Greg and I stopped by to see Pat Green yesterday, and to set this up. Dr. Joe was driving by and saw us land, so he stopped too. He hadn't been back since Ralph died in 2003.

Joe was the guy who got Ralph on Letterman Show and the Space Shuttle simulator, etc. Joe was amazed at all the work and improvements Pat has done and is all for a concert fly-in memorial party. He will get involved in the preparation work.

Just about all of Ralph's aviation photos and memorabilia are now displayed on the walls. A museum worthy of a room in the US Air Force museum.

Pat doesn't want to hold it in cold weather and suggested the week before Easter. I'll keep you posted.

The strip isn't bad. He cleaned up the trash pile that was in the dip in the middle of the runway, and also put up a new wind sock. This should turn into a great and fun event? Just about any single engine plane can handle that place. JG

http://vimeo.com/7741168

He has theater seating for 125. This organ Ralph built has around 1800 pipes I think. If you haven't seen it (check Greg's video above), it will blow you away. You don't need to be a music fan, you just need to enjoy mechanical things.

Back ground:

This organ is one if three Ralph built while he was on his "promise to his wife never to fly again" period. That "no fly" period lasted from 1947 to 1997 (50 years). She died when he was 97 years old on their 75th anniversary.

Since he had kept his promise to her, he went out and got a flight physical, and passed. So then, he bought what he thought was going to be a Aeronca Champ (sight unseen), but when it was delivered it turned out to be an Aeronca Defender, which was ok with Ralph.

Just about all the CFI's around were scared to death to sign off a 97 year old man who hadn't flown for 50 years, except for Terry Thompson (of the wild animal film fame). http://vimeo.com/8007183 Terry signed Ralph off and Ralph then built himself a hangar and started flying. His neighbor was Pat Green, who helped Ralph by propping the airplane.

When Ralph was about to turn 100, Dr Joe got Willard Scott and a couple other TV producers to come to Perry County for the birthday party. Dr. Joe took him to Florida to watch a space shuttle launch. From that, deal NASA invited him to Houston and put him in the space shuttle simulator.

Since Ralph flew Tri Motors for TWA in the '30s, TWA heard about Ralph, and flew him to St Louis, letting him fly a 777 simulator, etc. Ralph said the last time he landed in St Louis, it was grass!!. In the 1920's Ralph built 7 or 8 airplanes of his own design, including the engines. His first job was working for the Wright Brothers at their Dayton bicycle factory.

As his fame grew, he was on the Letterman Show, National Enquire did a story, etc. He would fly up to my fly-ins by himself at 102. Off the top of my head, I know that I am forgetting a lot he did. After Ralph's wife died, he got a younger woman who ended up moving in with him. Here Ralph was 99 and the girlfriend was only 67.
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Those who pound their guns into plows, will plow for those who do not.

It's obvious that you guys have way too much fun, and that Nevada doesn't hold a monopoly on whacked out characters... Good job.

Gump

Keep us posted on the date I would be interested in seeing that organ in person.

Great story...

Mongo wrote:Keep us posted on the date I would be interested in seeing that organ in person.

Great story...

I had a girl say that to me once....

Gump

Gump,
Was that in Ak and how many teeth did she have or one of our well preserved high desert beauties?

Sounds like he was hell of a guy PG.

I wasn't so far away I'd love to attend that fly-in.

GumpAir wrote:

Mongo wrote:Keep us posted on the date I would be interested in seeing that organ in person.

Great story...

I had a girl say that to me once....

Gump

Maybe I should restate that.....

That is an astounding video, Thank you so much for sharing it.