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USAF Pilot Class 55-D AlumniNotices and News |
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USAF Pilot Class 55-D AlumniNotices and News |
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Class 55-D October 2007 Reunion in Colorado Springs The Class 55-D Alumni 2007 reunion was hosted by Lars and Wini Larsen in Colorado Springs, October 3 through 7. As anticipated the reunion was a great success and everyone had a super time. Lars and Wini did a marvelous job of coordinating all of the events that we enjoyed. And there was lots to enjoy: 1. The Garden of the Gods ( see photos). 2. The tour of Schiever Air Force Base and the dynamite briefing of the Base Mission to control all of the military Satellites including the GPS system. 3. The night football game at the Air Force Academy Stadium. The opening ceremonies got us all choked up when the Academy Band came on the field playing "Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder" with the Cadet Corps marching onto and filling up the playing field. Then the entire stadium breaking into song when the Academy Band played "America the Beautiful" and as the final notes were sung, 3 F-15's in afterburner against the night sky made a low pass over the stadium it was hard to hold back the tears of pride in our military and our country. To make it sweeter, Air Force beat U of Nevada 31 to 14. 4. The wonderful tour of the Peterson Field Museum which has been rated #1 in field museums in the USAF. 5. The Sunday Brunch at the Broadmoor Hotel, which was a real treat to the palette. 6. The delicious Sunday Banquet. And so many other events such as the afternoon at the Golden Bee, the fine Mexican restaurants and the marvelous sewn nametags that Wini put together for the attendees. Lars and Wini Larsen outdid themselves to everyone's enjoyment and pleasure and they deserve a salute from the Class 55-D Alumni.. Our reunions just seem to get better and better. A 53 Year Reunion Recently, three Class 55-D Alumni members traveled to Brookings, Oregon to visit an old friend and fellow Class 55-D classmate. Joe Seward drove from Ocean Springs, Mississippi (near Biloxi) to Lockhart, Texas where he met up with Del Tally. Together they flew from Austin, Texas to Oakland, California where Jim Reed met them at the airport.  |
Class 55-D Alumni 2008 Reunion Due to postponement of the Hanger 25, Webb Reunion, the Class 55-D Alumni Reunion is postponed until the fall of 2009. The CAF Airshow will still take place at Midland. Frank Lamm on Historic Last Flight of C-82 Recently, Frank Lamm, one of our very own Class 55-D Alumni members, made Aviation History when he and his stout crew ferried the last flyable C-82 from Greybull, Wyoming to the museum at Hagerstown, Maryland. When Frank touched down at Hagerstown on 15 October, 2006 in C-82 N 9071NJ he made Aviation History as that will most likely be the last ever landing of a C-82. Frank is scheduled to fly a C-119, also to the Museum at Hagerstown, in the near future (see the news item below. Hagerstown was the location of the Fairchild Company that built the C-82 and C-119. Most folks will recognize the C-82 as the plane that was the basis of the story in the original movie “Flight of the Phoenix", starring Jimmy Stewart as the pilot. Frank's itinerary went something like this:
  But Jimmy Stewart would be proud of this crew.  Hagerstown with their T-6 escort. Good job Frank and Crew. Frank Lamm Has Done It Again We have had another milestone in the Class 55-D history.
Reunions of Other Units For other reunion postings of all military units visit
www.trea.org. |
I hope there's a place way up in the sky, where old flyers can go on the day they die. A place where a guy can buy a cold beer, for a friend and a comrade, whose memory is dear. A place where no doctor or lawyer can tread, nor an FAA type would n'ere be caught dead. Just a quaint little place, kind of dark, full of smoke, where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke. The kind of a place where a lady could go, and feel safe and protected by the men she would know. There must be a place where old flyers go, when their flying is finished, and their airspeed gets low. Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young, and songs about flying and dying are sung. Where you'd see all the fellows who'd flown west before, and they'd call out your name, as you came through the door. Who would buy you a drink, if your thirst should be bad, and relate to others, "He was quite a good lad". And then through the mist, you'd spot an old guy, you had not seen in years, though he taught you to fly. He'd nod his old head, and grin ear to ear, And say, "Welcome, my son, I'm pleased that you're here.