tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28535262618268453762024-03-14T04:19:39.641-04:00Abken AirportDescription and history of Abken Aviation Co., and Abken Airport, located in Worthington, Greenup County, Kentucky, founded by L. D. Abernathy and Warner Kenyon in 1944. Copyright © 2012-2020 by Ronald W. Kenyon. All rights reserved. Warning: this blog is protected by copyright. Do not plagiarize!
Read The Story of Abken Airport first, then read the Blog postsRonald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-90033020359311889112020-12-08T14:55:00.008-05:002020-12-08T15:07:58.460-05:00Canadian Website Features BT-13 N40018<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">A Canadian website, Aerial Visuals, has published a dossier about the BT-13, N40018, that spent so many years at Abken Airport. The dossier contains a complete chronology and is illustrated with color photographs showing the aircraft it after restoration. It has survived all these years and is currently part of the collection of the Naval Air Station Wildwood Museum, near Cape May, NJ. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=73135">http://aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=73135</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">S</span><span style="font-family: arial;">ee the Abken Airport blog post for Sunday, September 18, 2011, for a view of the derelict BT-13 surrounded by weeds.</span></span></p>Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-59778460173968153702018-06-14T10:18:00.000-04:002018-06-14T10:18:29.488-04:00Aviation Historian Pens Book on Ashland Airport<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J0lji6kPnMs/WyJ13fYmOsI/AAAAAAAAAuE/47W7C535-FI9Ce6Xs_hBEfSaQ56G4vQSACLcBGAs/s1600/Bill%2BMartin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="1080" height="231" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J0lji6kPnMs/WyJ13fYmOsI/AAAAAAAAAuE/47W7C535-FI9Ce6Xs_hBEfSaQ56G4vQSACLcBGAs/s320/Bill%2BMartin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In May 2017, aviation historian William E. (Bill) Martin published <em>Ashland Airport, Eastern Kentucky's Forgotten Field</em>, an illustrated history of the old airport located in Ashland, KY, where my father first learned to fly and where he crashed and broke his leg on July 31, 1943. </span></strong><a href="http://www.dailyindependent.com/news/aviation-historian-pens-book-on-ashland-airport/article_4f14cbac-3c45-11e7-b9e8-972f90d9553f.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interview with Martin</span></strong></a><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Mark Maynard in the May 19, 2017, issue of the Daily Independent.</span></strong><br />
<br />Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-1127947955731649102017-01-13T10:38:00.000-05:002017-01-13T10:40:28.314-05:00 “Would you like to come up front and sit in the cockpit?”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Back in the late nineteen-forties and the nineteen-fifties,
my father would fly commercially from time to time. He flew with airlines that have since passed
by the wayside such as Piedmont (1948-1989) Allegheny (1939-1979) and Eastern
(1926-1991) that flew out of Huntington or Charleston, WV. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a commercial pilot and
flight instructor, he was a long-time member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association,
the AOPA (See the post for June 16, 2012, below). In those days, people dressed
up to fly, and my father would always pin the discrete AOPA pin in the lapel of
his suit jacket. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not infrequently,
during the flight, if one of the flight attendants noticed the AOPA pin, she—they
were all women in those <span style="line-height: 107%;">days—asked
</span>my father, “Would you like to come up front and sit in the cockpit?” Of course, my father
accepted the invitation and would be escorted to the flight deck where he would
take the copilot’s seat and “fly” the DC-3, or Martin 4-0-4 or Convair, or whatever
it was, for a few minutes. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-75021566447016926352016-07-10T10:09:00.000-04:002016-07-10T10:35:58.031-04:00Archaeologist Vincent Versluis releases extensive report on site of Abken AirportOn June 29, 2015, Vincent Versluis, of Great Rivers Archaeological Services in Burlington, Kentucky, released a 178-page report on excavations conducted on the site of the former Abken Airport, as preliminary work for the proposed improvements at the Ashland Regional Airport in Greenup County, Kentucky.<br />
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The report is enhanced by numerous photographs, maps, diagrams and tables. Certain photographs depict artifacts discovered on the Abken site during the excavations: prehistoric projectile point fragments and historic artifacts including cartridge cases, marbles, a die, a 1947 penny, buttons, fragments of whiteware and a glass bottle as well as a Hubley metal diecast toy replica of a Navy jet fighter with folding wings, originally painted red and silver, produced during the 1950's. One of the tables documents the chain of ownership of the property from 1857 to the present.<br />
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<span 16px="" 19.2px="" averia="" center="" font-size:="" libre="" line-height:="" quot="" sans="" text-align:="">Great Rivers Archaeological Services was founded in 1998 by Vincent Versluis (M.A. Anthropology) and serves as Principal Investigator on all Phase I, II and III archaeological projects. Versluis, who is a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists, has over 30 years of archaeological field and laboratory experience. Versluis has been involved in archaeological surveys and excavations in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, as well as in Belize and Mexico. </span><br />
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This document, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/gsjfglaqc2dhnh1/greenup%20co.ky.ph.ii.2015.ver%20%284%29.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Phase II of Archaeological Testing of Site 15GP326 for Proposed Airport Improvements at the Ashland Regional Airport in Greenup County, Kentucky</a>, in PDF format, has been archived online at Dropbox.com and be accessed without charge.<br />
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<br />Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-47445996568502240802015-06-20T10:08:00.000-04:002019-04-06T11:03:25.987-04:00The Author, Abken Airport, July 5, 1948<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-STjCx1VDUHo/VYVzBfVO5PI/AAAAAAAAAYM/VG1Hna-Qjb8/s1600/18977648302_d3703665b8_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-STjCx1VDUHo/VYVzBfVO5PI/AAAAAAAAAYM/VG1Hna-Qjb8/s640/18977648302_d3703665b8_o.jpg" width="467" /></a></div>
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A Piper PA-11 Cub Special is in the T-hangar in the background.</div>
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(Photograph courtesy William E. Martin)</div>
<br />Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-26826535605289298652015-05-23T10:00:00.001-04:002015-05-23T10:00:35.685-04:00High praise for high flierIn its issue of Friday, July 14, 2006, the Ashland, KY, <i>Daily Independent</i> reported in an article entitled <a href="http://bit.ly/1F7MTi9" target="_blank">High praise for high flier</a> that "Ashland native Jack. C. Meade has been honored for his contribution to aviation."<br />
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The article continues, "Meade, of Cincinnati, received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot ward, which honors him for 50 years of "dedicated service, technical expertise, professionalism and many outstanding contributions that further the cause of aviation safety.<br />
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"But Meade's involvement in flight goes back 63 years, to his first solo flight from the sod strip by the Ohio River at the corner by Sanitary Milk Co., near the Bluegrass Grill.<br />
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"'I started flying at 12 but I couldn't solo until I was 16,' Meade recalled. His teachers in Ashland were Carl Rutledge and <b>Warner Kenyon</b>.<br />
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"A 1945 graduate of Ashland High School, Meade recalled airmail service in Ashland. 'They used to have the all-American pickup,' he said. 'The plane would swoop down with a hook and hooked the mailbag. That was airmail.'"<br />
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<br />Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-90106095369450256462012-06-16T02:16:00.000-04:002015-05-21T11:02:31.151-04:00Warner Kenyon in a 1950 AOPA Advertisement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">This advertisement for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association [AOPA] appeared on page 55 of the June 1950 issue of <i>Flying</i> magazine. Warner Kenyon is shown standing in front of Abken's Stinson. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The quote reads, "In my opinion, membership in AOPA gives more for the money than any organization of its kind ever established. I intend to be a member as long as I am connected with flying."</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">At the time, membership in the AOPA cost $5.00 per year, including a ssubscription to <i>Flying</i>.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The AOPA, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to general aviation, was incorporated on May 15, 1939. AOPA exists to serve the interests of its members as aircraft owners and pilots, and to promote the economy, safety, utility and popularity of flight in general aviation aircraft. With more than 500,000 members worldwide in 2012, AOPA is the largest aviation association in the world.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.aopa.org/" target="_blank">AOPA website.</a> </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright </span></b></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> 2012 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </span></b></span></div>
<br />Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-64169051289637956032012-06-13T03:19:00.004-04:002017-01-16T13:33:06.782-05:00Warner Kenyon and His Navion<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>This picture, taken in early 1966, shows my father, Warner Kenyon, standing beside his Ryan Navion A, registration number <span class="postbody">N4332K.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ByLEzrYdPJ4/T9g4vyPiSaI/AAAAAAAAAKw/ktYBsy0YPcE/s1600/Warner&Navion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ByLEzrYdPJ4/T9g4vyPiSaI/AAAAAAAAAKw/ktYBsy0YPcE/s320/Warner&Navion.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="postbody">This Navion, built in 1948, was the last in a long line of aircraft my father owned and flew. It was certainly the most advanced, being equipped with retractable gear and a variable-pitch propeller among other features. Unlike the Piper and Stinson aircraft my father owned, the Navion was built of aluminum sheets riveted to aluminum formers. It was roomy enough to accommodate the pilot and three passengers.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #000033;">According to an article by Bud Davisson posted on <a href="http://www.pilotfriend.com/aircraft%20performance/Navion.htm" target="_blank">Pilotfriend.com</a>, "When the second world war ended North American Aviation, maker of the Harvard trainer (Americans call it A6, or Texan) and the superior P-51 Mustang needed to diversify. With military contracts gone, they turned to general aviation and designed this remarkable four place retractable cross country private aircraft. Some components like the landing gear bear distinct resemblance to P-51 parts and the tail is similar. North American put the aircraft into production and turned out 1,100 of them between 1946 and 1947...</span></b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000033;">North American sold the design to Ryan [which built] more than a thousand with some variation in power and fuel capacity from 1948 to the early 50s."</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000033;">Ryan also produced a military version, known as the L-17. Used as a liaison aircraft, it saw service in the Korean War. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000033;">Davisson concludes, "</span></b></span><span style="color: #000033; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>I</b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>n total, nearly 1,100 Navions were built for the military. Another 1,100 were built for the civilian market so, by 1951, over 2,200* in total had taken to the air. Probably the most important fact about the Navion's longevity is that about 1,400 of the machines are still listed on the civil register as being flying airplanes. That is a survival rate of about 60%, which may be the highest of any airplane ever built."</b></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #000033; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>As with the amphibious Republic Seabee, the manufacturers of the Navion believed that demobilized pilots would continue flying once they returned to civilian life. But the predicted boom in postwar civilian aviation did not materialize to the extent the manufacturers had envisioned.</b></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="postbody"><a href="http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N4332K.html" target="_blank">Navion N4332K</a> was still flying in 2012. Like most Navions, it has undergone modifications. The in-flight photographs here, taken on February 25, 2012, over Chino, CA, show it fitted with a three-blade propeller and tip tanks.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="postbody"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">* The General Aviation Handbooks gives the total number of Navions produced as 2,634. </span></b></span><span class="postbody"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></b></span></span></div>
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<span class="postbody"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Top photograph by Bob Kates, courtesy William E. Martin</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Bottom photographs copyright </strong><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">©</span> </span></span></span><strong>Helicopterfriend. Used with permission.</strong></span></div>
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<span class="postbody"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sources: </span><a href="http://www.pilotfriend.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pilotfriend.com</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navion" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wikipedia</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright </span></b></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> 2012 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </span></b></span></div>
Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-55379919247396653702012-06-12T03:56:00.000-04:002015-05-21T11:03:30.433-04:00Ashland-Boyd County Airport 1953<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">The aerial photograph reproduced below, taken in 1953, shows the Ashland-Boyd County runway under construction. The Abken buildings and the town of Worthington, KY, can be seen to the right of the upper--eastern--end of the runway. The Ohio River is to the left. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"> This photograph was published in the Huntington, WV, <i>Herald-Dispatch</i> on February 19, 2012, in its "Do You Remember?" column.<br /> </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">View more historical photographs from the archives of the <i>Herald-Dispatch</i> in its online <a href="http://www.herald-dispatch.com/historicalphotos." target="_blank">Gallery</a>. Since December 2010, archivists have been scanning boxes of old negatives and posting them online, adding whatever caption information is known. Readers have been helping to fill in the gaps.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Photo copyright </b>©</span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Huntington <i>Herald-Dispatch</i>. Used with permission.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Copyright </span></b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 2012 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </span></b></span><br />
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<br />Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-28334411356323273072012-06-08T04:42:00.000-04:002015-05-21T11:03:49.127-04:00Abken Main Hangar, June 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9WRac3VRLU0/T9G4aobc_AI/AAAAAAAAAKM/cqgP0E4OxAE/s1600/AbkenHangar2012cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9WRac3VRLU0/T9G4aobc_AI/AAAAAAAAAKM/cqgP0E4OxAE/s320/AbkenHangar2012cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>This photograph shows the original Abken Airport main hangar, designed by Warner Kenyon and built in 1945. Several light aircraft could easily be accommodated in the spacious interior. At right, from front to back, were a lobby-waiting room, the business office, a classroom and a lavatory. Except for some patches of rust, the building appears to have held up pretty well after more than half a century. It is currently occupied by a small technology company.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>The photograph was taken in June 2012 by aviation historian William E. Martin of Ashland, KY.</b></span><br />
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 2012 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </span></b></span></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-62200473744158158562012-06-08T02:17:00.000-04:002018-06-14T09:54:54.444-04:00A Tuskegee Airman from Ashland, Kentucky<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M5Rwya5odZY/T9GVjOWzilI/AAAAAAAAAKA/FxhGHy9ZYMA/s1600/Lt.ColRoss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M5Rwya5odZY/T9GVjOWzilI/AAAAAAAAAKA/FxhGHy9ZYMA/s1600/Lt.ColRoss.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lt. Col. Washington DuBois Ross. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-American pilots who fought in World War II. Formally, they formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Corps (United States Army Air Forces after June 20, 1941).
The Tuskegee
Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in the United
States armed forces. The American military was racially segregated,
and the Tuskegee Airmen were
subjected to racial discrimination, both within and outside the army.
Despite these adversities, they trained and flew with distinction.</b></div>
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<b><br /><b>Thanks to aviation historian William E. Martin, I learned that one of these American heroes, Lt. Col. Washington DuBois Ross, lived in Ashland, KY, during his formative years--between 1923 and 1936--and took his first airplane ride in a Ford Trimotor at the Ashland Airport in the early 1930's.</b></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="il">Ross </span>was born on </b></span><b>March 4, 1919, in Mound Bayou</b><span style="font-size: small;"><b>, MS, then moved to Michigan. The family relocated to Ashland, KY, in 1923, the
year that Ashland Airport was established. His family lived on 35th Street,
just a block from the airport's entrance, so during the later 1920s and early
1930s he and his siblings walked down to the airport often. It was there his
interest in aviation began. In an interview with Jeep Blog in March 2012, Lt. Col. Ross recounted his first flight at Ashland:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>"I was 12-years old and the pilots would barnstorm, and one Sunday
they announced you could take flights at noon. On Sundays you went to
church so I missed the first round, but we got our pennies [passengers were charged a fare of a penny a pound] together for
the second round of flights. They started the engines and [the Ford Trimotor] shook. I
started to think maybe it wasn’t such a good idea, but it staggered into
the air and circled Ashland, and I told my parents I wanted to be a
pilot."</i><b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Lt. Col. Ross was educated first at Booker T. Washington School in Ashland, KY,
where his father, Robert Ross, was a teacher and administrator. He then attended Ironton High School, across the river in Ironton, OH, because it was integrated. He left
Ashland in 1936 to enter Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Hampton,
VA, where he graduated with honors. At Hampton, he entered the Civilian Flight Training Program and earned his
Private Pilot License.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>During World War II Lt. Col. Ross flew patrols over Naples, Italy, in a Bell <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-39_Airacobra" target="_blank">P-39 Airacobra</a> and bomber escorts in a North American <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_P-51_Mustang" target="_blank">P-51 Mustang</a>, establishing a record of </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>63 sorties and missions.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="il">Lt</span>. <span class="il">Col</span>. Ross was
inducted into the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame in 2011, at the age of 92.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.aviationky.org/halloffame.asp?section=1&pid=85" target="_blank">Watch a video and read a biography of Lt. Col. Ross</a> on the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame website. Read the full <a href="http://blog.jeep.com/2012/03/19/jeep-blog-interviews-tuskegee-airmen-washington-dubois-ross/" target="_blank">interview with Lt. Col. Ross</a> in Jeep Blog. Learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen on the official website of the <a href="http://tuskegeeairmennationalmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum</a>. Find more information about the Tuskegee Airmen on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen" target="_blank">Wikipedia entry on the Tuskegee Airmen.</a></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>In January 2012, a feature-length film about the Tuskegee Airmen was released. Titled <i>Red Tails</i>, the film is directed by Anthony Hemmingway and co-produced by George Lucas. Learn more about <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485985/" target="_blank">Red Tails</a></i>.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Lt. Col. Washington DuBois Ross died at his residence in Southfield, MI, on October 9, 2017. An <a href="http://www.dailyindependent.com/news/tuskegee-airman-from-ashland-dies/article_5921632a-adc0-11e7-bc8d-836c2a002830.html" target="_blank">obituary</a> by Mike James was published in the <i>Daily Independent</i> of Ashland, KY, on October 10, 2018.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Photo courtesy Jeep Blog.</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> 2012, 2018 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></span></div>
Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-88655164700102045752012-06-06T07:39:00.000-04:002017-07-13T11:06:51.196-04:00The Old Farmhouse at Abken Airport<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>When Warner Kenyon and L. D. Abernathy founded Abken Aviation Co., in 1944, they acquired a dairy farm located at Worthington, Greenup County, Kentucky, to build Abken Airport. The farmhouse on the premises was abandoned subsequent to the purchase and gradually deteriorated over time. The photographs here were taken in July 1961, probably with the Kodak-35 range-finder camera my father had given me, using Kodak Ektachrome reversal film. By 2012 the colors had faded and shifted to an unpleasant reddish tone. After digitizing the slides, I used an online application known as Gimp to convert the images to more pleasing monochrome.</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AEkaf84Rmvk/T885l-yTSWI/AAAAAAAAAIg/m7VmvG7CjaE/s1600/Farmhouse1BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AEkaf84Rmvk/T885l-yTSWI/AAAAAAAAAIg/m7VmvG7CjaE/s200/Farmhouse1BW.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General view of the two-story farmhouse, looking East. At right, Abken's T-hangars, still standing and occupied in 2012.</td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front porch of the farmhouse, looking East.. At left, Abken's T-hangars.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kNrMaaseaJo/T888tRDxnoI/AAAAAAAAAIs/1EcKmXwiFiA/s1600/Farmhouse4BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kNrMaaseaJo/T888tRDxnoI/AAAAAAAAAIs/1EcKmXwiFiA/s200/Farmhouse4BW.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even at the age of twenty, I was aware of the importance of composition in photography. Here the image is broken into two equal parts. On the right, a series of the horizontals is highlighted by a circle--the empty housing of an electricity meter. On the left, verticals lead the eye to the T-hangars in the background.</td></tr>
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View of the pantry and kitchen. At right, orange trumpet flower vines. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ok273s-3jpM/T88_Tm0zJPI/AAAAAAAAAI8/FH5Lfli6giU/s1600/Farmhouse5BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ok273s-3jpM/T88_Tm0zJPI/AAAAAAAAAI8/FH5Lfli6giU/s200/Farmhouse5BW.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back door of the farmhouse. A study in verticals highlighted by the diagonal of the torn down screen and the arc of the sprung doorspring. These photographs are very much in the spirit of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_Evans" target="_blank">Walker Evans</a> [1903-1975], with whose work I was familiar. <br />
View Walker Evans images in the <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/evan/hd_evan.htm" target="_blank">Met</a>.<br />
View and purchase Walker Evans works on <a href="https://www.artsy.net/artist/walker-evans" target="_blank">Artsy.net</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the farmhouse, looking North. In the middle ground, the asphalted runway. In the background, on the other side of the Ohio River [not visible] is U.S. Highway 52. The hills had been truncated in order to facilitate the widened highway.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> 2012, 2017 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
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Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-84516908293722957562011-11-25T03:27:00.021-05:002017-01-16T13:24:46.960-05:00The Story of Abken Airport<h3 class="post-title entry-title">
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<span id="zw-13143418769589bU9AZ" style="font-family: "calibri"; font-weight: bold;"></span><span id="zw-1314341876958qoL0M-" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>By Ronald W. Kenyon </b></span><br />
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<span id="zw-1314341876958qoL0M-" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This post was originally written and uploaded on August 26, 2011. Subsequently I have written additional posts on this blog relating to the history of Abken Airport and details of my father's career in aviation.</b></span><br />
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<span id="zw-1314341876958qoL0M-" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Read this post for the background, then browse the additional posts for anecdotes about the flying adventures of my father and mother and the development of Abken Airport from its inception in 1944 to the present.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Revised</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> January 16, 2017</b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">John Warner Kenyon (1901-1998)</b></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="zw-1314341876958umFE1_">My late father, John Warner Kenyon [known as Warner Kenyon], was born on August 29, 1901, in Oxford, Benton County, IN, where he spent his childhood. He attended Purdue University in Lafayette, IN, where he majored in mechanical engineering.</span><span id="zw-1314341876958lLY6QB"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876958VqLpG9">He became interested in aviation after moving to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashland,_Kentucky" target="_blank">Ashland. KY</a>, where he was hired as a draftsman for Armco Steel Corp., now <a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/AK_Steel_Holding_Corp.aspx" target="_blank">AK Steel Holding Corp.</a></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">My father obtained his pilot's license in 1935; his instructor was James A. Dobyns. He bought his first aircraft, a blue Taylor J-2 Cub--registration number NC16993--at the Taylor Aircraft factory in Bradford, PA. At the time, a J-2 Cub cost $1,325.00. I remember my father telling me that the standard instrumentation on the aircraft did not include a compass; he therefore had to pay an additional $50 to have one installed.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Warner Kenyon held ratings as Commercial Pilot #36480, flight instructor and ground instructor. He entered a light plane derby at the Cleveland Air Races in 1937 and won a trophy. At one point, he considered making a career in aviation, but decided to remain at Armco, where he eventually rose to Chief Works Engineer, a position he held at retirement.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The 1937 Flood</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From 1923 through 1952 and then briefly in the early 1960's an airport operated within the city limits of Ashland, KY. Known as Ashland Airport, it was located at Thirty-fourth Street, near the Ohio River. It was at this airport where my father hangared his Taylor Cub. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The devastating flood of January and February 1937 surpassed all prior floods during the previous 175 years of modern occupancy of the Ohio River Valley. Over half of Ashland was inundated, including Ashland Airport and the adjacent rail lines and the highways in and out of town. Ashland was completely isolated from the outside world and many families in rural areas of Boyd and Greenup Counties were stranded. Using one of the fairways at Bellefonte Country Club as a temporary airstrip, my father and two other local pilots, C. Giovanelli and James Dobyns, volunteered to airdrop food and supplies to those families; they also picked up and delivered bags of mail for the Post Office. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="zw-1314341876959JECiSD">My father continued his interest in aviation and eventually became certified as a flight instructor.</span></span></span> </b> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>At 6:20 PM on July 31, 1943, <span id="zw-1314341876959u7PDPs">my father had an accident at Ashland Airport.</span><span id="zw-1314341876959WF0mWb"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876959uWZZnn">Since the airport had no underground storage tanks, fuel was delivered in 55-gallon steel drums fitted with individual pumps. </span><span id="zw-1314341876959w6Z82F">Instead of aviation fuel, Standard Oil of Kentucky had erroneously delivered a drum of naphtha to the airport.</span><span id="zw-1314341876959mtJsoN"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876959JauFTg">Before the flight, my father topped out</span><span id="zw-1314341876959oEpxpD"> </span><span id="zw-131434187696045on0F">the J-5 Cub Cruiser from that drum.</span><span id="zw-13143418769602Xj--T"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876960foSksD">There was sufficient fuel in the line to take off, but after the plane had reached an altitude of approximately a hundred feet, the engine died and the airplane nosedived and crashed in an adjacent cornfield.</span><span id="zw-1314341876960WrjI8E"> </span><span id="zw-13143418769609m0OV-">In the incident, my father suffered a broken leg and student pilot Harry "Jeep" Homan a broken arm.</span><span id="zw-1314341876960DMjJs3"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876960gGgh3f">Fortunately, both made a successful recovery.</span><span id="zw-13143418769604ONOFL"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876960gPX5OP"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=62959524" target="_blank"><br /></a></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=62959524" target="_blank">Jeep Homan</a> was a World War II Army veteran who served in Europe as a paratrooper from January through August 1945 with the 12th Airborne Division and then with the 82nd Airborne Division. He died in Ashland, KY, on December 14, 2010.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="zw-1314341876960gPX5OP">Following a lawsuit, my father was awarded a settlement for the injuries sustained in the crash</span><span id="zw-13205234cd0g9Ax0I2f8e14e570cee800">. He had sought compensation of $10,000.00 for personal injury, $1,434.40 for medical expenses and $1,200.00 for damage to the aircraft.</span></b></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Abken Airport</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="zw-1314341876960E2Vqe2">Around 1944 my father met Lawrence <span id="zw-13205333a05kHJTdE2f8e14e570cee800"><span id="pbdiv1"></span></span><span id="zw-13205341fce4R2Sx2f8e14e570cee800">D.</span><span id="zw-1314341876960wI7QlV"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876960MTQobM">Abernathy, who worked as an accountant for the C&O Railway and </span><span id="zw-132052dbb08qufDI2f8e14e570cee800">lived in Russell, KY.</span><span id="zw-1314341876960wNy_V5"> </span> </span><span id="zw-1314341876960cv4pzG"></span><span id="zw-1314341876960pIJjgq">Combining the first letters of their names, the two partners founded Abken Aviation Co. in 1944, and bought a 55-acre dairy farm near the Ohio River in the Melrose Addition of Worthington, in Greenup County, KY.</span><span id="zw-1314341876960Ndz6Ew"> [In researching this blog, I discovered that "Abken," is a family name of German origin. Certainly neither Mr. Abernathy nor my father knew this when they decided on the name of their company.]</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="zw-1314341876960GrHJ0A">The two partners built a 3,000-foot</span><span id="zw-1314341876960rOYZSx"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876960XbVH6U">turf airstrip running approximately East-West, and constructed a large hangar-cum-office building—after plans drawn up by my father—and number of T-hangars that they rented to local pilots to house their aircraft.</span><span id="zw-1314341876960_UvgBv"> They named it Abken Airport. </span><span id="zw-1314341876960Se_y55">Later, they erected a galvanized steel Quonset hut.</span><span id="zw-13143418769619NktKv"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876961A2MrSP">Abken Airport opened to the public on September 23, 1945.</span><span id="zw-1314341876961-n1Qd7"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876961mh5FA4">At one point in the early 1950’s Abken had some signs made up professionally; I remember accompanying my father once as he drove around Greenup County posting signs indicating the direction of the airport. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Also in 1944, my father helped found the Civil Air Patrol [CAP] squadron at Abken Airport, and rose to <span id="zw-132053077f2W3_U12f8e14e570cee800">the rank of lieutenant colonel. </span><span id="zw-1314341876961zVj14P"></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="zw-1314341876961xzP88e"><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Since my father was a certified flight instructor, Abken set up a flight school and my father taught scores of returning veterans to fly under provisions of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Bill" target="_blank">Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944</a>, </b></span></span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">known as the G.I. Bill, on weekends and holidays. The company also hired qualified former pilots as instructors.<span id="zw-13143418769611OOtle"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876961zAdivS"></span><span id="zw-1314341876961VTCRsK"> </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="zw-1314341876961VTCRsK">According to my father, after World War II people were “flying crazy” because of all the movies and newsreels about the war featuring air battles.</span><span id="zw-13143418769618qkefP"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876961kg2toy">Everyone wanted to be a pilot.</span><span id="zw-1314341876961-z2iOP"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876961IXKIxA">At one time Abken owned upwards of 18 airplanes, including various Piper models, a Stinson 108-3 Voyager, World War II surplus Vultee BT-13 and North American Aviation AT-6 trainers and even a Cessna UC-78 Bobcat, a twin-engine trainer used for training bomber pilots.</span><span id="zw-13143418769612vj6fw"> I particularly remember the Stinson because it was comfortable and could accommodate all four members of my family: my parents, my brother Marc and me. </span></b></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="zw-13143418769612vj6fw">During the late 1940’s Abken frequently sponsored air shows.</span><span id="zw-1314341876961h7p9sU"> </span><span id="zw-1314341876961R7R-OM">On one occasion, the National Guard had to be called out for security because there were so many people.</span><span id="zw-1314341876961QCYaVZ"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span id="zw-1314341876961DnDKho" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>In chronological order, my father flew the following aircraft: Aeronca C-2, Taylor J-2 Cub, Aeronca-K, Piper PA-11, Piper PA-12, Aeronca Champ, Aeronca Chief, Stinson 108-3 Voyager, Bonanza, Waco, Ryan PT-22, Vultee BT-13 and North American AT-6. The last plane my father owned was a Navion, a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with retractable gear.</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mu2ekimIJAI/TpFpl90r_YI/AAAAAAAAAFU/G_mrXnGnIYI/s1600/RonaldandMarkCessna195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mu2ekimIJAI/TpFpl90r_YI/AAAAAAAAAFU/G_mrXnGnIYI/s400/RonaldandMarkCessna195.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ronald Kenyon (left) and Marc Kenyon (right) beside a Cessna-195 at Abken Airport circa 1953</span></span></b></div>
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<span id="zw-1314341876961DnDKho" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ashland vs. Huntington </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="zw-1320526799c3fvIc2f8e14e570cee800">In the</span><span id="zw-1320526799dv-igMc2f8e14e570cee800"> </span><span id="zw-1320526799frbVvxy2f8e14e570cee800">period</span><span id="zw-132052679a0kL5CTk2f8e14e570cee800"> </span><span id="zw-132052679a1oyMB4Q2f8e14e570cee800">from 1948 through 1952 a competition for airline traffic </span><span id="zw-132052679a3GwoD1Z2f8e14e570cee800">took place betw</span><span id="zw-132052679a5BUuVzL2f8e14e570cee800">een Ashlan</span><span id="zw-132052679a68ISzVG2f8e14e570cee800">d and the </span><span id="zw-132052679a8SGqSSt2f8e14e570cee800">nearby tow</span><span id="zw-132052679a91wPUfO2f8e14e570cee800">n of Hunti</span><span id="zw-132052679aad7ysWN2f8e14e570cee800">ngton, WV.</span><span id="zw-132052679abnvUuma2f8e14e570cee800"> </span><span id="zw-132052679acEwXDl2f8e14e570cee800">Each city wanted the airport to be built on its side of the Big Sandy River that separates Kentucky from West Virginia. </span><span id="zw-132052679aesxGgBS2f8e14e570cee800">After initial negotiations broke down, each city started construction on its own project.</span><span id="zw-132052679afnVmYex2f8e14e570cee800"> </span><span id="zw-132052679b062i3B2f8e14e570cee800"></span><span id="zw-132052679b2wkqTbH2f8e14e570cee800"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span id="zw-132052679b2wkqTbH2f8e14e570cee800" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The City of Ashland used state and local funds to purchase the Abken runway and adjacent real estate. Abken retained the buildings and the the surrounding land it owned at the eastern end of the runway. The grass airstrip was replaced by a 5,000-foot long asphalt runway. It was opened in 1953 under the name Ashland-Boyd County Airport, even though it was located in Greenup County. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="zw-132052679b2wkqTbH2f8e14e570cee800">Many observers considered the Kentucky location as more suitable for airline traffic because it was located on flatland with no nearby physical obstructions. The West Virginia airport was on the top of a hill, whose summit had been bulldozed to create enough space for the runways and buildings.</span><span id="zw-132052679b3rB2Rx2f8e14e570cee800"> </span><span id="zw-132052679b4tQGo-U2f8e14e570cee800">Nevertheless, the West Virginia location was completed first and became the hub for commercial aviation traffic in the “Tri-State Region” of Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio.</span></b><b><span class="z-cursor-spacer" id="zw-132052673e8uHUJCH2f8e14e570cee800"></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ashland Oil Company</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYCYfIm9nYU/Tqq40pajCTI/AAAAAAAAAFo/BuNy3wem2bA/s1600/AshlandOilFleet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYCYfIm9nYU/Tqq40pajCTI/AAAAAAAAAFo/BuNy3wem2bA/s640/AshlandOilFleet.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top: Ashland Oil corporate aircraft fleet 1955. Cessna 195, de Havilland Dove and Lockheed Lodestar</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>. Bottom: Ashland Oil corporate pilots with Lockheed Lodestar. At extreme right, A. B. Berkstresser.</b></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ashland Oil Co., now <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashland_Inc." target="_blank">Ashland, Inc.</a>, whose corporate headquarters were at that time located in Ashland, KY, built a large hangar and ancillary facilities at the western end of the airport to house and maintain its fleet of corporate aircraft. Abken Aviation retained the right to access and utilize the asphalt runway.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">During the 1960’s Ashland Oil’s Chief Pilot was Blaine “Berkie" Berkstresser. Berkie was at the controls of the firm’s twin-engine Lockheed Lodestar when it exploded and crashed on September 4, 1962, near Ravenna, OH. All thirteen men on board, mostly Ashland Oil executives, perished in the crash, which was the worst industrial aviation accident in the nation’s history.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The Civil Aeronautics Board [now the National Transportation Safety Board] determined that the crash was caused by an electric trim tab motor that malfunctioned and pitched the aircraft suddenly downward thereby exceeded the plane’s operating limitations. The downward force caused the right wing to separate outside the right engine.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Some time during the mid to late 1960’s Ashland Oil acquired
a Douglas DC-3 for its fleet, probably as a replacement for the Lodestar. Its
tail number was N10000W.<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4r4gElnWHcA/VsCu_nIdNGI/AAAAAAAAAhU/kVWmj6PoYgw/s1600/DC-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4r4gElnWHcA/VsCu_nIdNGI/AAAAAAAAAhU/kVWmj6PoYgw/s1600/DC-3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Aviation historian and pilot William E. Martin sent me the
following recollection of an unforgettable encounter with Ashland Oil’s DC-3:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>“In the spring of 1966, your father soloed me in the old J-3
Cub which I had purchased from him a few months prior. One evening I was practicing tough-and-goes.
On my last landing I touched down on the runway’s east end while Ashland Oil’s
DC-3 was touching down on the runway’s west end. Unbeknownst to me, a ‘mouse’ and an ‘elephant’
were on a collision course. Apparently
the DC-3 pilot saw me first and stopped halfway up the runway. I was slowly costing along in the three-point
position, with forward visibility about zero, when suddenly I was looking up at
the long nose and whirling propellers of the DC-3. In that split second, now knowing if it was still
moving, I stomped one ruder pedal and shot off the runway into the grass. With knees still shaking, I turned and taxied
back up the field (to the Abken end) and put the Cub to bed for the night.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b>Ashland Regional Airport DWU</b></div>
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My father died on April 20, 1998, in Saint Petersburg, FL. Before his death, around 1980, Dick Brannock, a former Ashland Oil pilot, bought my father's share of Abken Aviation Co. He remains in partnership with Mr. Abernathy's progeny. The facility in Worthington still exists today and is known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashland_Regional_Airport" target="_blank">Ashland Regional Airport</a> [DWU]. It currently serves local charter and private aircraft.</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revised January 16, 2017. All photographs courtesy William E. Martin.</span></b><br />
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Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-67258481528916082482011-11-25T03:22:00.060-05:002015-05-21T11:08:12.870-04:00Sanford Vaughn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QwNLhMdKZ7I/Ts9E2UhJoII/AAAAAAAAAGM/diKsOfPI5Sk/s1600/Kenyons_Vaughn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QwNLhMdKZ7I/Ts9E2UhJoII/AAAAAAAAAGM/diKsOfPI5Sk/s320/Kenyons_Vaughn.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From left to right: Sanford "Sant" Vaughn, Ronald W. Kenyon, Warner Kenyon, circa 1946. Photo by Bob Kates.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By William E. Martin</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Sanford Vaughn was a swell guy and a pilot's pilot. He could "fly the crates they came in," as some would say. When I bought the J-3 Cub from Warner Kenyon, he suggested I have Sanford do my annuals. Sanford had a beautiful private airport in Chillicothe, Ohio, with lots of flat surrounding farm land. The approaches were excellent from any direction, and he always kept the field mowed like a golf course. It was always a pleasure to land there.</b><b> </b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sanford owned a red Pitts Special, which he built himself and used for aerobatics at air shows, and he could fly everything from the Pitts to a C-47, the military version of the Douglas DC-3. And, he was also an excellent aircraft mechanic.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One beautiful day, I flew Col. William C. Lambert, a resident of Ironton, OH and one of the top American aces of World War I, to Vaughn's airport. Vaughn was so honored to meet Col. Lambert that he placed two lawn chairs on the edge of his strip, rolled his Pitts out of the hanger, and put on a private air show for the two of us. As Vaughn swooped low over the field doing a series of snap rolls, Lambert turned to me and said, "I used to be able to do that."</span></span></b><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sanford played a banjo and also had an old piano inside his hanger. One day he found out that I played piano, and he would never let me leave there until we had a jam session. And, that happened every time I landed there. </span></b><br />
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Sanford Vaughn died in Chillicothe, OH, on February 5, 1982, at the age of 71.<br />
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Notes by Ronald W. Kenyon</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4s7EEYt8EXk/Ts9M0yJNwWI/AAAAAAAAAGc/s2fzEMtpMKQ/s1600/Pitts+Special.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4s7EEYt8EXk/Ts9M0yJNwWI/AAAAAAAAAGc/s2fzEMtpMKQ/s1600/Pitts+Special.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The <u>Pitts Special</u>, a single-engine biplane, was created by Curtis Pitts [1916-2005] and first flew in 1944. The aircraft was designed for aerobatics and won many competitions in the 1960's and 1970's, before being dethroned by higher-performing monoplanes.<br />
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Originally, Pitts manufactured the Special, but in 1962 he produced and released detailed plans enabling hundreds of pilots like Sanford Vaughn to assemble their own home-built Specials.<br />
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The design of the Pitts Special has been refined over the years, but still remains quite close to Curtis Pitts's original conception. Many Pitts Specials are flying today and compete in high-performance aerobatic competitions. Kits are available for home-builders and one company, Aviat Aircraft, manufactures and sells Pitts Specials.</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0puiPRETnY/Ts9PCEI6XpI/AAAAAAAAAGk/YUt00vEkG0E/s1600/Lambert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0puiPRETnY/Ts9PCEI6XpI/AAAAAAAAAGk/YUt00vEkG0E/s320/Lambert.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Col William C. Lambert shown with a pipe in the unusual pipe rest that he invented; it allowed a smoking pipe to be rested on the smoker's chin. Photo courtesy William E. Martin.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><u>Col. Willliam Carpenter Lambert</u> [August 18, 1894 – March 19, 1982] was born in Ironton, OH, across the Ohio River from Russell, KY. He </b><b>took his first airplane flight in a Wright biplane on July 4, 1910. In 1917, Lambert joined a Canadian unit of the Royal Flying Corps. He </b><b>was the second-ranking American ace of World War I, participating in 32 aerial combats and scoring 21 1/2 air-to-air victories, 4 1/2fewer than "Ace of Aces" Eddie Rickenbacker. [Half the credit for one kill went to another pilot.] Authorities agree there may have been more victories for Col. Lambert, but record-keeping was sometimes lost during the heat of battle.</b><br />
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<b>Col. Lambert was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by the Prince of Wales in a ceremony at the British Embassy in Washington, DC in 1919.</b><br />
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<b>According to aviation historian William E. Martin, Col. Lambert was left out of the earlier history books because he flew for the Royal Flying Corps and the Americans didn't claim him. Neither did the British, because he was an American. It wasn't until 1968 that the late Royal Frey, curator of the Air Force Museum, discovered Lambert's score and came to Ironton to meet him.</b><br />
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<b>Col. Lambert related his wartime experiences in western France in his 1973 memoir, <i>Combat Report.</i></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/collection_guides/guide_files/ms221.pdf">More information</a></b><b> on Col. Lambert<i>.</i>compiled by Wright State University. <a href="http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/collection_guides/guide_files/ms221.pdf"></a><i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sources: American Aces of World War I, theaerodrome.com</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>November 26, 2011</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Revised December 28, 2011 </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b> 2012 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></b></span>Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-26124849068605505412011-10-12T03:15:00.003-04:002015-05-21T11:10:15.633-04:00An Emergency Landing<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>By Eugenia M. Kenyon</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>On a trip back from Louisville, KY, one time, in a 65-hp Cub, we had a terrific headwind, ran low on gas and made an emergency landing in a field in Carter County [Kentucky] near the highway, U.S. Route 60. While we were discussing strategy, a Crown gasoline truck driving through stopped and we filled up on gas and came on into Ashland, KY. Once in a while, it made a peculiar noise, but it worked.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Commentary by Ronald W. Kenyon</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>This event was recounted by my late mother, Eugenia M. Kenyon, in a letter dated February 9, 1962, addressed to Tom Hamer, Aviation Editor of the Huntington, WV <i>Herald Dispatch</i>.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>The "65-hp Cub" would most likely have been the Piper J-3 Cub that my father and mother ferried from the Piper factory in Lock Haven, PA to Ashland, KY on New Year's Day in 1939. This is the aircraft in which they crash landed near New Matamoros, OH, as described in the blog entry "Hang on, Honey, I think we're going to crash."</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Whether it's a 65-hp Cub flying at 1,000 feet or a Boeing 777 flying in the lower stratosphere, headwinds can considerably reduce an aircraft's speed and increase its fuel consumption. For example, a flight eastbound from Washington, DC to Paris in a 777 takes 7 hours 15 minutes. But a westbound flight from Paris to Washington takes 8 hours 20 minutes. Flying time for the same distance is one hour greater going west because of the prevailing westerly headwinds at high altitude. My father had correctly calculated that, under normal flying conditions, he would have had sufficient fuel to reach Ashland Airport.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Aircraft fuel is not the same as automobile gasoline. Each is formulated differently for each type of engine. Small private aircraft such as Piper Cubs were equipped with air-cooled engines, whereas almost all automobile motors are water-cooled. In the United States, aviation fuel--avgas--is rated 100 octane, contains low levels of tetraethyl lead and is dyed blue. Automotive gasoline--mogas--is now formulated without lead and is produced in various octane ratings. The automobile gasoline enabled the Continental engine in the Cub to function, albeit inefficiently, thus the "peculiar noise."</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>U.S. Route 60 is a trans-continental highway extending 1,670 miles [4,300 kilometers] from the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia to western Arizona. It traverses the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Carter County, Kentucky was formed on February 9, 1838, from portions of Greenup County and Lawrence County. It was named after Colonel William Grayson Carter, a Kentucky state senator. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> 2012 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-21952224684953118972011-10-01T04:26:00.046-04:002018-06-14T09:50:22.767-04:00The 1937 Cleveland Air Races<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The world's first air race was held in Reims, France, in August 1909, with competitions for distance, duration, altitude and speed. Glenn Curtiss was the only American pilot who had made the trip across the Atlantic to participate. The first American air race was held near Los Angeles, CA, in January 1910.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The most famous air races in America were known as the National Air Races and were first held in Cleveland Ohio starting in 1929 and in most of the following years until 1939. After a hiatus during World War II, the races resumed in 1946 and continued each year through 1949.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The races included a variety of events including cross-country flights that ended in Cleveland, landing contests, glider demonstrations, airship flights and parachute-jumping contests. The most popular event was the Thompson Trophy Race, a closed-course competition in which aviators raced around pylons. </span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My parents attended the 1937 Cleveland </span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Air Races, which were held from September 3-6 of that year. In a letter written on February 9, 1962, to Tom Hamer, Aviation Editor of the Huntington, WV <i>Herald Dispatch,</i> my mother, Eugenia Kenyon, states that my father, Warner Kenyon, entered a light plane derby that year and won a trophy. </span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I remember seeing the trophy, which had become tarnished with time.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While at the Cleveland Air Races, my parents met some of the more colorful aviation personalities of the day. My mother, in her letter, cited three famous airmen they met: Bevo Howard, Harold Johnson and Milo Burcham.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Beverly "Bevo" Howard (1914-1971) was a famous aerobatic pilot. He began airshow flying in 1933 and in 1938 became the first pilot to fly an outside loop in a light plane, flying a 37 1/2 HP Taylor Cub. Eventually Howard became one of the best-known air show pilots in the United States. On October 17, 1971, he was killed when he crashed while performing at an airshow in Greenville, NC. <a href="https://bevhoward.com/Bevo.htm" target="_blank">Illustrated website</a> about Howard and about his Bücker Jungmeister single-seat biplane, both curated by Howard's son.</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><strong>Harold Johnson (1910-?), born in Chicago, was renowned for being the first pilot to perform a number of aerobatic maneuvers, including loops, spins and snap rolls, in his cumbersome, all-metal Ford Trimotor, nicknamed the Tin Goose, registration number NC-9610. Known as the King of the Fords, Johnson was once greeted by Henry Ford himself when descending from his Tin Goose. Johnson reportedly performed 17 consecutive loops during one demonstration. Harold Johnson is last known to have been alive and living in Santa Monica, CA, in 1965. I have been unable to locate the place or date of his death or his burial. </strong><strong> </strong><a href="http://goldenageofaviation.org/fordking.html" target="_blank"><strong>Illustrated article </strong></a><strong>about Johnson from 1965. </strong><strong>S<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">hort video clip showing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6dWtDk_rOI">Johnson's aerobatics</a>. Even nowadays, his performance is astonishing.</span></span></strong></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Milo Burcham (1903-1944) was an American stunt pilot, airshow pilot and test pilot. In 1933, Burcham and Lt. Tito Falconi of the Italian Air Service competed in setting inverted flight records. Burcham's flight in his Boeing Model 100 of 4 hours five minutes and 22 seconds in December 1933 was not broken until July 24, 1991! Burcham, as Lockheed's Chief Pilot, was killed on October 24, 1944, in a flame-out on take-off of a prototype version of the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, the first American jet fighter to be used operationally. More on <a href="http://www.dmairfield.org/people/burcham_mi/index.html">Milo Burcham</a>.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Reading the accounts of the extraordinary exploits of these early aviation pioneers inspires admiration for their courage, their daring and their exceptional skills as pilots in aircraft that lacked many of the modern systems, controls and safety features. These men--and women such as Jacqueline Cochran and Amelia Earhardt--were, indeed, genuine 20th century heroes and heroines.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read more about the <a href="http://www.airrace.com/1937NAR.htm">1937 Cleveland Air Races</a>. </span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b> 2012, 2018 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></b></span>Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-62582313840921558612011-09-29T06:01:00.007-04:002015-05-21T11:12:42.818-04:00When a Piper Cub Landed in a Tree<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">By Eugenia M. Kenyon</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">My husband met and knew personally Mr. William T. Piper, of Piper Aircraft Co., during trips to the factory in Lock Haven, PA. In connection with Mr. Piper, an incident comes to mind. Sometime in the early 1940's an experiment was tried at the Raven Rock Airport in Portsmouth, OH. Mr. Piper, accompanied by some others from Lock Haven, were on hand to see a Piper Cub cut its motor and land by parachute. All went according to plan, except a crosswind drifted the plane into some trees on a hillside, where it dangled, parachute and all, until the pilot was rescued. (I don't recall how the plane got down.) It was quite exciting and colorful at the time, but loses some of its lustre in telling. This experiment was for some practical purpose in connection with the war effort.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">This event was recounted by my late mother, Eugenia M. Kenyon, in a letter dated February 9, 1962, addressed to Tom Hamer, Aviation Editor of the Huntington, WV <i>Herald Dispatch</i>.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">William T. Piper (1881-1970), known as "the Henry Ford of aviation," was the founder, eponym and president of Piper Aircraft Corporation from its inception in 1929 until 1970. The company had its origin in the Taylor Brothers Airplane Manufacturing Company, founded in 1927. In 1930, the company filed for bankruptcy and William T. Piper purchased its assets for $761. Piper believed that a simple-to-operate, low-cost private airplane would flourish, even in the depths of the Depression. The Piper J-3 Cub, adapted from the Taylor J-2 Cub, was introduced in 1937 and proved Piper right: a total of 19,888 J-3 Cubs were built until production ceased in 1947. Prices ranged from $995 to $2,461 when new.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Production of Piper aircraft continued through the Second World War: at one point, the factory was completing one J-3 Cub every 20 minutes. After the war ended, Piper manufactured private aircraft until 1969, when the Piper family sold the business. Today, Piper Aircraft, Inc. is privately held and constructs jet- and propeller-driven aircraft at its facility in Vero Beach, FL.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Raven Rock Airport was located in Portsmouth, Scioto County, OH. The airport was in a valley along the Ohio river below a local landmark named Raven Rock, an oddly-shaped rock outcropping on a cliff. </span><span style="font-size: small;">According to the Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society, the airport was apparently used as early as 1912 by airships flying cross-country. </span><span style="font-size: small;">It was officially dedicated around 1928 and remained in operation until 1957. More information on <a href="http://www.cahslunken.org/Stories/ravenrockairport.htm">Raven Rock Airport</a> can be found on the website of the Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society & Museum.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">With respect to the experiment witnessed and described by my mother, although this particular attempt was unsuccessful, it was a precursor of a parachute-based aircraft recovery system developed 40 years later. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">In 1980 Boris Popov, of St. Paul, MN, invented a parachute system designed to slowly lower an airplane to the ground relatively safely for the pilot and passengers. The idea came to Popov after he sustained injuries in a 400-foot fall in a partly-collapsed hang glider. Popov's ballistic recovery system [BRS] could be used in the event of loss of control, failure of the aircraft structure or other in-flight emergencies.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">In Popov's system, a solid-fuel rocket is used to pull the parachute out of its housing and deploy the canopy within a few seconds. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Popov founded his company, now known as BRS Aerospace, in 1980, and marketed his first model in 1982. It was intended to be attached to ultra-light aircraft. </span><span style="font-size: small;">In 1983, a pilot in Colorado survived an accident in the first reported use of the system.</span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"> In 1998, the company collaborated with Cirrus Design and received certification to market a ballistic recovery system for the Cessna 172. These systems are now authorized for use in many light, sport aircraft. According to a counter on the its website, as of September 30, 2011, a total of 266 lives had been saved by the use of BRS products.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Revised October 9, 2011.</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Sources: Wikipedia, BRS Aerospace, Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Society.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> 2011 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-48333604311744411942011-09-28T05:20:00.009-04:002015-05-21T11:14:30.015-04:00The New York World's Fair 1939<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">By Eugenia M. Kenyon</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">When we were married but a year, a trip to the New York World's Fair was a real delight. We landed at the old Flushing Airport, took in all the sights, and I remember especially Billy Rose's Aquacade.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The day we were to take off on our return home, an experience occurred which was related by Lowell Thomas in his newscast that night. Shortly after our arrival at the field, a sudden, severe squall blew in off the coast. Tied-down planes were ripped loose and tossed around like paper boxes. I remember particularly a Beechcraft near the building we were in that was turned up on its tail and came to rest again rightside up. A flyer who had just landed a Monocoupe was struck by lightning as he walked across the field. He died in spite of help from New York City firemen with pulmotors. </span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Being eyewitnesses to the death and all the havoc was such a shattering experience that we postponed departure until the following day.</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>T</b><b>his anecdote was recounted by my late mother, Eugenia M. Kenyon, in a letter dated February 9, 1962, </b><b>addressed </b><b>to Tom Hamer, Aviation Editor of the Huntington, WV <i>Herald Dispatch</i>.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <u>1939-1940 New York World's Fair</u> was the first international exposition to be based on the future, with an opening slogan of "Dawn of a New Day." It allowed visitors to take a look at "the world of tomorrow," according to the official pamphlet. The theme center consisted of two all-white landmark monumental buildings named the Trylon [over 700 feet tall] and the Perisphere. Visitors entered the pavilions on a moving stairway and exited through a wide, curved walkway named the Helicline. Inside the Perisphere was a model city of tomorrow that visitors viewed from a moving walkway. The fair officially closed on October 27, 1940. Barely a year later, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States had declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy.</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u>Billy Rose's Aquacade</u>, a music, dance and swimming show, was the most popular and successful attraction at the World's Fair. It was produced in an Art Deco stadium seating 11,000. </span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u>Billy Rose</u> (1899-1966) was an impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. He divorced his first wife, comedienne Fanny Brice, to marry Eleanor Holm, one of the swimmers in the Aquacade.</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u>Lowell Thomas</u> (1892-1981) was a writer, broadcaster and world traveler, best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous. He broadcast a nightly news and commentary program and hosted the first regularly scheduled television news program starting in 1940, but he soon returned to radio, where he continued to present and comment on the news until his retirement in 1976. He had the longest radio career of anyone in his day.</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <u>Monocoupe</u> was a two-seat, side-by-side monoplane designed and built by Donald A. Luscombe. It was powered by a 90-hp Lambert radial engine.</span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <u>pulmotor</u> was an apparatus for pumping oxygen into the lungs during artificial respiration. </span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b> 2011 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</b></span>Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-68393845883937864212011-09-27T12:56:00.007-04:002015-05-21T11:14:53.878-04:00"Hang on, Honey, I think we're going to crash."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pUL4cyKEOzY/T-1nq5loGHI/AAAAAAAAAMI/UheFf6RNavw/s1600/Cub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pUL4cyKEOzY/T-1nq5loGHI/AAAAAAAAAMI/UheFf6RNavw/s200/Cub.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>This anecdote was recounted by my late mother, Eugenia M. Kenyon, in a letter dated February 9, 1962, </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>addressed </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">to Tom Hamer, Aviation Editor of the Huntington, WV <i>Herald Dispatch</i>.</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>My husband often quotes flying adages at me, such as "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old-bold pilots." Another: "Any landing you can walk away from is a good one." </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>I recall a <i>good</i> one we made on New Year's Day in 1939. We were flying a brand new Cub back from the [Piper] factory [in Lock Haven, PA], and were hoping to make [the airport in] Marietta, OH our stop for the night. But a headwind slowed us down so much that it was getting dark and Marietta was still a way off. So we made an emergency landing on a farm atop a hill in New Matamoros, OH. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>My husband made a couple of passes at the field, and on the third time, as we prepared to land, he became aware that the motor was idling too fast. The landing area was not too long, and dropped off on the sides, so space was precious. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>As he slipped the plane down, he spoke loudly and calmly to me, and I'll never forget his words: he said, "Hang on, Honey, I think we're going to crash." </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>However, there was slight damage to the plane, and after a minor repair the next morning, we were able to fly on into Ashland. I regret that I cannot recall the name of the gracious family which put us up for the night and served one of the most delicious good old country breakfasts the next morning that I've ever had.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b> 2011 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</b></span>Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-30694498851969545432011-09-22T12:04:00.007-04:002015-05-21T11:15:46.766-04:00Abken Aviation Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mUdv3K3_Mfc/TntZacssSdI/AAAAAAAAAD0/cTGHC8sgeaE/s1600/AbkenSign2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mUdv3K3_Mfc/TntZacssSdI/AAAAAAAAAD0/cTGHC8sgeaE/s200/AbkenSign2011.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Photo Courtesy William E. Martin</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="zw-1314341876962Lu9dx-">The photograph of the signboard above was taken in September 2011. It confirms that Abken Aviation Co. is still in business, sixty-seven years after its founding by my father, Warner Kenyon, and his business partner, L. D. Abernathy, in 1944.</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Mr. Abernathy died in 1968</span></b> and my father in 1998. <span id="zw-132051b5ee355OKu2f8e14e570cee800">Dick Brannock, a former Ashland Oil pilot, bought my father's portion of Abken Aviation Co. over 30 years ago. Mr. Brannock remained active as a pilot flying corporate jets well into his eighties. Today he retains his co-ownership in Abken Aviation along with Mr. Abernathy's two children, Dale and Shirley.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="zw-132051b5ee355OKu2f8e14e570cee800">Updated October 12, 2013. </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b> 2011 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</b></span>Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-73021173793143321182011-09-21T05:56:00.003-04:002015-05-21T11:16:34.561-04:00Abken Advertisement 1946<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xjF5B1IiECI/TnmzmGMmKTI/AAAAAAAAADw/Ea8gNyEXLt4/s1600/Advertisement2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xjF5B1IiECI/TnmzmGMmKTI/AAAAAAAAADw/Ea8gNyEXLt4/s640/Advertisement2.png" width="488" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The quarter-page newspaper advertisement reproduced above was published in the Ashland <i>Daily Independent</i> on August 25, 1946.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The exact location of the airport, however, was the Melrose Addition of Worthington, KY, not Russell, KY. </span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b> 2011 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</b></span>Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-81969190651444671802011-09-21T05:37:00.016-04:002015-05-21T11:18:38.269-04:00Abken's Civil Air Patrol Squadron<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XntbRGSQu-E/TnmpjHJgseI/AAAAAAAAADg/8E5UNY2xNSs/s1600/Abernathy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XntbRGSQu-E/TnmpjHJgseI/AAAAAAAAADg/8E5UNY2xNSs/s200/Abernathy.JPG" width="180" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hbEv-gDJqYo/TnmpU6HpS0I/AAAAAAAAADc/KF93TcbiPFA/s1600/Kenyon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hbEv-gDJqYo/TnmpU6HpS0I/AAAAAAAAADc/KF93TcbiPFA/s200/Kenyon.JPG" width="186" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> </b></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">L.D. Abernathy, left; Warner Kenyon, right. Photographs courtesy William E. Martin</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">A front-page article in the <i>Russell Times</i>, dated November 24, 1944, states the following:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">"The local Civil Air Patrol unit was organized at two meetings held recently, with L. D. Abernathy, E.H. Carney and Herbert Greene aiding in its organization. Members are now being enrolled. Miss Ruth Anderson has been named adjutant, while Tewks Ridenour and George Savage will act as drill officers...L.D. Abernathy is commander of the new CAP in Greenup County."</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">With the help of Commonwealth of Kentucky aviation officials, my father, Warner Kenyon, helped organize the CAP squadron. He served as flight instructor and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the CAP. The Abken CAP squadron remained in existence from late 1944 into the mid-1950's, when it was disbanded. A new CAP squadron was organized at the airport in October 1982 but is no longer active. </span></b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_AJVCd7LygY/Tnwra7MAkyI/AAAAAAAAAD8/qzxtdnqdFAE/s1600/CAP1954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_AJVCd7LygY/Tnwra7MAkyI/AAAAAAAAAD8/qzxtdnqdFAE/s1600/CAP1954.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CldvR8lLNMI/TnmuYbYjCCI/AAAAAAAAADo/WDtfrD8I9IM/s1600/CAP1954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>CAP Squadron at Abken Airport in front of a U.S. Air Force twin-engine Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor, circa 1954. Photo courtesy William E. Martin </b></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RxsNR8fgxCI/TnwrA_7QM7I/AAAAAAAAAD4/Hxlk8b-MPLA/s1600/CAPshjield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RxsNR8fgxCI/TnwrA_7QM7I/AAAAAAAAAD4/Hxlk8b-MPLA/s200/CAPshjield.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The Civil Air Patrol: United States Air Force Auxiliary</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the late 1930s, more than 150,000 volunteers with a love for aviation argued for an organization to put their planes and flying skills to use in defense of their country. As a result, the Civil Air Patrol was born one week prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Thousands of volunteer members answered America's call to national service and sacrifice by accepting and performing critical wartime missions. Assigned to the War Department under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Corps, the contributions of Civil Air Patrol, including logging more than 500,000 flying hours, sinking two enemy submarines, and saving hundreds of crash victims during World War II, are well documented. </span></span></b><br />
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After the war, a thankful nation understood that Civil Air Patrol could continue providing valuable services to both local and national agencies. On July 1, 1946, President Harry Truman signed Public Law 476 incorporating Civil Air Patrol as a benevolent, nonprofit organization. On May 26, 1948, Congress passed Public Law 557 permanently establishing Civil Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the new U.S. Air Force. Three primary mission areas were set forth at that time: aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>For more information, visit the official site of the <a href="http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/">Civil Air Patrol</a>.</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revised September 27, 2011</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b> 2011 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-49041441883639441222011-09-19T04:28:00.079-04:002015-05-21T11:20:28.263-04:00Abken's Stinson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b2gv56rpeqs/Tng43cMItXI/AAAAAAAAADY/y1QtJN7tf-g/s1600/TwoStinsons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b2gv56rpeqs/Tng43cMItXI/AAAAAAAAADY/y1QtJN7tf-g/s400/TwoStinsons.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Two Stinson 108-3 aircraft, courtesy John Baker </b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Of all the aircraft in the Abken fleet, my personal favorite was the Stinson 108-3 Voyager.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The Stinson Aircraft Company had a long history stretching from 1920 through the 1950's. The company was founded by an aviator, Edward "Eddie" Stinson, in Dayton, OH. The first aircraft produced by the company was a single-engine, high-wing monoplane known as the Detroiter, which first flew in 1926. It boasted a heated, soundproof cabin, electric starter, and wheel brakes. The company continued to produce and sell various models through the Depression and World War II.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, Eddie Stinson did not live to enjoy the success of his company. He died in an air crash in Chicago, IL, on January 26, 1932, while on a sales trip. At the time of his death at age 38, Stinson had acquired more than 16,000 hours of flight time — more than any other pilot at the time.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Eddie Stinson's death accelerated the assimilation of Stinson Aircraft Corporation into larger corporate entities: first by Cord Corporation, then by Aviation Corporation (AVCO), and later by Consolidated Vultee. By 1950 the Stinson company was sold to the Piper Aircraft Corporation, which continued to produce 108s for a limited time. </span></b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_J-80Y4Z-o/ToH7hZs12oI/AAAAAAAAAEY/ap1f65DL1SM/s1600/TwinStinson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_J-80Y4Z-o/ToH7hZs12oI/AAAAAAAAAEY/ap1f65DL1SM/s200/TwinStinson.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Photograph by Hans Greonhoff, courtesy Dan Shumaker</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Before its purchase by Piper, Stinson had designed its first twin-engine aircraft. Piper constructed one prototype, named the Twin Stinson, shown in the photograph above. Notice the twin tail or H-tail. The first flight of the Twin Stinson was on March 2, 1952. Piper then reworked the design--replacing the twin tail with a single vertical stabilizer--and put these aircraft into full production, marketing them first under the name Piper Apache and later, with additional improvements, as the Piper Aztec. It was </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">the world's first general aviation all-metal twin-engine aircraft. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Photograph courtesy Alain Flotard</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The maroon Stinson 108-3 shown above was utilized by the French Air Force during the war in Indochina in 1951. Piloted by André Bellouard, it was used by General Henri-Augustin Lorillot, the High Commissioner of the region around Hué, for his travels. The aircraft survived the conflict and was brought to France where it was beautifully restored. </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">[Note the French Air Force markings on the fuselage and rudder.] </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">It is currently owned by Alain Flotard of Seyssinet, France.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">I have learned that on March 12, 2011, Alain Flotard put up his unique Stinson for sale. Asking price is 45,000 euros [approximately $60,000].</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Stinson 108-3 Voyagers were also flown in Spain by the Ejercito del Aire between the late 1940's and 1965.</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sJeQ0CwcePc/TobefyUlzHI/AAAAAAAAAEw/dtwHuX43nlA/s1600/AbbyandStinson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sJeQ0CwcePc/TobefyUlzHI/AAAAAAAAAEw/dtwHuX43nlA/s1600/AbbyandStinson.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W6cXf261XHs/TobejjsrOyI/AAAAAAAAAE0/r5XsDz57iKw/s1600/EugeniaandStinson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W6cXf261XHs/TobejjsrOyI/AAAAAAAAAE0/r5XsDz57iKw/s1600/EugeniaandStinson.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">L. D. Abernathy and Eugenia M. Kenyon beside the Abken Stinson NC871C. Photographs courtesy William E. Martin</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The Abken Stinson was a model 108-3 Voyager, </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">registration number NC871C. It was built in 1947 at the Stinson factory in Wayne, MI, and painted maroon. The 108 series aircraft were </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the last Stinsons produced and competed against aircraft from Piper and Cessna. The 108-3's </span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;">had a 165 hp, air-cooled, six-cylinder Franklin engine and were available in maroon and blue, although the majority were maroon. The two Stinsons pictured at the top of this post were both manufactured in 1948 and are similar to Abken's.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">In 2011, several Stinson 108-3 aircraft in excellent condition were offered for sale on Barnstormers.com for between $26,000 and $30,000. Considering that J-3 Piper Cubs usually sell for much higher prices, a buyer is getting a lot more airplane for his money with the Stinson--especially at today's prices!</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The demise of Abken's Stinson is documented on the internet. In fact, the Stinson outlived my father by a little over a year. At 7:00 AM MST on October 9, 1999, Stinson NC871C sustained substantial damage when it collided with ground obstacles after veering off the runway while landing at a private dirt strip near Yuma, Arizona. The pilot received minor injuries, but the passenger was unharmed.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">For more information, see John Baker's <a href="http://www.hangar9aeroworks.com/108main.html">Stinson Aircraft Pages</a> and Larry Westin's <a href="http://www.stinsonflyer.com/ac-0.htm">Stinson 108 Voyager and Flying Station Wagon Page</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revised October 1, 2011</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources: Wikipedia, William E. Martin, Larry Westin, Aircrashed.com, Hangar 9 Aeroworks, Barnstormers.com, 1000aircraftphotos.com</span> </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b> 2011 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-40699075156242651242011-09-18T03:23:00.007-04:002015-05-21T11:23:05.467-04:00Harry Barr's Vultee BT-13 Valiant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nNDabQDOrwY/TnWahkTFo9I/AAAAAAAAADA/98-CrgSaUhY/s1600/BT-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nNDabQDOrwY/TnWahkTFo9I/AAAAAAAAADA/98-CrgSaUhY/s400/BT-13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The BT-13 shown here [Registration Number N40018] </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">belonged to A. E. "Harry" Barr of Ironton, OH. It arrived at Abken in 1947. For many years it was hangared in the Quonset hut; in 1971 the structure collapsed, damaging the aircraft. </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">This photograph was taken after the collapse of the Quonset hut.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">After Mr. Barr's death, his widow sold the BT-13 to two local pilots, Dan Boster and Ernie Clay, who undertook some repairs on but never made it airworthy. </span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">In 1984, the BT-13 was sold to David Harwell and Gary Brown of Griffin, GA, who, along with two mechanics, drove to Worthington and made final repairs. They said the hardest job was getting rid of the many wasps that had claimed the old plane as their home. </span></span><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1316332805760301" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1316332805760301" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Once the repairs were completed, the duo flew the BT-13 </span>out on its own power; it proved to be as valiant as its name implied!</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">It appears that N40018 is still alive and airworthy in 2012. It's based at Wildwood-Cape May County Airport in New Jersey.</span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"> This <a href="http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/266983L.html" target="_blank">photograph by Daniel L. Berek</a> shows it restored to its previous glory! </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy William E. Martin </span></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Updated June 13, 2012 </span></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b> 2011 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<br />Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2853526261826845376.post-26186067885852057142011-09-17T03:42:00.003-04:002015-05-21T11:25:56.948-04:00Abken Airport 1947<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">This aerial view of Abken Airport from the southeast shows the main hangar and attached office and classrooms along with the first set of four T-hangars. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Abken's twin-engine Cessna Bobcat can be seen at the row at the top; it's the third from the left. The other three are Abken's surplus Vultee BT-13 Valiant trainers. The one on the left is wingless; it was doubtlessly cannibalized for parts. The buildings at the top and left are from the original dairy farm.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Photo by Bob Kates, courtesy William E. Martin</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Copyright </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>©</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b> 2011 Ronald W. Kenyon. Warning: this blog is protected under copyright. Do not plagiarize! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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Ronald Kenyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993993265254710890noreply@blogger.com0