The Visit

 

They say you can't go back.  Maybe not in time; but certainly you can in place.  Brother Barbeau took this picture of Dad and I standing in front of the old hangar at Elser Field (now Youngstown Elser Metro Airport) in North Lima, Ohio this past June---thirty-eight years since my last visit.  Sixty-seven years since Dad's first solo. 

Gary and I were in Ohio helping Mom and Dad move my 89 year old Aunt into an assisted living facility.  Aunt Ruth is a "collector," and has been for most of her 89 years.  Gary knows this---and while I've never known him to turn down a road trip---the carrot I used to entice him to help sort through 89 years of stuff, was a chance to see the airport where Dad soloed in 1946.

Back in the day. . .

Here are a few photographs from Aunt Ruth's collection.

1946

1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D, NC96667.  Only seven hours on the airframe when Dad soloed.

Taylorcraft view of Elser Field.

Young Pop Cottom on final for Runway 28.  This photo was taken by my Uncle John, Dad's older brother.  Uncle John's claim to fame at Elser Field was a successful off airport (cornfield) landing, that according to Dad, probably could have been avoided with the application of carburetor heat.  So the lesson here is not to remember to apply carb heat at reduced power settings; but rather to be nice to your kid brother, otherwise he will tell embarrassing stories about you later in life!

1970's:

1975

 

For me the highlight of summer vacations during the 1970's was visiting Elser Field.  I wrote about this in a post titled:  July 13, 1973.  These were the in between years.  I was old enough to know I wanted to fly, but too young to economically take flying lessons.  To satisfy my addiction I built hundreds of airplane models, and read FLYING magazine each month cover to cover.  I constantly bugged Dad to take my brother and I out to the airport when we visited our grandparents in North Lima.  Elser Field---that magical little dirt and grass airstrip in Northeast Ohio---was my introduction to a lifetime of aviation adventure.  After 40 years the memories are still vivid; in some cases spectacular.  Like the firecracker fate of many a model airplane!

 

 

Speaking of memories.  How about this fashion statement from 1975!  The person that said, "if you hold on to anything long enough, it will eventually come back in style," never owned a pair of plaid, double-knit polyester slacks.  The saving grace for this fellow:  He flew a Bonanza.  The gentleman on the left is the airport's namesake, Galen Elser.  Galen wore many hats:  Airport Manager, Chief Pilot, Line Boy, Owner.  He was also Dad's flight instructor.

  

By the late 1980's Elser Field, like much of general aviation, was in a terrible state.  Run down and neglected, only a handful of airplanes remained on the airfield.  It could have easily disappeared---another housing development; like so many of it's brethren, or back to it's pre 1940's farming roots.  But that didn't happen.  In 1989 Michael E. Stanko, President of Gemco Aviation Services, Inc. rode into town.  In short order the upgrades began.  Runway, ramps, and taxiways were paved.  Hangars were built.   A new fuel farm was installed.  General Aviation returned to Elser Field. . .

 

Youngstown Elser Metro Airport, 2013:

 

 

Gemco Aviation Services, Inc., Beechcraft Maintenance Specialists.

 

 

A King Air 90, a Maule on floats, and a surprise in back of the Gemco shop.

 

 

Surprise?  Apparently not.  Gemco has a reputation for outstanding Staggerwing restorations.  This particular airplane was overseas and was damaged during shipping---someone dropped the crate!  The fuel gages were being calibrated during our visit.  Yes, that is Ferrari Red!

 

 

Clean as a whistle!  Before the oil. . . 

 

 

Now this was a surprise!  Not what I was expecting to see in Staggerwing.  A little something-something for the Cirrus owner who would like to upgrade.

 

 

 Dad and Gary with a 1938 D17S.  This one's full of oil!  It's also for sale.

 

 

More to my liking.  Or should I say understanding. . .

 

Runway 28, Then & Now:

 

 

Gary and Dad on the parallel taxiway, looking down Runway 28.

 

2013

 

Gary saw this. . .

 

1975

 

 I remembered this. . .

 

1946

 

Dad remembered this!

 

Hangars:

 

2013

 

The original hangar.  The right side bay was added in the late 40's - early 50's.

 

2013

 

More Storage. . .

 

1973

 

Not a lot of change on this one.

 

Before we put this story to bed. . .

 

1975

 

This is how I remember Galen Elser:  Smiling; always happy to visit with his former student---and two excited boys!  Interestingly enough, N3111N, the 1947 Cessna 140 in the photo above, is currently registered to a fellow in Chandler, Arizona.  Since Pop Baker lives out that way, and is fairly active in the tail wheel community, I asked Joe to check with his dad to see if he might know the guy.  Hey, stranger things have happened---and there really aren't that many tail wheel folks out there!  I figured the chances were pretty good that Pop Baker knew the guy, and may have flown that very airplane. 

 

 

Alas, he did not. . .  But he remembered photographing the airplane at the Casa Grande Fly-In several years back.  If you ask me, I'd say that was pretty close!

 

Aunt Ruth