BRIEFINGS
January, 2009 The Newsletter of the Yellow Rose Squadron Vol. 12-01
  Briefings e-mail address: B25YR@msn.com  

LEADER'S WORDS

By Ron Dietes, Squadron Leader

    

     This is my last Leaders Words article for the Briefings.  I have to say it has been a very quick but productive four years.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as your squadron leader.  With all of us working together we have improved the reputation of the Yellow Rose Squadron so that our Air Show hosts now think of us as a Can Do unit.  With the shrinking air show market, having an excellent reputation is an absolute must if we are to book shows for the 2009 season.  Although the 2007 Doolittle Reunion was an impressive undertaking, we not only did it, those folks that attended the reunion commented on how organized and professional we were.  A job truly well done.   We have added to the aircraft sponsor list and at the same time have increased our membership.  Neither of those things would have been possible if it weren’t for our members.  For all the hours spent away from home and for all the sweat you have given over my four years I want to thank you again.  I have said it many, many times, you folks made me look good and I was and still am, extremely proud of the Yellow Rose Squadron.

     At this time, Academy Sports and Outdoors cannot supply the maize shirts that the squadron members liked.  The sales manager did an online lookup for me and sent me to their website hoping we may be able to order them using their online store.  Well, that did not work out.  But what I suggest is to wait until spring time and check back with them.  We may be able to purchase the shirts when their buyers have them as part of the normal store inventory.  I am really sorry about this, but I never thought there would be a problem finding maize shirts in that specific color.

     The upper left wing attach angle is now firmly attached to the Rose and work is progressing on the other issue’s presented in Gary Austin’s report.  The maintenance folks are busy cleaning and treating corrosion and getting ready to remount the left wing.  Last I heard, we were waiting for the aux fuel tank.  Jim Liles undoubtedly has more current information elsewhere in this newsletter.  The last time I spoke with Roy from Global he assured me he did not think there would be any problems getting us our engine the beginning of January 2009.  I have also heard from Ken Udcoff that he ran into the Brownsville folks at ICAS and they are indeed having their show this year.  Hooray.  Their show is always a lot of fun, even though the weather is sometimes a challenge and the trip there or on the way back to San Marcos.

     Once again, I want to remind you all about the 2009 Season ground school.  It will be held on Sunday February 22, 2009.  Notice the date is the 22nd not the 24th that was published in the past issue’s of the Briefings.  The date error was entirely mine and not the Briefing editor.  Remember if you want to be part of our Ride-For-Hire program, you must attend the ground school.  Because not only does the pilot and co-pilot require the training, the flight mechanics are also required to attend.  It is also good information for everyone else as you may be needed to assist in the ground work associated with the rides.  Not only will we discuss the actual RFH exemption but we will also talk about the required forms, so please plan to attend.

     The next Squadron meeting is at 6pm on Tuesday January 14, 2009 in the briefing room of the San Marcos hangar.  It is always an interesting meeting since we did not have a December meeting since we had our annual Christmas Party in Fredericksburg.  Once again I think it is safe to say, that judging by the amount of noise in the Officers Club, all in attendance had a really good time.  Of course, some of us had a great time thanks to the lively and agile CRUD players.

 

Letty and I wish each and everyone a Happy and Joyous New Year.

 

THERE WAS NO YELLOW ROSE SQUADRON MEETING IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, 2009, THEREFORE THERE ARE NO MINUTES TO REPORT.

However, Squadron Adjutant Pat Moore requests that any changes to the roster contact information be sent to him as soon as possible so that he can keep the directory information updated throughout the year.

WORDS FROM OUR NEW LEADER

By Greg Young, Squadron Leader for 2009/2010

     As 2009 has arrived; first, I want to wish everyone in the squadron a Happy and Safe New Year and it is my hope that 2009 is a productive and safe year for the YELLOW ROSE.  By the time you receive this, I will be your squadron leader a position that I hope will continue the mission of the Yellow Rose squadron to promote and display our airplane in a safe and productive way.  Each one of you are valuable members of this squadron and have the ability to contribute in your own ways to the overall mission as the end result is the sum of all the parts coming together. 

     As the transition continues, I wish to thank those members who are vacating their offices. Ron Dietes has contributed numerous hours of effort and labor as our Squadron Leader.  His knowledge and piloting skills have been invaluable to the group.  Bob Gardner vacates his PIO position; likewise Bob has contributed numerous hours of time and talent to the Yellow Rose.  These two individuals were a big part of one of biggest achievements of the Squadron since I have been a member: The 2007 Doolittle Raiders Reunion.  Jim Liles is leaving his head maintenance position but will continue to be a big part of the maintenance operation.  I really want to extend a big Yellow Rose appreciation to Jerry Taylor whose last newsletter as editor is this one.  Jerry has taken care of the newsletter month after month since before I joined the Squadron and has served previously as Squadron Leader, Finance Officer, and Safety Officer. The newslerrer is really a behind the scenes operation so I definitely want everyone to know how much Jerry’s efforts are appreciated.  Even though these individuals are vacating their official positions, it is my hope that each one of them continues to make valuable contributions to the squadron.

     Now I will briefly introduce the new guys on the block.   Ray Clausen takes over as Maintenance officer.  Ray is a retired Army Special Forces guy who showed up at the hangar shortly after I did in 2004.  He is from Alabama (but he is a Auburn guy) and at his time and expense got his A & P mechanic license down in San Antonio since he joined the Squadron.  Needless to say he has already been an invaluable asset to both the Yellow Rose and Centex as he is here just about every day that the hangar is open. Ray and his wife Deena live near Canyon Lake.

     Mike Renck takes over as Operations officer.  Mike has been a CAF member for years and even has been the Centex Squadron Leader.  Mike contributes his U11 Aztec airplane to many CAF functions and continues his career in Federal Law Enforcement although he is hoping to be a short timer soon for retirement.  On a operations note, I would like to thank Ken Udcoff for the efforts he made at the ICAS convention in Las Vegas.  Ken went on his own time and money and although he is not the Ops officer, he has made invaluable contributions.

     Mike Marando is a recent transplant from Chicago as he takes over the PIO job.  Mike retired from a career with Mercedes Benz and now he owns and operates an express lube station in Buda.  Mike has many years of experience dealing with the public in both his careers.  Soon his wife Nancy will be joining him down here.

     Jim McKinley has agreed to take over as Editor of the Newsletter.  Jim is a well known CAF member and retired Air Force guy with numerous aviation experiences.  Jim contributes hours of labor to the functions of the hangar and he is certainly a welcome member of the Squadron staff.

     Finally, there is me.  As most of you know, I am a retired 27 and a half year veteran of the San Antonio Police Department.  My career was always on the streets and I started as a patrolman in 1975 and finished in 2002 as a Lieutenant supervising 45 officers.  I feel that the leadership skills I developed over those years will be beneficial as your leader.  I have had a lifetime love of aviation inherited from my father who was assigned to a P38 photo recon unit in Burma during World War II.  My late brother was in Naval Aviation serving with P3 squadrons and then on aircraft carriers during the Vietnam conflict.   My earliest childhood memory of aviation was in Peru where I was born.  We went to an airshow in Lima where the Peruvian airforce was flying P47s, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in an F86 in a dive, and the Thunderbirds flew over my head in their F84F Thunderstreaks.  Round engines were also an early part of my life as I flew in the DC3s, DC4s, DC6s, and DC7s of Panagra Airlines.  Ironically Jack Skipper one of the early Yellow Rose guys flew for Panagra and worked with my father.  I joined the Yellow Rose in 2004 and it has become a big part of my life.  I have been the PX officer for the last several years and will continue that for the foreseeable future as living in San Antonio offers savings in the shipping of items.  I also spend much of my time on the maintenance of our B25.   On a PX note, I am starting the inventory for the end of the year.  The CAF branded green Yellow Rose Tshirts have proved to be very popular.

     There should be a tentative air show schedule in time for the next news letter.  Also The Texas Harley Motorcycle Owners group is scheduling their state rally for this coming September 24 and they are using the Yellow Rose as the theme of the rally.Their parade of thousands of motorcycles is scheduled to end at our hangar and the Rose will be the back drop for their group photos.  It is a big opportunity for us as a squadron for revenue from PX sales, photos, and rides for hire plus publicity and a chance to gain more members.  I will continue to update you on this as the months progress. 

     Well I guess that is the end of my inaugural address and as I have always said, Happy Landings until the next time.

PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS REUNION

By Grant Lannon

Saturday, Dec 6th dawned clear and cold.  Too cold for the Kate and Zero to crank up for the trip to Fredericksburg to support the survivors of Pearl Harbor, who had been at their reunion since Thursday.  Thanks to previous hard work by Ray Clausen, Scott Campbell, Greg Young, Buzz Perez, Jim Liles and others, I flew the P-39 there by 11AM and was parked on the ramp next to Glacier Girl (Rod Lewis’ P-38) and a P-51 with Luke AFB markings.  With cooperation in transport by Buzz Perez, we set up the Yellow Rose PX next to the terminal building and started giving cockpit sittings in the P-39.  Pat and Charlene Moore manned the PX most of the day but others helped and we did make some money from a significant crowd on the ramp.  I had made a donation jar that I velcroed to the wing of the P-39 and at the end of the day, there was $98 in the jar, which went to the Wing.  We set up the new banner that Clint Epley had made so people would know about the P-38.  At 5PM, we shut down the ramp activities and changed clothes in the Hanger Hotel for the Yellow Rose Christmas party that night in the adjoining hanger.  Judy and I went over to the other side of the field briefly at the golf clubhouse and attended a reception for the pilots who were flying the next day.  Stan Shannon, who coordinated the event for the Nimitz museum, greeted us and though we were invited to stay, we reminded him that though we would like to stay, we were headed for the Yellow Rose event.  The Nimitz reception was friendly and we were happy to make an appearance.

                That night, the bomber crowd had a great time after dinner with their usual rowdy game of “crud” at the pool table.  The dinner was great fun and we mourned the fact that the Yellow Rose could not make this event.  The briefing for the Fredericksburg flyover was at 11AM and it was hard to believe the number of aircraft involved since there were no financial reimbursements for the participants.  I was to fly in the second formation of fighters with the newly painted CAF P-40, a P-51, and Glacier Girl in the lead.  First over main street was the L-birds, followed by the Navy fighter flight, our formation, Rick Sharp in the A-26, the transports and then the U-birds.  It was quite a thrill to be in the slot in a diamond formation with the other Army fighters.  The second pass was a finger four with me strong right down main street of Fredericksburg again.  The word was that the survivors were in the courtyard of the museum so they would be able to see us if we were right of centerline.  After the last pass, we broke up and headed our separate ways home.  The P-39 performed flawlessly (even though we had a debriefing on how to make sure a door is latched all the way—a result of seeing the pictures).

                Attached are some photographs, including some from the A-26, which I could see was close to our formation but the photo evidence shows why.  I have said this before but it still amazes me:  “Is this a great country—or what???”



 
THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN BY RYAN HARRIS FROM THE A-26. Used with his permission. photo by Jim Liles

Maintenance Matters

By Jim Liles, Maintenance Officer

     From the maintenance view we have taken out the doublers plate on the wing where the oil coolers are located.   These items were removed for corrosion along with some other parts that were corroded.     At the present time these plates are being made in San Antonio and Georgetown . The engine is to be back after the first of the year , cost is still unknown at this time.  /span>In the mean time we have been cleaning the engine nacelles/gear wells.     We borrowed the steam cleaner from Tejas and spent a warm Sat. cleaning out the area.      There still work going on during the week if any one wants to come out and play.

     The top photo at right is the left  wheel well and bottom one is the wing root were the doubler plate was removed.   Lots of rivets there that had to removed to get that thing out in one piece. That was a lot of drilling by few hard workers.



Photos by Jim Liles

UNIT AWARDS GIVEN

By Judy McMillan

Unit awards for 2008 were announced at the Squadron Christmas Dinner on Dec. 6.  The CAF Unit Service Award was given to Ron Dietes for his efforts on behalf of the Yellow Rose during two engine overhauls.  Three new Squadron awards were given.  The Squadron awards were created for 2008 and will be awarded in the future at the discretion of the Awards Committee.  The Awards are named after YR Squadron members who have Gone West and who made contributions in ways that benefited the squadron.  The Jack Hart 'Keep Em Flying Award' was awarded to Ray Clausen for his many hours of work on the Yellow Rose during this year.  The Richard Garcia Outstanding New Colonel Award went to Buzz Perez.  Buzz is like a whirlwind keeping busy with whatever is needed for the Rose.  The Ed Liscomb Outstanding Service Award went to Kelly Garvin for her many hours of work on the Rose, in grease up to her elbows.


We don't have enough awards for everyone who makes a difference for the Squadron.  Many other people worked many hours and in many ways this year.  Thanks to one and all.

CAF ICON GONE WEST

Taken from CAF’s “On The Fly”

From the desk of Steve Brown, CAF President

I was notified late Christmas Eve of the passing of a CAF giant - Col Marvin L. (Lefty) Gardner, age 87. Born on September 10, 1921 Lefty was Founding Member #110 of the Confederate Air Force. There is an extensive article on Col Gardner coming up in Dispatch.

The funeral was held Monday December 29th in Kerrville, Texas

NEW YELLOW ROSE SPONSOR

The Yellow Rose has another flying sponsor. Cowden Ward has just sent in his payment. We should get official notification soon.

OPERATIONS REPORT

By Mike Renke, 2009 Operations Officer

     Things are pretty quiet for the winter, but that should soon change.  Contacts are being made for many shows and flyovers.  A big THANK YOU to Ken Udcoff for going to ICAS this year and marketing the Yellow Rose!  Ken put together very attractive bid packages and forwarded them to the contacts he made.  We will be following up with these contacts in hopes of booking shows.  Many shows, including military base shows, are not being held in 2009 due to the high cost of fuel, and funds being shifted elsewhere.  The good news is the price of 100LL AvGas is down, in fact way down.  This might help with the fly-overs that we do, but the price decrease came too late for many airshows to change their mind for this year. 

     Yellow Rose maintenance is in high gear.  Our maintenance officer says the Rose should be back in the air no later than March.  With two new engines and the wing repairs, she should be in the best shape ever!

     December 26th and 27th saw a couple of members of the Warbird Information Exchange visiting the Hangar.  (I would encourage everyone with computer access to visit www.warbirdinformationexchange.org as it is a wonderful place to keep up on what's happening in the warbird world.  The "WIX Hangar" is where you will find the most current news, as well as history and photos) 

     Friday the 26th, Chris Sheppard, from Florida, brought his family along to take photos of the aircraft.  Chris is a digital artist, meaning he creates his art on a computer.  He has donated a 12"x 36" print of a Doolittle B-25 to the Yellow Rose Squadron for use as a fund raiser.  He then created one of the Yellow Rose herself, which he also donated to the squadron.  Bob Gardner was a great help in getting the Rose print completed as fast as it was.  He supplied detailed photos of the Rose, even making a special trip to the hangar to take additional detailed shots.  The detail in Chris' art is amazing!  Plans are now being discussed on how to best use this gift to raise funds.  If you would like to purchase your own copy, information on how to order a print will be forthcoming, as soon as details are worked out.

     Our visitors continue to be very impressed with our facilities, aircraft, quality of work, and most of all our people!  I'm sure we will see some postings on the WIX with photos of our plane and facilities, as well as wonderful comments about the Yellow Rose Squadron!


EDITOR’S FAIRWELL


For the past seven years I have been privileged to put together the Yellow Rose Squadron newsletter, The Briefings.  Over those years, I have attempted to make the newsletter interesting and informative, adhering to articles pertaining to the Yellow Rose.  A CAF member since 1980 and a YR member since 1990, I feel that it is now time for a change and for me to fade into the sunset.  There are many newer members that have new ideas.  With that in mind, this is my final edition as your newsletter editor. Fly safe and keep her flying!

2009 Yellow Rose B-25
Squadron Staff Officers

Squadron Leader - Greg Yooung

tbolt52@hotmail.com

Executive Officer - Tim Black

tangblack@austin.rr.com

Finance Officer - Judy McMillan

heyjude@texas.net

Adjutant - Pat Moore

patrickmoore99@mail.ev1.net

Operations Officer - Mike Renck

bluehawk15@aol.com

Maintenance Officer - Ray Clausen

rayclausen@gvtc.com

Safety Officer - Buzz Perez

dabuzzard@austin.rr.com

PX Officer - Greg Young

tbolt52@hotmail.com

Publicity Officer - Mike Marando

mmarando@comcast.net