Dream Flights Honors Six World War II Veterans During Visits to St. Louis Airports

By Carmelo Turdo

Six World War II veterans were recently honored with flights over the St. Louis area in 1940s-vintage Stearman training aircraft. The flights were provided by Dream Flights, a non-profit organization that was founded as the Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation by the Fisher Family in 2011. The first Dream Flight was made that year in the red and white aircraft shown later in this story as it was ferried from Cleveland, MS to the west coast following its restoration. The 1,000th Dream Flight was given in May of 2015, and the program has grown so much that it is expected that 1,000 flights will be given in just the current Operation September Freedom program using six aircraft in 61 days of flying. The fascinating story of the origin of Dream Flights can be found in the November 2016 issue of Stearman Flying Wire magazine.

Dream Flights made two tour stops in the St. Louis area in the last few days, each time with a different Stearman aircraft and crew. The Aero Experience begins our coverage with the arrival of the first aircraft and crew on September 1 at Creve Coeur Airport. Pilot Andrew Lohmar and crew chief Allyssa VanMeter (aka Fly Allyssa) landed on the grass runway at 3:30 P.M. following a Dream Flight event in Neosho, MO. Preparations were made to shelter the Stearman in the hangar next to Gateway Youth Aeronautical Foundation, not far from the fuel pumps and the main terminal where the veterans would gather the next morning. The 1943 Boeing Stearman B75N1 N69652 is similar to the over 10,000 used to train U.S. and Canadian military service pilots during World War II. They were later used by civilian pilot training schools and became a standard crop dusting platform for decades. Some were modified with a 450hp engine and dubbed the "Super Stearman" like the second aircraft featured in this story. Each vertical tail surface is immortalized with the signatures of the veterans flown in the aircraft.

On Thursday, September 2, five World War II veterans were scheduled to be flown. True to form, they arrived on time at 9:00 A.M. at Creve Coeur Airport to a hero's welcome. In a short time each was sharing relatable stories with their fellow veterans, none of whom knew each other before that morning. Group photos and the flight briefing were accomplished before the first takeoff a half hour later. 

The Dream Flight veterans (L-R): Donald Miller, Ralph Goldsticker, Tom Wilhite, Thomas Lacey, and George Crafton. Some brought mementos of their service, including log books, foreign money from different theaters of operation and of course their veteran caps.

Tom Wilhite (94), PFC U.S. Army Air Forces Cryptographic Technician, 1944-45 and post war. He was accompanied by the staff and fellow residents from Chesterfield Villas. 

 

Ralph Goldsticker (99), 1Lt U.S. Army Air Forces pilot trainee and bombardier with 35 combat missions.

Donald Miller (97), TSGT U.S. Army Air Forces B-24 bomber radio operator shot down over France on 30th mission.

George Crafton (96), SGT U.S. Army 1943-1946 served under General Patton in the Battle of the Bulge.

Thomas Lacey (96), Corporal U.S. Army 99th Infantry Division throughout central Europe and the Battle of the Bulge. Later was the Chief Engineer on the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier.

The veterans enjoyed their flights, and it was time for Andrew and Allyssa, the "A Team," to refuel and move on to the next scheduled Dream Flight in Springfield, IL. We thank them for spending a few days with us at Creve Coeur Airport.

The St. Louis area was fortunate to have another Dream Flight scheduled for Monday, September 6, at St. Louis Downtown Airport just across the Mississippi River in IL. World War II veteran Robert Schultz (99), U.S. Marine Corps, served on the USS California (repaired from the attack on Pearl Harbor) in crucial battles across the Pacific Theater. After the war, he used the G.I. Bill to obtain a degree in business administration, and worked in real estate and insurance. "I actually never retired, I just kind of slowly faded away!" He was surrounded by family, friends and members of the local and district VFW. 

Here we feature Dream Flights pilot Clint Cawley and his wife, Andrea, with Robert Schultz as he takes his flight and visits with the crowd of well-wishers around the aircraft. His grandchildren enjoyed getting a close look at the plane that started it all, the original Dream Flights "Super Stearman" restored by the Fisher family.

The Aero Experience thanks the Dream Flights crews for honoring six World War II veterans with flights over the St. Louis area in classic Stearman trainer aircraft. Ride opportunities are still available, so contact Dream Flights for more details.