Will Rogers & Wiley Post Fly-In success applauded
OOLOGAH – Will Rogers and Wiley Post would have no doubt recognized the 1930 Spartan C-3 225 that made it’s maiden voyage (since rehabilitiation) at the Will Rogers & Wiley Post Fly-In on Sunday, Aug. 14 at the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch.
Dennis Henson was one of 97 pilots, a record number of planes at the Fly-In honoring the memory of Will and Wiley.
The director of aircraft maintenance at Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology said he spent three years and 3,600 hours getting the plane ready to return to the air.
The last of 14 Spartan C-3s built, the plane was in the Tulsa Air and Space Museum until 1997 when Henson encouraged Spartan executives to get it back in working order to use for promotion of the Tulsa-based college. (C means commercial, 3 is for three passengers, two in front and one in back and 225 for horsepower).
Henson said of the 14, this one and one in the Experimental Aircraft Association Museum exist.
He first flew it in a traffic pattern, then for a short flight Saturday. After getting approval of Spartan President Jeremy Gibson, Sunday was the real test and it was a beautiful flight, landing and takeoff.
Henson also has a uniform like the ones used in 1930, white jump suit with embroidered Spartan emblem.
He has worked for Spartan since 1996 and got 1100 hours experience as crew chief on a U.S. Army Huey helicopter in the Republic of Vietnam. He took his fixed-wing training in Texas.
Pilots came from as far away as Texas, Kansas and Arkansas in Oklahoma from as far as Yukon, Enid and Fairview — and as close as Collinsville, Claremore Regional Airport and airline pilot Ed Fogle from Sageeyah Field, only four miles away.
A crowd-pleaser was the landing of Will and Wiley – Joe Bacon from Pryor, complete with eye patch, and Lester Lurk, Will look-alike from Ste. Genevieve, Mo.
Clarence Strance, who has been coming to the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch Fly-In since it started about two decades ago, earned the title of “People’s Choice,” with his L-19 Birddog, also known as the “Thumper II”. Voted favorite by pilots and spectators, he and his wife, Pat, flew from Collinsville.
Terry Sage came from Rockwall, Texas, to join Don Scott of Coffeyville, Kansas, in Funk planes manufactured in Coffeyville. No longer built, Sage as been in the market for a Funk and recently acquired one of the last remaining of its kind.
One of the unusual planes was a RV6 homemade plane, made by Max Carlisle, who flew from Fairview in western Oklahoma with his son, Blake.
Tim Jarrett of Tulsa, Fly-In chairman for the past three years, flew in his Piper Cub.
Tom Egbert and Ron Lessley, who hangar planes at Claremore and have been coming to the event since it started, not only flew in on Sunday, but flew formation over Will Rogers Memorial Musuem Monday morning during a short tribute at the Rogers family tomb. Mary West of Talala sang a medley of patriotic songs and Boy Scouts in Troop 88, First United Methodist Church, formed a color guard. Kem Rogers, Will’s grandson, and Doris “Coke” Meyer, his great-niece, placed a wreath at the tomb.
A 1940 black and white (police car) owned by Tulsa police officer Charles Ramsey of Owasso was “People’s Choice” in the car show, an event added two years ago.
Robert Lewis, popular Cherokee storyteller, entertained with his animal tales intertwined with native history and culture. Musicians Gene Lloyd and Julian Myrick entertained with country music under the shade trees.
Dennis Henson takes off in a 1930 Spartan C-3 225
Pilots of 1935 Stearmans made several passovers of Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch grass strip before landing
Pilot Tom Egbert talks with some of the record crowd of spectators at the Will Rogers & Wiley Post Fly-In
Clarence Strance of Collinsville was picked “Peoples Choice” of planes at the Fly-In
A record crowd of spectators of all ages witnessed the Will Rogers & Wiley Post Fly-In
Will Rogers (Lester Lurk) and Wiley Post (Joe Bacon) made a spectatular landing at the annual Fly-In (Photo Courtesy John Hnath)
Robert Lewis drew crowds interested in native stories passed down for generations among Cherokee people
All eyes were on the sky as plane after plane flew over and landed at the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch
Inflatables provided entertainment especially for children at the Fly-In
Charles Ramsey, Tulsa police officer, earned “Peoples Choice” for his cop car in the car show, a part of the Will Rogers & Wiley Post Fly-In
Four and five deep, planes of all kinds, including helicopters and powerchutes landed on the grass strip at the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch
Planes piloted by Claremore pilots Tom Egbert and Ron Lessley flew formation over Will Rogers Memorial Museum for a memorial tribute to Will on the anniversary of his death in an Alaskan plane crash on Aug. 15, 1935
Scouts in Troop 88, First United Methodist Church, presented the colors for a tribute at the Rogers’ family tomb on Aug. 15, 1935, the 76th anniversary of Will’s death. Participating Scouts were Zachary Kays, Guy McGuire, Billy Campbell and Matt and Josh Outlaw.