AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021 - 47

Dick passed away some years ago
at the age of 98. His obituary included a
short paragraph of his military history. I
knew Dick very well, and in all the years
we worked together, and during my many
hours of flight training, he never once mentioned
World War II.
He had enlisted in the Army Air Corps
in 1941, and by 1943 he was a fighter pilot
in the 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group
in the South Pacific, where he was awarded
the Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air
Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two
bronze stars and the South West Pacific
service ribbon. He even survived being
shot down by ground fire over Manokwari,
Indonesia, on a bombing and strafing misyou
into a cliff. On departure it's hard to
see how much runway is left until rotation
speed, causing an impulse to rotate
too soon, knowing you might go off a cliff.
I first went with a friend who knew the
drill. After lunch at Avalon, I well remember
being nervous about the weather. By
the time we got back for takeoff, a huge
cloudbank had built up on the departure
end. I could not visualize how close it was
to the end of the runway, but I knew I did
not want to fly into it. I applied brakes up
to full power and then released them, we
were quickly in a right turn to blue sky and
the return to Van Nuys.
Flying is now far more complicated and
technical than when I had flown around
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania;
I dashed home to get the money from my savings
and rode back as fast as I could to get my very
first ride in an airplane.
sion to Sorong. His P-51 was hit hard, but
he got enough altitude and distance to bail
out over the sea before his engine quit.
Dick served 28 years on both active
and reserve duty and retired a lieutenant
colonel. He was the nicest and most unassuming
man I have ever known, and a pilot
beyond anything I imagined. I wish I had a
photo of us with the 150 the day I soloed!
At Cessna/ARC, we had a company flying
club with a 150 and a 172. The aircraft
were owned and insured by Cessna; and
were kept at Caldwell-Wright Field. The
flight time and CFI costs were minor.
I moved to California and at RCA I
was initially advertising and publicity
manager, and later a marketing manager.
Unfortunately, RCA did not have a flying
club, so I flew out of Van Nuys, where the
Beech dealer had a fleet of airplanes ready
to rent.
I even flew out to Catalina Island a
few times and that's no simple trick. You
don't want to be too high on approach to
this relatively short runway, or too low
where any sudden downdraft could put
and later flying a Beech Musketeer and
a straight-tail Bonanza out of Van Nuys.
But I now have my new plastic airman
certificate, and I'm just waiting for medical
clearance. I have already completed
ground school and hope to find a local CFI
for some dual time and a signoff to solo. I
have no plans for flying across the country,
just to get current, and solo again. In
the final analysis, it will all depend on my
judgment. If I don't feel competent and
comfortable, I will just be satisfied with
some dual time to bring back my memories
of flying when I was young, confident,
and competent.
I can't believe I actually did all this,
and maybe I'm crazy to think I could do
any of it again. During all the years I was
an advertising manager, and placing ads in
the AOPA magazine, I never had the wildest
thought that one day I might be writing
in the AOPA magazine. But I'm still here,
which proves I made it!
ROBERT LEE ROHRER is a former advertising
salesman living in North Carolina.
aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 47
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021

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