August 12; (from Terry Weathers): PRESS RELEASE
For more information contact:
Bern Case, Airport Director
Kim Stearns, PIO
(541) 776-7222
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rogue Valley International-Medford First Oregon Airport to Host Zeppelin Visit
MEDFORD, OR – August 11, 2010 – The Rogue Valley International - Medford Airport
(MFR) will be the first touch-down spot in the State of Oregon for the Farmers Airship, Zeppelin which is on a five-city tour of the Pacific Northwest.
This will be the first visit from the Zepplin,Eureka, in the region. The Airship will be landing at the airport during the morning of August 14, 2010, and will remain for several days offering rides to passengers through August 17, 2010.
Owned and operated by Airship Ventures, individuals will have the extraordinary opportunity to book passage and sail over the Rogue River Valley, on the largest airship to touch down in Medford’s aviation history. “We believe this will be the largest aircraft per cubic foot to land at the airport,” stated Bern
Case, Airport Director. “We had to go out and mark off the perimeter just to make sure there would be enough room for the ship to fit!”
Tethered to a single mast, the Zeppelin will be a sight to behold. The aircraft will be moored at the end of runway nine (9) near Biddle Road. Medford Air Service will be the fixed base operator involved with the event. Would be passengers must book
tickets by calling 1-650-969-8100, ext. 111. Press rides will be available, but must be arranged in advance through that number.
The overall size of the aircraft is impressive at 246 feet in length. It bypasses a Boeing 747 by 50 feet. Not to be confused with a blimp, zeppelins (named after the inventor German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin), are rich in history, and were built using metal frames, enabling the airships to maneuver over longer distances. They were used strategically in the 1920’s as both transport craft and aerial scouts during World War 1.
This Zeppelin Airship serves a much friendlier purpose. Flown with the Farmers® Insurance logo, the Zeppelin, Eureka, will be providing rides to passengers throughout its Pacific Northwest tour. Additional information can be found at www.airshipventures.com/tracking.
August 5; The Hammond family may have hosted Jens in 1946. Dean, one of the sons says he remembered his dad talking about Jens and thinks he may have either helped search for the Hellcat with him or at least visited with him where he camped on Hammond Ranch.
I also spoke with Wanda Angostini (nee Eddy) thanks to a tip from Donna Brooks. Wanda's parents had a ranch on Eddy Creek and she is exploring her family to see if anyone remembers Jens.
I also connected with Terry MacCormick at Deer Mountain Lodge thanks to a tip from Jim Gubetta. Terry was in Castella in 1946 and remembers George Costa well, the man who found and reported the Hellcat site on Oct. 31 that year. He said Costa had a chrome mine on Crow Creek and a cabin there. He likely was mining when he ran across the wreck Terry said. In fact there is a mining pit on the "floor" of the "staple" road where the wreck is located. I took a picture of a fawn hiding in it when Jim and I were hunting for the site.
I invited Terry, Dean, Wanda, and anyone else who is a party to this drama to Aviation Day so it will be quite a collection of memories if everybody comes!
July 29, '10:.jpg)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Zepplin Visits Medford Airport August 14 - 17, Rides!
PRESS RELEASE For more information contact:
Bern Case, Airport Director Kim Stearns, PIO (541) 776-7222
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rogue Valley International-Medford First Oregon Airport to Host Zeppelin Visit MEDFORD, OR – August 11, 2010 – The Rogue Valley International - Medford Airport (MFR) will be the first touch-down spot in the State of Oregon for the Farmers Airship, Zeppelin which is on a five-city tour of the Pacific Northwest. This will be the first visit from the Zepplin,Eureka, in the region. The Airship will be landing at the airport during the morning of August 14, 2010, and will remain for several days offering rides to passengers through August 17, 2010. Owned and operated by Airship Ventures, individuals will have the extraordinary opportunity to book passage and sail over the Rogue River Valley, on the largest airship to touch down in Medford’s aviation history. “We believe this will be the largest aircraft per cubic foot to land at the airport,” stated Bern Case, Airport Director. “We had to go out and mark off the perimeter just to make sure there would be enough room for the ship to fit!” Tethered to a single mast, the Zeppelin will be a sight to behold. The aircraft will be moored at the end of runway nine (9) near Biddle Road. Medford Air Service will be the fixed base operator involved with the event. Would be passengers must book tickets by calling 1-650-969-8100, ext. 111. Press rides will be available, but must be arranged in advance through that number. The overall size of the aircraft is impressive at 246 feet in length. It bypasses a Boeing 747 by 50 feet. Not to be confused with a blimp, zeppelins (named after the inventor German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin), are rich in history, and were built using metal frames, enabling the airships to maneuver over longer distances. They were used strategically in the 1920’s as both transport craft and aerial scouts during World War 1. This Zeppelin Airship serves a much friendlier purpose. Flown with the Farmers® Insurance logo, the Zeppelin, Eureka, will be providing rides to passengers throughout its Pacific Northwest tour. Additional information can be found at www.airshipventures.com/tracking.
Photo of Lt. Roy Hopen in the cockpit. He apparently was an instructor at Pensacola. Handsome young man who was very athletic, he held the track and field record for 120 yard hurdles that wasn't broken for 40 years!
July 26, 2010; (email to members)
Terry and I met today and went over some things that members might appreciate knowing and he graciously agreed to handle several upcoming tasks:
Christine Lutz of Houston, TX, a niece of the Hellcat pilot has mailed a very generous donation part of which she would like to use for an ad to read as follows;
HELP! Any knowledge of 1945 Navy fighter crash and Weed search team's 1946 effort with pilot's father to locate crash site. Family seeking info. Call Bruce Batchelder 938-0385
Already Dennis Freeman at COS has located a news story dated Oct. 31, 1946 describing a George Costa discovering the crash site while hunting and I attach it. Dennis had earlier searched June-July with no results so this is fortuitous indeed. George is dead but we may be able to trace his family and ask some questions. He lived in Castella which is due east on Interstate 5 just a few miles.
Also, if the father, Jens Hopen did indeed camp somewhere on Mt. Eddy or Eddy Creek we might mine some info from the Hammond family who once ranched the slopes there. I know Nate Hammond and will call him to set up an interview. He also has a brother Dean near Redding whom I will look up, too.
I will try to scan the 1946 newspaper archives at COS for ads by fishing or hunting guides in Weed or Mt. Shasta. Dennis suggested that being a total stranger to town, Jens might have found the men that way. Thanks again Dennis!
A package of personal momentos arrived today from Ellen Hopen Ballard, Lt. Roy’s sister. She took the time to write out details of what she remembered and included two hand-written letters from Roy, his high school letter, and two very good 8 x 10 photos. All of this will of course be at Aviation Day next month and in the museum when we get the cases built.
July 26; Father of Hellcat Pilot Makes Heart-Breaking Trip to Find Son
This clipping was contributed by Christine Ellen Hopen Lutz of Houston, TX. She is Lt. Hopen's niece who recently learned of our Hellcat project. There are presently five Hopen relatives now located thanks to the efforts of Stacy Churchwell of Merritt Island, FL who himself is the brother of the B-24 co-pilot George Churchwell, Jr. Stacy and his wife are professional genealogists and have graciously donated their time to locate the families of both aircraft crew. He will be present on Aviation Day at the Montague Airport on August 21 to speak to interested parties.
1. we’ll have the entire hangar at Aviation Day on August 21 so as to accommodate Terry’s airport history material as well as the B-24 and Hellcat displays. We hope to have the co-pilot’s brother, Verne Kendall the bomber eyewitness, Howard Terry whose brother flew B-24’s, and the two Hellcat pathfinders, Jim Gubetta and Jim Nile all on hand. If we get REALLY lucky we may have a member of Roy Hopen’s family, the Hellcat pilot, although they live in Arkansas and New Jersey, so that’s a long shot. It is fortuitous as it is that the Churchwells are coming clear from Florida!
2. Donna Kendall is loaning us a beautiful display case for the event along with some easels and even name badges. She also volunteered to work with Tim the VA man and Terry in developing the permanent display at the armory.
3. Terry suggested we come up with a name for the group. One good suggestion he had was Jefferson Aviation Archaeology or a variation of that. Any other ideas that could go into the pot?
4. The tentative plan is for six identical display cases in the armory. Finding six that are all alike is impossible so we need to raise funds to build our own. Terry thinks he knows a retired cabinet maker who has interest in history and he will ask for his help. We have $110 seed money for lumber and three pledges enroute: Nancy Ballard, niece of the Hellcat pilot; Bill Driscoll, retired Naval aviator in So. CA and Stacy Churchwell, the co-pilot’s brother. I will have donation jars at our various display tables but to raise enough we ask each of you to connect with friends and especially veterans for contributions since the whole idea is to honor those who have served our country. Until we name our group and I change it at the bank checks can be made out to me and mailed to 5225 Muskrat Rd, Weed, CA 96094. We will try to ext
5. Terry copied all my raw data files onto two CD’s and is going to try to distill the info into two comprehensive stories, one each for the B-24 and the Hellcat incorporating new things as they come along (a photo and letters are on their way via snail mail for example from Hopen’s niece which should be included). Perhaps we could sell the CD’s as fund raisers, do any of you think that would work? Is anyone interested?
That’s it for now, if you have any news or ideas be sure to drop me a line.
Bruce Batchelder
938-0385
I hope several of you will attend Aviation Day at the Montague Airport on August 21, not only to meet Stacy Churchwell and Verne but because apparently somebody is planning a video of the whole airport event and it would be sweet if we got in it. Who knows where it might lead but evidently the person is trying to build a product to sell to PBS so we might be able to REALLY reach out to the public big time if that ever happened.
And speaking of PBS there is a program coming up tonight on PBS station KSYS (Medford, channel 8) called “B-29 Frozen in Time” which is apparently an effort to recover a B-29 from the Arctic Circle. Should be interesting for those of us into bombers.
That’s all for now but stay tuned, things seem to be coming together rapidly.
Bruce
10 July 2010 Hot air balloon ride. See www.myshastina.com for details.
9 June 2010 Hellcat Pilots Cufflink Returned
Mrs. Ellen Ballard sister of Lt.Jg. Roy Arnold Hopen who died in the Hellcat crash has expressed a desire to have the cufflink returned and today I put it in the mail. I have been in touch with Ellen and her son Neal who lives in Vancouver, WA. I included a copy of the newspaper story and a map of the area along with the military report of the accident for her reference.
I sent duplicates also to Neal who hopes to visit the F6F site next month close to or hopefully at the same time that Stacy Churchwell and his wife fly out from Florida to visit the B24 site. Stacy as you may remember stumbled onto our story and was responsible for finding not only Ellen and Neal but many members of the B24 crew families.
Anybody in our recovery group who would enjoy meeting either of these two gentlemen are warmly invited to contact me and I will arrange what I can. My phone is 938-0385 or you can email me at bruce@realestatelakeshastina.com.
A new member of our group, retired Marine John Kilburn of Lake Shastina called the other day to suggest I try the Memorial Sculpture Garden on Highway 97 to display some artifacts. When I did they were doubtful due to the fact that everything was outdoors. Any display would have to be weather and vandal proof. And small, only a tiny fraction of what we have.
But in the same breath she said we should try the VA office in Yreka and Tim Grenvik there showed considerable interest. He said he'd wanted to begin a veterans museum for some time and has ample space. If we could build some display cases we might finally have a permanent home for our artifacts that would do local veterans proud.
Please call or write with any suggestions.
Bruce
July 16; Aviation Day at Rohrer Field in Montague on August 21. Surviving family member from one of the B24's crew will be on hand to greet visitors. See article on www.myshastina.com.
15 July 2010; Hopeful B24 & Hellcat Permanent Display Location
I met this morning with Tim Grenvik the county Veterans Service Officer at his place of business in the armory and he expressed interest in devoting space there for displaying memorabilia from area veterans. He pointed out the two walls at the entrance, each about 15 feet long, which not only would be immediately visible to all visitors but well-lit from the east-facing windows above.
Tim's idea is that if our group built a display case for our artifacts it would generate interest in developing more displays. He thought he knew a Vietnam vet who used to have a cabinetry shop and who might be willing to help us.
As we examined the two concrete walls one possible design that seemed practical was a waist-high cabinet with a sloping glass top (like the one we used in Sisson Museum) with locking drawers and cabinets below. Then, above on the wall surface, glass-enclosed display cases for our graphics and other flat material like photos and maps. We might build just one five-foot wide to start with and as other veterans joined us, more could be added modular style until the space was full.
So the question is can we get a few guys together to look at this space and draw up a plan? If we can agree on what to build then we can make a budget and try to find someone with the carpentry skills to build it. There is $100 in our bank account which we could use to get started and if more is needed perhaps another group member could volunteer to raise some donations.
Finally, and on a different page of this same book, don't forget that Stacy Churchwell, brother of the B24 co-pilot George Churchwell, Jr. is arriving from Florida on the 19th of next month. He will be staying a week in our area with hopes of visiting the B24 site and perhaps meeting some of the members of our group. I'm tentatively thinking of a barbeque here at our home if enough of you can join us.
Also, at the end of August, Neal Ballard is coming down from Vancouver, WA to visit the Hellcat site. Length of stay and exact arrival date unknown as of this time but I will post more in this space as I learn it. An old friend of mine has offered me the use of his 4WD pickup so I can get Neal to the F6F site and as with the B24, anyone in our group interested in re-visiting the Crow Creek area is more than welcome to come along. I'm certain Neal would love to meet you just as Stacy will.
(late June sometime):
Welcome; This is a new addition to our business website to replace www.localhistoryprojects.com which is where we used to post stories about our aircraft adventures.
The latest development is that the brother of the B24 co-pilot has contacted us and not only wanted to know about the crew info but volunteered to research them as he and his wife are both professional genealogists. Thus far he has located records of all but one of the crew and has expressed an interest in visiting the crash site. He lives with his witfe Dorothy in Florida and stumbled on one of our newspaper stories while researching military aircraft accidents.
Out of pure courtesy he also ran down the surviving family of Roy Hopen, the pilot of the F6F which crashed west of Mumbo Basin in the Trinity Mountains, another site that we have researched.
He located the pilot's sister who lives in Arkansas and a very devoted nephew in Vancourver, Washington both of whom were overcome when I called to offer the cufflink which we recovered. The nephew, Neal Ballard also wants to visit the site and hopes to come down our way in August.
Stay tuned.
Bruce Batchelder
