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(htk Cuffa-Roger MillerCitrus FlightIt's been a slow-motion* flight during the past 35 years but the fame of the old 1930 Western , Hills glider plane club has just reached the Citrus Belt in Florida.Here is how it happened John McFaddin was a teen-age lad living at Dav tona and Glenmore avenues m West wood in 1930 when he joined the new Western Hills YMCA Albatross Glider Club. With other members from Western Hills School he helped to build an open cockpit glider and a semi-enclosed model for .flight Roger Miller instruction, at the old Franks Airport on what now is Coral Gables road in MackNear the outset of World War 11, he left the club and Cincinnati and moved to Bradenton, Fla . where he now owns a prosperous real estate firm. It so happens that his secretary now dates a reporter on the Tampa (Fla.) Herald-Tribune near Bradenton. The secretary recently told the hoy friend about her boss’ motorless flights m the old Western Hi Hu club. As a result, a photo story of Mr MeFaddin s daring boyhood “airlifts” in Mack was published in the Tampa paper ,A clipping of this story was brought back here by Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Best,, 1976 Beech Grove drive, who were visiting the McFaddin family and Mrs. Best's ex-Cincinnati parents, Mr. 'and Mrs. E. J. Schmetier, in Bradenton when the story was published.Remembering him in the old club is another original member, Arthur H. Bidlingmeyer, now of 6636 Werk road. Art was one of. four lads, who wen- principally responsible for Suilding a primary training glider for the group in 1931 and a secondary trainer tn 1932 Supervising the teen fliers was Chuck Grannen, then secretary of the Western Hills YMCA.Art also made a prototype of the primary glider in the same era and is shown holding it in the accompanying photo. As seen, the “courageous pilot sat tn a single seat in the nose in a skeletal. fuselage that is devoid of all skin. The only instruments were a simple control stick and a rudder pedal' The second plaAe had a partly enclosed fuselage that still didn't .offer much shelter to the pilot,,Club members underwent much ground training before taking to theair' First, they learnt ’ to counterbalance the glider tn the wind while it was rolling on the top of a tuff-sphere. Second, they catapulted plane and pilot across the ground with a shock cord made of rubber bands. Third, they increased the propulsion by pulling back the shuckcord with an automobile.Fourth, aft auto was used to tow the manned gilder at an altitude of only five feet, increased gradually up to 1,000 feet Sometimes, one mile of cord was used' he recalled.At least nine of the original members still live m the Western Hill* vicinity One is Carl H, Heimerdinger, 2506 Fleetwood avenue, Westwood, now ' derk-treasurer of the Cincinnati Board of Education,Others awl their current addresses include Clifford Knotp, 307 Pedretti road, Delhi Hills, brothers Charles, and Kermit Price,, of Shaffer avenue, Westwood; Cheviot residents Raymond Krummtn. 3424 Mayfair avenue, and Albert Waff, 4045 Harding avenue; Louis Wiedenbein, 4907 Drew avenue. Bridgetown, and Carl Rail, 5420 Julmar drive. Covedafe.On Thanksgiving Day, 1934, Art and the late Carl Magamann of Wardall avenue, set a club record by maintain! ig the group’s ‘Sky Ghost*’ glider at 2,080 feet for 24 hours over the Lost Bridge” in. Cleyes until 20 degree temperatures required them to land. The club moved to the Parks Watson Airport tn Blue Ash in about 1936 and was disbanded ip 1944 after World War II took away most members as Air Force pilots and flight, instructors* *, .. * * ,The Sister PatternD« sisters, think alike This seems. to be the' cum: ' with Miss Janie Myers, daughter of Mr, and Mrs. Willard R. Myers, 2249 Harrison avenue Westwood.Now % a sophomore m art ' education at -the Cniversify of Cincinnati, she is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.‘711 Clifton avenue,Art Bidlingmeyer With Prototype—of- glider he helped build in 1831and has been dating a boy from Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity next door at 2707 Clifton avenue.This duplicates the experience of her older sister, the former Judy Myers, who also resided at the KAT house and also dated a boy from SAE next door before graduating from UC in the early 1960s In fact, Judy got married- to her Sigma beau- who now is State Representative Gordon M. Scherer!* * • •Family .CounterTwo' other Western HiHs sisters definitely do think alike—occupationally.One ig' Mrs, Gerry Schenk, 3945. Hull avenue, Westwood. Just 30 years ago. she resigned as classified advertising .supervisor for 'the Cincinnati Post to get married on Oct. 19, 1935, to William F. Schenk. Joining the classified staff as a clerk at that same time.to help fill Gerry's vacancy was her younger sister. Miss Mamie N. Murrell, now of 903 Seton avenue. Price Hill.Miss Murrell has just marked her thirtieth anniversary on that staff and now holds the same classified supervisor post once held by Gerry!* • * •One For The Weet County?Western ITamlldn Cabnfly could conceivably have one State school bus coordinator assigned exclusively to its own area next year when Ohio's new Fair-Bus law becomes effective on Sept. 1, 1966.This is speculated by Hanford L. Comb*, formerresident of Wilderness trail in Delhi Hills, who now will help direct the Ohio program to .comply with this law as new chief of pupil transportation for the State Department of Educationin Columbus,Mr Combs, former assistant superintendent ofthe Oak Hills School District, says the Depart merit plans to appoint between 30 and 40 Statecoordinators to work closely with local school districts throughout Ohio to plan coordination ofexisting public school, bus transportation to ac commodate non public school children in the same neighborhoodsHowever, these coordinators will not enter training until Jan. 1, 1966, or later, he said. Thus, he believes these State agents will not be abb* to work directly with local boards until, at least, next spring.-.Since 30 or 40 coordinators must serve 88 counties in Ohio, one coordinator in many cases will have to serve a complex of two or three smaller counties However, he indicated the probability that counties w ith dose to 1,000,900 popula lion, like Hamilton County , may merit more than one coordinator This might mean an exclusive advisor for the west half of this county, contain mg the. Oak Hills, Northwest Three Rivers and Southwest Districts,♦ * » ♦The Knee-britch** EraIt looks as if It's time for On The Cuff to go from short pants to knee-trousers. This column marks its twelfth hirthday anniversary this week
Newspaper Details
Western Hills Press
Cheviot, Ohio, US
Thu, Oct 14, 1965
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Cincinnati A.
OH, USA 15 Jan 2024
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Western Hills Press
