Take Flight
James Strout
I am from Cornish New Hampshire, my hobbies are working on cars, reading, horseback riding, and riding motorcycles. My favorite class this year is obviously Take Flight. I think it is amazing to reflect on last year pioneering this program into motion, to now being apart of it. I look forward to learning more in the hanger!
Dylan Moore
My name is Dylan Moore, and I am from Grantham New Hampshire. My favorite hobbies are hanging out with my friends and skiing, I also love fishing and snowmobiling. My favorite subject in school is math and in the future I hope to become a pilot. Take Flight is an amazing experience and class. So far I have had some much fun and I have learned a lot. I’m really excited to see what comes in the future for the class and I’m glad to be part of it.
Solan O'Connor
Yiting Tian
The evening is a fundraiser for the museum, and all of the proceeds from Saturday's event will go toward scholarships. There was a silent auction, raffle, and spirited live auction.
The buffet dinner was enjoyed by all.
Speakers included Members of the NH Aviation Board of Directors, Executive Director Jeff Rapsis, Leah Dearborn, and Nathan MacDonald. Leah was celebrated for the completion and publication of her book Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front.
Students from The Manchester School of Technology, LHS, and the Aviation Museum's Flights of Discovery summer camp also shared their thoughts. Representatives from the next NH Plane-Build Program, Farmington, also attended.
Thanks to James for representing us so well.
Yellowbird Society
A highlight of the evening was the students' induction into the Aviation Museum's Yellowbird Socety.
The Yellowbird Society was launched in 1922 during a Northeast reunion event at the museum to pay homage to Northeast Airlines’ historical significance and its pivotal role in shaping aviation.
Each student was presented with a certificate of membership to the Yellowbird Society and an original Yellowbird pin from Northeast Airlines. These pins, still in their original packaging, hold a rich history as they were once bestowed upon the airline’s crew members and individuals in an honorable manner, like the one gifted to Hubert Humphrey during his U.S. Presidency campaign in 1968. By wearing these pins, students not only honor aviation history but also carry a piece of that history with them.
The pins were presented by Ralph Dione. Born in 1927, Dione is a World War 2 veteran and participated in the Berlin Air Lift more than 70 years ago.
The airlift saw U.S. and British aircraft fly narrow corridors over Soviet-occupied Germany to supply Berlin during a Soviet blockade. The U.S. and British forces ultimately flew 277,569 missions into Berlin and delivered 2.3 million tons of supplies.
A sergeant at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Mass., Dionne was called to serve in the airlift in 1948.He was in Germany for six months, eventually serving as a flight engineer on a C-54. He and his crew on the Douglas “Skymaster” transports joined a 24-hour convoy of supply aircraft that enabled Berlin’s citizens to withstand the blockade.Dionne participated in 61 supply missions for a total of 300 flight hours during the airlift.
The aerial “candy bombings,” known as “Operation Little Vittles,” brought 23 tons of sweets to Berlin’s children, most of the candy donated by U.S. companies and families. They started when Lt. Halvorsen noticed children hanging around the fence at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport. He promised he’d return with candy, and he did, dropping it from his plane via miniature parachutes made from handkerchiefs. His efforts started a program that grew to encompass hundreds of pilots and that lasted throughout the airlift.
