A Link With the Past

Thanks to the great coverage in the Terre Haute media, newspaper and television, there was a steady stream of visitors to the plane on Wednesday. Late that afternoon the Flagship was loaded at almost full capacity y with an excited group of new members.  The number two engine had been  started and was belching blue smoke as is normal, when suddenly three people burst out onto the tarmac frantically headed for the plane. The pilot killed the engine, the Stew opened the door and there were Rick Schlegel and his two sons, 14 year old Cole and 8 year old Mason.

It seems that Rick and the boys had driven at break neck speeds from Chicago to get to the Flagship. The two boys had never been on an airplane.  The Flagship, you see, is very special to Rick. His beloved grandfather, D. J. Rea, had been an AA Captain and flown this very plane in the early 40's and Rick has the logbook to prove it.  Rick had come upon our website and been watching for us to come to his part of America. His grandfather had flown with our friend, Jack Grenier, in Longmont and with the father of our own Captain Steve Jacobson. So they sqeezed in and off the plane went.  Rick got a little time to sit in the left seat his grandfather had occupied.  This was a great experience for the Schlegel guys and also for our Flagship crew.
The crew reports royal treatment by both Bill Foraker and his EAA chapter AND Nikki and Jordan Brown who run the FBO.  This is a real friendly place. Pictured here are Bill's T-6 and Jordan's Twin Beech.

The crew greeted a steady stream of visitors on Thursday and Friday with another membership planned for Friday.  The next stop in John F. Kennedy Airport in New York for a retirement event and hopefully more membership flights.