FLABOB AIR MAIL The Tom Wathen Historic Flabob Airport

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1 FLABOB AIR MAIL The Tom Wathen Historic Flabob Airport October 2013 Ray Stits and Andy Andersen Receive Lifetime Achievement Award Chris Felton Ray Stits and Andy Andersen were the latest recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award at Historic Flabob Airport. The September 25th event, held at the newly renovated café, was attended by family and Photo Courtesy of Grisel Medina L-R: Kitty Andersen, Maj. Gen. Pat Halloran, Andy Andersen, Ray and Edith Stits, Tom and Carol Wathen friends of the two Flabobians. The Board of Trustees, along with Tom and Carol Wathen, presented the awards to the two very deserving honorees. The Lifetime Achievement Award is an honor given to those individuals who have dedicated their time, talent, and treasure to the Spirit of Flabob Airport over the span of many years. They help to carry out the mission of this airport by using the fascination of flight to inspire the love of learning. Both of our recipients have been great mentors to so many of our youth here at Flabob. Andy and Ray are true Flabobians at heart. Ray Stits Aircraft designer, mechanic, pilot, and founder of Poly Fiber, are just a few ways to describe Ray Stits. Ray moved his operation to Flabob Airport in He rose to fame initially as an aircraft designer in the 40s, then as the creator of the Stits Process for fabric covering aircraft. Between 1948 and 1965, he designed 15 different aircraft, most of which were built here at Flabob. Ray was the kick-starter for bringing other known designers to Flabob, such as Lou Stolp, Ed Marquart, and Bill Turner. Among his many accolades, he is one of a very few people to have been awarded the FAA Master Pilot Award and Master Mechanic Award. In 1953, he received a letter from Paul Poberezny, founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Paul heard about Ray and his designs and asked him if he d be interested in joining the EAA. Continues on next page

2 ...Continued from previous page. At the time, EAA headquarters was located in Rockford, Illinois. Ray asked Paul if he could start a Chapter out here in Riverside. As a result, EAA rewrote their bylaws, thus creating the chapter system of EAA. Currently, EAA has grown to over 1,000 Chapters worldwide! We are proud to be home to EAA Chapter One. Through his efforts, we have the Chapter 1 Hangar and the beautiful patio area in front of the Chapter 1 clubhouse, where pilots volunteer their time and aircraft to give kids Photo Courtesy of Grisel Medina between the ages of 8-17 free flights as part of the Young Eagles program. Chapter 1 has given over 14,000 Young Eagles their first airplane ride. To date, Ray is credited with having flown 2,005 Young Eagles, a true testament to his dedication to educating students. He is also well known for providing scholarship money to Flabob students for flight lessons. Ray s presence at Flabob has helped to make the Airport well known for youth education programs throughout the world. Andy Andersen Andy began working as a telegraph operator for the Santa Fe Railroad in In the 40s, he served in the Navy during the War. He returned to the Railroad after the War, where he later retired from in 1979 in San Bernardino, after 44 years of service. Aside from racing cars, one of Andy s many hobbies was riding motorcycles. He loved it so much, he rode 6,800 miles from Fontana to the Yucatan Peninsula and back. In 1972, one of his motorcycle buddies introduced him to Dave Blythe. Dave invited Andy to go on a flight with him to Oklahoma. After that flight, Andy bought his first airplane and began flight lessons. On June 22, 1972, Andy soloed here at Flabob Airport. Andy is one of Flabob s most loyal supporters for nearly 42 years. He has volunteered countless hours and Continues on next page Photo Courtesy of Grisel Medina

3 ...Continued from previous page. has flown 341 Young Eagles, one-ata-time in his two-place 1959 Cessna 150, N5641E. He continued to fly Young Eagles until age 87. In 2009, Andy donated his airplane to the foundation so it could be used for Young Eagles. His passion for photography is evident. Having taken many of the pictures you see around the airport and throughout our café, he is known as our official airport photographer. Photo Courtesy of Grisel Medina Andy has given so much because of his desire to see this airport succeed. Andy has been and still is a great mentor to many. He will always be our Flabob Airport Bum!

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5 Flabob Airport Cafe Soaring Again Laurie Lucas, Staff Writer, Press-Enterprise Photo Courtesy of Kurt Miller, Staff Photographer, Press-Enterprise JURUPA VALLEY After being grounded for an extensive remodel, Flabob Airport Cafe is flying high under new ownership. The 68-year-old restaurant, at 4130 Mennes Avenue in Jurupa Valley, had closed on June 15 for its first major overhaul in more than two decades. The iconic eatery, known for its historical aviation decor and comfort food, re-opened at 6 a.m. on Sept. 16 to a packed room. The place always had lots of character, said Mark Lightsey, 52. A restorer of antique planes, he s one the 90 tenants at the 100-acre airport and a cafe habitue. But now I see there was always this little gem hiding underneath. Spiffed up from a $40,000 rehabilitation, this polished jewel gleams with new floors, new upholstery, a new counter and laminated table tops. Continues on next page

6 ...Continued from previous page. The building needed some TLC, said William E. Sawin, Sr., Flabob s president and CEO. We didn t want to lose the flavor, but provide a whole new focus as a destination. A busy place, especially on weekends, the café attracts 120 patrons a day who spend about $10 each. As part of its overhauled image, the restaurant will offer catering services. There also are plans to increase its current 60-person capacity to 75 by converting the adjacent 144-square-foot storage facility into an extended dining area. From top to bottom, inside and out, the 2,000-square-foot restaurant received an exterior paint job, new flooring, wiring and plumbing, a new logo and a new kitchen. Crews scrubbed everything from the fireplace masonry to the wall-mounted propellers to the ceiling fans, rafters and the 1947 mural that originally hung in a dance hall. Flabob Airport Cafe supposedly originated as the World War II cookhouse of the NCO Club at Camp Haan, the anti-aircraft auxiliary of March Field. After Camp Haan was closed after the war, farmers could buy its buildings for a buck each. Pilot Flavio Madariaga persuaded officers that he was a farmer by showing a photograph he had taken of himself amidst some borrowed barnyard animals. Madariaga dragged the cookhouse to Flabob, a dirt airstrip which he and his business partner, Bob Bogen, bought in 1943 and anointed Flabob as a hybrid of their first names. Madariaga added the spacious porch and stone fireplace and created the social heart of the airport. Beth LaRock, the airport s manager and director of operations, said the staff reframed all of the historic photographs and preserved and rearranged most of the memorabilia. No longer suspended over diners heads, the large radio -controlled planes repose on shelves. Much easier to clean, LaRock said. Photo Courtesy of Kurt Miller, Staff Photographer, Press-Enterprise Customers weren t the only ones who complained about the cafe s grease and dirt. Within the past two years, the county health department had downgraded the restaurant three times until it hit C level. Continues on next page

7 ...Continued from previous page. The cafe s new proprietors, who own the restaurant but lease the building from the airport, are Jerry Miles, a pilot, and his girlfriend, Aurora Diaz, of Cherry Valley. Photo Courtesy of Kurt Miller, Staff Photographer, Press-Enterprise Miles, 66, has operated a catering business since 1995 and until several months ago, the cafe at the Rialto Municipal Airport. I want to provide good food, good service and a good, clean atmosphere at Flabob, Miles said. Diaz, 61, revamped the menu with healthier fare, using fresh rather than frozen vegetables. She s also designated menudo as a weekend staple. Although Lightsey is pleased with the changes, he frequents the cafe for the camaraderie. We sit and solve the problems of the world, he said. The food is secondary. Adopting a Flabob Airport Museum Bill Sawin The Tom Wathen Center is adopting and naming Hangar 20, The Tom Wathen Center Aviation Museum. The museum will house all of Tom s racing replicas, be a location for special exhibits of other historic aircraft and will include a classroom for presentations. Each aircraft will have a placard depicting its history. We wish to thank Mike and Cathy McCue for their many years of devoted service and wish them well on their new venture in Pennsylvania. The museum will be going through some renovations over the next several months and will be the center point of tours and events. We have asked Kathy Rohm to be the Curator of the museum. She is creating a docent program to help make the museum world-class. More details to come...

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9 Embry-Riddle Chancellor and Execs Visit Flabob Chris Felton Officials from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University s Prescott Campus, in Arizona, paid a visit to Flabob recently in an effort to help us bridge the gap for high school students getting ready to enter college. We hope to develop an ongoing relationship with the University in order to provide our students with the greatest potential for a successful career and bright future ahead. Pictured L-R: Chris Felton, Dr. Frank Ayers, Derek Sundquist, Bryan Dougherty, Steve Bobinsky, Bill Sawin, Larry Gregg, and Beth LaRock Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited University specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 40 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and through the Worldwide Campus with more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The University is a major research center, seeking solutions to realworld problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. We would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Frank Ayers, Chancellor; Bryan Dougherty, Dean of Enrollment Management; Derek Sundquist, Assistant Director of Admissions for the Southern CA Region; Steve Bobinsky, Director of Development; and Larry Gregg from the Board of Visitors, for coming out to see the multitude of opportunities Flabob Airport has to offer youth. For more information, visit follow them on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/embryriddleuniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv.

10 Don s 24-Hour Flying Service Kathy Rohm Photo Courtesy of Kathy Rohm Have you ever noticed the Don s 24 Hour Flying Service sign on the East side of the Flabob Airport Café? It has had an old faded look for a few years but thanks to Rafe Tomsett, the graphics have been revitalized. The sign was an idea of Flavio Madariaga for his son Don to advertise his flying service at Flabob. In 1959, the original sign was painted by Swanson Signs that was located on Mennes Street in Rubidoux. According to Don Madariaga, Mr. Swanson had an airplane at Flabob Airport at the time. In 1993, Rafe Tomsett restored the original Don s 24 Hour Flying Service sign. That lasted twenty years until Rafe came back to give the sign a facelift. Rafe, a long time Flabobian, now resides in Sonoma, CA. He has been at Sky Park since 2005, but his heart never left Flabob Airport. Rafe first came to Flabob in He worked with Bill Turner on the Comet. Rafe is a designer, artist and an award winning aviation photographer. In 2003 Rafe designed the EAA Chapter One display that took up a large block area next to the Red Barn at AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI. The display was a triumphant success. For 30 years, Rafe has been the photographer for the Canadian Royal Air Force demonstration team, the Snowbirds. When you stop by Flabob Airport remember to take a look at the Don s 24 Hour Flying Service sign. Our thanks to Rafe for giving his time and talent to restore this wonderful image, which is a rich part of Flabob s history. Photo Courtesy of Kathy Rohm

11 If you would like more information on our programs, please contact us at: (951) or The Tom Wathen Historic Flabob Airport The Tom Wathen Center uses the fascination of flight to inspire the love of learning Mennes Ave, #24 Jurupa Valley (Riverside), CA Ad Space Available! Photo Courtesy of Dr. Bob Sirotnik Are you interested in placing an ad in Flabob Air Mail? Did you know our newsletter reaches 5,700+ people! Contact: Chris Felton (951) Ext. 102 Photo Courtesy of Chris Felton Photo Courtesy of Dr. Bob Sirotnik