Hi Dave:
Long time since we did our “crash and splash” poker run at the Eagle River Seaplane Fly-In, Eagle River, Wisconsin.
Looking at your masthead, I see that my old high school classmate, Don Winkler, is still on the job. Keep him jumping, so he doesn’t get into trouble.
Just a comment on the EAA fly-in articles and Curtiss Wright Airport. I was working on the line in 1954 when Gran-Aire’s Bill Lotzer (John’s dad ) told me there was going to be a huge fly-in over the weekend and he needed me to be on the line all weekend. That it would be from early morning till sunset. It really sounded exciting to be part of that 2nd Annual EAA Fly-In. Bill said that we could expect a lot of planes, maybe as many as 25 or 30, flying in. I think our actual count was 22 or 23 total.
EAA and Oshkosh sure have come a long way since then. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Paul, Bill and all those old-timers who were so much a part of the exciting and historical Midwest U.S. aviation picture.
Blue skies to you and yours!
Ray Perry
Brookfield, Wisconsin
P.S. The name change from Curtiss Wright Airport to Lawrence J. Timmerman Airport was not without controversy. County policy dictated that a person had to be dead for a period of years before the naming of county property would be considered. He prevailed. I don’t know if today, death is still required to have something named after you.
