Illinois News Index

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 13 May 1977, p. 21

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srf® by Gerry Johnson Stunt Flier In A Spin For 50 Years After retiring from a ca­ reer as a builder two years ago, 69-year-old Tom Mc- Kenna, of Santa Barbara, California, took up where he left off during World -War II: he started teaching aerobatics, the airborne art of loops, rolls and spins. McKenna first soloed in a Jenny biplane in 1928. For a number of years he oper­ ated his own flight school in Wilmington, Delaware, us­ ing a barn for a hangar and a grass field--which he shared with cows--for a runway. One of McKenna's in­ structors was Frank Tall- man, known in Hollywood as the "King of the Stunt Pilots." Tallman's roost re­ cent job in Hollywood was doing the aerial sequences in "The Great Waldo Pep­ per," starring Robert Red- ford as a barnstorming aviator. McKenn^ did a bit of barnstorming himself back in the 3()'s. "I used to, pick a field I. thought was safe to land in and then fly over the near­ est town," McKenna told a writer from The National Council on the Aging. "I'd play a few tricks with the engine and make it sound like I was going to have to make a crash land­ ing," he continued. "That brought a crowd to the field, and I'd take people up for a dollar a ride. If they wanted some loop-thc^loops and rolls thrown in, 1 charged them double." On a good day McKenna would end up with 30 or 40 one dollar bills. "That was pretty good pay," he said. "You could mail a letter for two cents in those days." During World War II McKenna worked under government contract teach­ ing combat flying to cadets from the Royal Air Forcc and the U.S. Army Air Corps. "A lot of great fliers went through flight school during the war," McKenna said, and then added modestly. "I only wish I could have been as good as many of the young men I taught how to f l y " Part of the training for those wartime fliers consist­ ed of aerobatics, which have always been considered an important step in the devel­ opment of a military pilot. Such tactics are used to evade enemy aircraft in combat situations. To the casual, peacetime observer, loops and barrel rolls are potential health hazards. McKenna adds to this impression by impart­ ing a certain devil-may-care attitude to conversation about his brand of flying. In reality, he is the most care­ ful of pilots, talking his stu­ dents through an acrobatic maneuver with a calm and gentle preciscncss. A question still remains to be asked: why, with mili­ tary flight instruction a thing of his past, does Tom Mc­ Kenna still perform such death-defyingjfeats? • The answer is simple and to the point. "Because it's fun," Mc­ Kenna said. "I'm also pretty good at it." Just ask one of McKen­ na's students. They'll tell you he's one of the best. IN WASHINGTON, D. C., the Richmond Fellow­ ship is providing opportuni­ ties for people over 60 to share homes with other peo­ ple of the same age and with similar interests, A non-profit organiza­ tion, the Richmond Fellow­ ship obtains and holds long- term leases of houses in safe and attractive neighbor­ hoods. From four to six older persons live in each house. Rents, including util- ies, are on a sliding scale and range from approxi­ mately $125 to $300 per month. Residents share the cost of food that is prepared in the house. Two houses are now oc- cupicd, with plans for addi­ tional houses as money be­ comes available. GOLDEN GLEAMS Money will say more in one moment than the most eloquent lover can in years. -Henry Fieldirg. Get into model rocketry... the most exciting hobby on earth! Join in the fun... SmeCor with friends •w1. .• # s (frying m< . Blastoff vrithEstes model rocketry miREK , Starter Kit Contains launch control system with safety key and launch key. Launch pad. rod and launch cable. Star Trek rocket with 12 parachute. 3 N.A.R Safety certified model rocket engines, igniters, and beginner Tec. Manual. 12 volt battery not in­ cluded in kit. P 4 Area Headauarters for Model Rocketry Supplies. All rockets and supplies reduced 15% Frank Buck's CU66YWHOLE 789 Mc Henry Ave. Rt. 120 East side of Woodstock OPEN: Daily 8-5:30, Friday to 9, Saturday 10-7, Closed Sunday A protective ring of dwarf marigolds at the base of a lawn tree creates a buffer zone to keep the lawnmower from injuring tree bark. Dwarf flowers are also appropriate in small gardens. Dwarf Flowers Appropriate In Small Gardens Give three cheers for the scaled-down flowers and vegetables that fit so ap­ propriately in today's popular small gardens. The multiplicity of townhouses, high rise apartments and condominiums has brought a new kind of garden with a compact look. These in turn call for smaller garden plants in scale with the mini-plots or containers. The Bedding Plant industry is ready with scaled-down plants for small garden needs, because these plant specialists looked ahead at predictable trends. * Hollyhocks, as an example, have been thought of traditionally as four to 5 ft. towering plants, big enough to screen a small building or to make a flower fence. There are now dwarf hollyhocks growing only two feet tall. They even have bushy side branching that blooms almost equally with the central stalks. Where a carpet effect with low edging plants is called for in small gardens, fine, close- cropped blue* and white ageratums deserve con­ sideration. They flower with floss-like blooms at six-inch heights. Even less elevation is possible with the three to four inch high mounds of annual alyssum in white, lavender and purple. Dwarf forms of annual asters at twelve inches tall are only one-third the height of these flowers in other varieties. Similarly, dwarf strains and hybrids of other garden flowers allow floricultural design on smaller-scale properties. Small, compact plant sizes in wax begonias, dianthus, im- patiens, marigolds, ̂ salvias, snapdragons and zinnias have been developed and are suggested for inclusion in small gardens. Research among the vegetables prized by home gardeners has made possible development of less spacious growers. At quality garden centers displaying transplants from professional commercial SECTION 2-PAGE 1-PLAINDEALER--FRIDAY, MAY 13, 1977 Request $20,500 For National Guard Armory State Senator Jack Schaffer, R-Cary, said he has been in­ formed by State Adjutant General Harold Patton that the Thompson administration is requesting $20,500 for the coming fiscal year 'for im­ provements to the Woodstock National Guard armory. He said the funds, requested by the National Guard through the Capital Development board, would be used for remodeling and rehabilitation of electrical and plumbing systems at the armory. "Two years ago, the Walker administration was ready to close the Woodstock Armory and make the troops training there commute to armories in other areas," Schaffer stated. "I am pleased that the state has changed its position in regard to the armory, and that con- 9 growers, home gardeners will find dwarf plants among the newer varieties of cabbages with small heads, but with superior fresh garden falvor. Cucumber plants, so comapct growing they produce abun­ dantly when grown in a patio pot, miniature eggplants, pepper plants and even tomato plants are all becoming popular favorites with gardeners whose hobby must be confined to containers and mini-garden plots. tinuing efforts are being made to rebuild .it into a viable military installation that can also be used for civic ac­ tivities." Schaffer emphasized the armory's potential for housing activities other than military training, saying that properh utilized the facility coulj become a center for a bro£ range of civic endeavors. "While I want the Woodstock Armory to remain open, I want it to be used for a great deal more than military training," the Senator added. "The days of maintaining an armory for thirty days to get only two full days of usage are over. We must learn to make better use of our existing resources and this mandates broader use for all publicly owned buildings." He suggested that organizations such as scout troops could ideally use the Armory for their meetings, and that the drill hall could be adapted fairly easily to house sports events. The Woodstock improvement project is one of twelve major c a p i t a l i m p r o v e m e n t s requested by the National Guard for fiscal year 1978 at ten different armory locations across the state. Study says nuclear safe­ guards needed. 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