Flying In in a piece of history

By Claudette Olivier claudette.oliver@eunicetoday.com Let’s go out for lunch -- my war plane or yours? “You’re flying in a part of history,” said Sharon Ross of Mobile, Ala. as she stood at the air strip next to D.I.’s in Basile watching planes land on the runway. “This is the first plane many military people learned to fly in during World War II. They were even used to train some of the Tuskegee Airmen.” Ross and her husband Bill were just a few the of 13 Stearman pilots and copilots flying in from around the country to participate in an end-of-the- flying season event hosted in Jennings. While the event is mainly for those who fly Stearmans -- bi-planes built in the years leading up to World War II and used as military trainer aircraft -- other aviation enthusiasts also flew their small planes out for the event. Participants flew in from Alabama, Texas, Missouri, South Carolina and Louisiana. The five-day event included a poker run, the lunch fly-in, flour bombing and spot landing contests and formation flying. The Rosses flew to the event in their Army motif-painted 1941 Stearman Model 75, and it took them about three hours to reach Jennings. “It’s like riding in a convertible,” she said. “We stop in Hammond on the way in. It’s the halfway point, and we get out and walk around.” “Your butt gets numb,” she added, laughing. Her husband has been a pilot since he was 16, and they have been Stearman owners for 18 years. “He was a pilot when we started dating, and we’ve been married for 23 years,” she said. “We love aviation.” “It’s a piece of nostalgia,” Bill said as he assisted fellow pilot Phillip Grice, also of Mobile, with runway traffic. “I’ve always wanted one since I was a kid, and I am proud to own it.” This is the seventh year the couple has attended the fly in, and the eats at D.I.’s are just one of the many things that keep them coming back. “This is our favorite place to eat,” the wife said. Fellow pilot Dicky Toups, also from Mobile, flew down in a borrowed plane. “I fly sea planes and King Airs, but this is my first time flying a Stearman,” Toups said. “It’s my first year here, and it’s a really nice event.” While many of the Stearman pilots were men -- women showed their aviation amore with “I love my pilot earrings” and biplane jewelry -- there was at least one female Stearman pilot in attendance. “This is my first Stearman, and I bought it in Atlanta,” said Pam Bartlet from Carthage, Mo. “I’ve always wanted one. It’s my dream plane. I like the freedom of flying it.” By noon, 13 Stearman as well as about 20 other assorted small planes had landed at the airstrip, and the crowd made its way toward the restaurant for lunch. “Have I told you lately what a beautiful…..runway you have?” asked Lantz Pohlman of Irvington, Ala. as he greeted D.I.’s owner Sherry Fruge. “This is their last fly-in for the year until next spring,” Fruge said. “It’s like they don’t want to leave when they come here. I like that they are so appreciative of the things we do every day. They say the hospitality down here is like nowhere else. They feel like they are at home when they are here. It’s gratifying to know that our nature impresses them so much.” “I thoroughly enjoy having them.” Fruge has hosted the group for the past 18 years, with the guests being bussed in from Jennings for dinner and dancing on the Thursday evening of the event. With the completion of the runway two years ago, this marks the second time the participants have been able to fly in for lunch. “When they found out about the runway, they wanted us to host the lunch on Friday, too,” Fruge said. “They enjoy every avenue of D.I.’s. I talk to many of them during the year, and they send me photos of where they live. It’s pretty neat.” Fruge hopes to have a four-plane hanger with lodging for four to six people built by next year’s fly-in. “Several of them are looking forward to being able to stay here,” she said.