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Captain Dick Sollner
Dick was born in 1925 in Queens, NY, raised in Brooklyn (don't let it get
around). He enlisted in the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in March, 1943 while a
senior in Brooklyn Technical High School. Three and a half years later he
received his "Wings of Gold".
He served three years in
the Caribbean in a land based, anti submarine patrol squadron. He was designated
Patrol Plane Commander in the Lockheed Neptune P2V while still an Ensign.
After the Navy and a
siege of tuberculosis he was found healthy enough to fly for Eastern Airlines in
1953. With Eastern he flew for thirty one years, the last eighteen as Captain.
He flew the DC3, Martin 404, DC4, Constellations, DC6, DC7, Lockheed Electra,
Boeing 727, DC8, and the last five years the Lockheed 1011 TriStar.
Since retirement in 1984 he has been flying his Twin Comanche to such places as
Victoria, BC, Portland, Ore., Mexico City, Cancun, Guatamala City, and as far as
Munich, Germany via Greenland and Iceland.
He has been
an active Rotarian for fifty years having been the President of the ninety
member Flemington Club. He is also a member of a pilot subgroup called The
International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians which has members all over the
world.
Dick and Bill are both members
of AOPA, EAA Chapters 643 and Vintage Chapter 7. Both are in the Somerville
Hangar of the Ancient and Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen and also involved in the
construction of a Pietenpol homebuilt, a two holer monoplane (circa 1929).
Dick has seven grown children, two in aviation. Son John, former Marine F18
pilot, now a junior Captain with United Airlines. Daughter Anastasia, a
Continental Flight Attendant with a Commercial and Instrument Rating, working on
her Multi Engine Rating.
Dick has made pilgrimages to Kitty Hawk, Oshkosh and Sun n Fun.
He says his last effort will be to circle the globe.
Captain
Bill Moore & Edyth Brehmer
Bill
Moore was born in Portsmouth, Va. The fourth of five children
by W. Clark and Daisey Lewis Moore. He was a student at Churchland High School
and for two years at William and Mary College. He played high school football but
was unable to make the team at W&M. He started flying under the "Civilian Pilot
Training" program, soloed on March 29, 1941 at Norfolk Airport.
Unable to get
into US military pilot training because of a perceived eye problem; at
Allentown, Pa. Worked as a flight instructor of military cadets in Boston,
British Royal Air Force Trans-Atlantic Ferry Command and spent the rest of WW2
flying Canadian and US built planes across the Atlantic. Planes such as The Avro
Lancaster, Lockheed Hudson and Ventura, Martin Marauder (B-26) and Baltimore
(A-30), North American Mitchell (B-25) and Convair (B24's).
He flew as
corporate pilot for Kaiser-Frazer Automobile company for ten years. They
operated five planes to transport employees and move parts. During the Korean
War they built C-119 planes that were designed by Fairchild Aircraft Company.
Moore was Director of Flight Test Operations and Chief Test Pilot. When that war
was over and the factory at Willow Run sold he was moved to Oakland as Chief
Pilot for Kaiser Industries.
In October 1955 the Kaiser Flight Department was
deactivated and Moore went to work for Industrial Indemnity Company and Mr.
Kenneth Bechtel flying a Lockheed Lodestar until that company was bought by Crum
& Foster and Moore set up their flight operation at Morristown and operated
their company jet for several years until he was made an Assistant Vice
President of their Real Estate Department and retired in 1984.
In 1979 he
organized and operated Advance Flight Inc. providing charter service and flight
instruction at Sky Manor Airport in Pittstown, NJ. He closed Advanced Flight in
November 1989 after 10 years as a charter operator without an FAA violation,
accident or customer complaint. Moore worked for another five years as a
sailboat charter captain providing overnight or week-end sails on Chesapeake
Bay.
At the age of 75 he retired and now keeps his flight instructor
certificate active but flies only with friends. He met Edyth Brehmer in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida and after a hurried and often interrupted courtship they
were married in Wausau, Wisconsin on May 23, 1945. They have three children and
one grandchild. They live on Bissell Road, Lebanon in Hunterdon County.
He and Capt.
Dick Sollner have been friends for many years. When asked if he would like to go
on a trip around the world , he didn't have to ask twice. Bill jumped at the
chance and has been participating at the planning and preparation for the last
few months. The departure from Sky Manor Airport is scheduled for May 17, 2002.
SEE YOU ALL SOON
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