 1940.  He was in combat in North Africa and Sicily.  He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for dead sticking an A-20 to a safe landing after losing both engines from an ME-109 attack that blew off the leg of his navigator.  He retired from the AF in 1964 but continued to fly GA aircraft until he had a stroke and ended up climbing over the wing of his Piper Archer so others could fly his plane and keep him in the air.  He and his wife had decided that they wanted their ashes dispersed from a WWII aircraft over their hometown of Gatesville, just North of Fort Hood.  I made arrangements to pick up his Grandson, who is an active duty Major at Ft. Hood so that he could disperse the ashes from the back seat.  This was done with his friends and family in the cemetery at a memorial ceremony.  We then made a high speed pass and pulled up going West. 

     I could tell from Mike’s discussions that he thought Pat was a special person and Mike was looking for a way to memorialize him permanently in a special way that included an airplane.  I mentioned that if he wanted to make Ralph a pilot sponsor on the Yellow Rose, his name would be painted on the bomb bay door and it would be seen by many people.  It would also help us with our current engine expenses needed to keep the airplane flying.  Pat had flown the B-25.  Mike made that happen.

     In the process, I got to thinking that all kinds of sponsorships could generate the cash flow we need at the moment to get new engines on the aircraft.  Looking at the unit manual, there are three types of sponsorships: Flying Sponsor; Restoration Sponsor; and Support Sponsor.  For the Rose, a flying sponsorship is $3500; Restoration Sponsorship is $1750 and Support Sponsorship is $350.  Only active crewmembers who are flying sponsors are responsible for additional un-funded obligations on the aircraft.  Restoration and Support Sponsorships can be upgraded to flying sponsorships under certain conditions.  Flying and Restoration sponsorships can be made over a period of two years provided a 10% down payment is made and the remainder is paid on a schedule determined by the sponsor not to exceed two years.  Greg Young has already decided to do this.  All information on sponsorships can be seen in the CAF Unit Manual, Section 8 (no pun intended).  We all need to promote this method of raising badly needed funds.

2006 Yellow Rose B-25
Squadron Staff Officers

Squadron Leader - Ron Dietes

t6cpilot@netzero.net

Executive Officer - Tim Black

tangblack@austin.rr.com

Finance Officer - Judy McMillan

heyjude@texas.net

Adjutant - Pat Moore

patrickmoore99@mail.ev1.net

Operations Officer - Ken Udcoff

kenud@comcast.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