Boeing St. Louis Veterans Day Recognition Includes Dedication of Memorial for Lost Gemini IX Crew

By Carmelo Turdo

The Annual Veterans Recognition Ceremony was held at Boeing Defense, Space and Security Headquarters in St. Louis Wednesday.  This year's event was similar to those in the past, featuring military veteran employees and guest speakers framed by the backdrop of the St. Louis Site Military Veterans Honor Wall.  This year, though, there was a special dedication of a memorial to the Gemini IX crew lost fifty years ago in a plane crash at the former McDonnell Aircraft Gemini production facility in 1966.  Fittingly, among the honored guests, was a group of McDonnell Douglas retirees who worked on the Gemini Program in St. Louis during those heady days of the rapidly growing U.S. Manned Space Program.  The Aero Experience was there and bring this coverage of the ceremony as it unfolded.

Boeing Employees, family, and guests assembled before the 3:30pm ceremony at the former McDonnell Douglas World Headquarters, now part of the Boeing Company, and now the  site of the Military Veterans Honor Wall for St. Louis employee veterans.  It was dedicated on November 11, 2005, and contains small metal plaques with the name and branch of service for each current or past St. Louis Boeing or McDonnell Douglas employee veteran.  

Prior to the official ceremony, we captured some photos of the Boeing Fire and Rescue crews visiting with Liberty, a bald eagle from the World Bird Sanctuary.   Liberty was severely injured while living in Florida, and since he cannot survive in the wild, he has served in the educational programs at the World Bird Sanctuary for over 20 years.

Introductory music was provided by the John Ford Highland Pipe Band and the Boeing Employee Musical Performance Club Concert Band.

   

Dave Thomas, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and President of the St. Louis Veterans Task Force who produced the event, was the master of ceremonies for the hour-long program.

After brief welcoming remarks, Rabbi Schwab from the VA Hospital system gave a moving invocation.

The service branch colors were posted by the USTRANSCOM Joint Service Color Guard from Scott AFB, IL and the National Anthem was performed by the Boeing Employee Musical Performance Club Balladeers vocal group.

Guest speakers for the program were (L-R) Rocky Sickmann, U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant who was one of the 52 U.S. hostages held in Iran for 444 days from 1979-1981; Brigadier General Leo Brooks, Jr., U.S. Army (Ret.), and current Boeing Defense, Space and Security Vice President of Government Operations; and Lt. General, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) and former NASA astronaut Thomas Stafford, veteran of Gemini VI, Gemini IX, Apollo 10 and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project flight.

 

       

General Stafford remained on the stage and was joined by General Brooks and the bald eagle Liberty for the unveiling of the Gemini IX Memorial.  Stafford and fellow astronaut Gene Cernan were the backup crew for astronauts Elliot M.See, Jr. and Charles A. Bassett, II.  On February 28, 1966, both crews were flying in NASA T-38 jets from Ellington AFB, TX to St. Louis for a visit to the McDonnell Aircraft plant for training in the rendezvous simulator.  Both aircraft reached St. Louis around 9:00am, and Lambert St. Louis Airport was experiencing drizzle and fog - instrument flight conditions.  Tragically, See and Bassett were killed when their jet struck McDonnell Aircraft Building 101, ironically where the Gemini spacecraft were being produced, as they missed their approach and began a low-level turn to attempt another landing.  Stafford and Cernan, in the other T-38, pulled up higher in their missed approach and landed safely on the next attempt.  Fifty years later, a memorial plaque has been produced and was unveiled during Wednesday's Veterans Day Recognition event.  The memorial has been years in the making, and has reached fruition in part through much effort by Dan O'Hara, President of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society, and Boeing St. Louis.  Following the dedication, a group of McDonnell Douglas retirees who worked on the Gemini Program were featured in a group photo.

 

The program concluded with the traditional singing of the service anthems by the Boeing Employee Musical Performance Club Balladeers vocal group and recognition of veterans of each service.  The USTRANSCOM Joint Service Color Guard then returned to remove the service flags.  Refreshments were served, and Boeing presented each veteran with a Boeing Centennial Veterans Recognition challenge coin.

 

Well done, Boeing St. Louis and all those who participated in this year's Veterans Day Recognition event.      

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016: Boeing Centennial Plaza - Jet Blue Airbus A321 and Airbus E-Fan

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

A great variety of aircraft were on static display in Boeing Centennial Plaza during the week, and the two aircraft featured here represent the opposite sides of the spectrum from one manufacturer: Airbus Group.   

The Airbus commercial airline product line was represented by a JetBlue Airbus A321 named BluesMobile, the largest member of the A320 series.  The stretched, single-isle jet can transport 185-220 passengers up to 4,000nm.  The aircraft can be outfitted with either CFM56 or IAE V2500 turbofan engines, with additional passenger and engine options projected for 2018.  Commonality with the A320 family of jets is also a positive selling point for the A321.

 
  

On the other side of the size spectrum, the Airbus E-Fan, the first twin-engine electric aircraft to cross the English Channel in 2015.  Also present was Didier Esteyne, the pilot on that cross-channel flight.  The lithium polymer 120-cell battery system powers twin ducted fans for a flight of up to an hour.  The aircraft features carbon composite construction, and provides an integrated aileron/elevator/rudder flight control system.  The E-Fan will continue to provide research and development experience for further research into electric flight.

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016: Boeing Centennial Plaza Aircraft Display Overview

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

The centerpiece of aircraft static displays at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 was Boeing Centennial Plaza.  As indicated in the name, Boeing turned 100 this year, and therefore a number of current Boeing aircraft were featured in the daily static display rotation.  The aircraft on display are a reflection of the themes of the week - Desert Storm, Coast Guard Centennial, and the gathering of Boeing and their legacy company aircraft.  Also apparent is the evolving nature of the aircraft setup and, of course, the changing weather.  We will feature specific aircraft in future posts, so check back often for these more in-depth features. 

  

The Aero Experience Presents Review of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 to Missouri Pilots Association St. Louis Chapter

By Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience took our coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 on the road Wednesday on the first stop of a speaker series that will extend through next spring.  Our first event was the monthly meeting of the St. Louis Chapter of the Missouri Pilots Association at the beautiful Quail Creek Golf Club in south St. Louis County.  The setting was ideal for visiting with a friendly, knowledgeable group that would offer their honest feedback and contribute their stories to make the discussion more enjoyable for all.

The evening began with an informal discussion as members gathered in the separate dining area for a delicious dinner of turkey and many sides and desserts. During dinner, photos of a variety of aircraft, exhibits and unique views of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 were shown, and an exhibit of a portion of the equipment used by The Aero Experience was on display.  Following dinner, we took an hour-long photographic journey through the highlights of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016.  The presentation was designed to illustrate not only the expected areas of airshows and aircraft static displays, but also the company exhibits, workshops, and unique media events that were unique to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016.  Overall, the members expressed their positive response, and we will continue to make adjustments as we visit other Missouri Pilots Association chapters and other groups in the coming months.

The Aero Experience thanks Air Associates, home of Alpha Flight Academy, for sponsoring coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for our fourth season in 2016.  With locations in St. Louis, MO and Olathe, KS, Air Associates provides affordable, leading edge flight training, aircraft maintenance, aircraft rental and other aviation services recognized for excellence by our Midwest Aviation community.  Air Associates has supported The Aero Experience as we have grown as a Midwest Aviation media resource, and we are pleased that they have sponsored team members Carmelo Turdo and Fred Harl at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016.  We encourage you to click on the sponsor logo above to visit the Air Associates websites for more information on their services and visit them on your next trip to the Midwest.

 The Aero Experience and Air Associates have teamed up to provide our unique brand of year-round coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016.  Our audience looks forward to experiencing America's premier aviation event even in the middle of winter, when we are just hitting our stride.  Reliving the great moments of this momentous 10-day aviation odyssey, including the airshows, exhibitor product reviews and aviation legend interviews adds to our regular coverage of Midwest Aviation events throughout the year with team members Mark Nankivil and Leo Cachat.  

 Along with our coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 and many other Midwest Aviation events, The Aero Experience will continue to publish monthly feature stories highlighting the people, services and community contributions of Air Associates from their St. Louis, MO and Olathe, KS locations.