My best buddy Tony Bartholomew and I were classmates at Brockport State Teachers College. Brockport is a village on the Erie Canal in western New York, between Rochester and Buffalo. In 1953 we were in the middle of our sophomore year.
Tony was the proud owner of a Stearman biplane, a tandem two-seater with an open cockpit, two main landing gear, and a tail wheel. The Stearman, designated the N-2S by the U.S. Navy, was the training aircraft for would-be naval aviators in the 1930s. President George H. W. Bush trained in the N-2S, and went on to earn his Navy Wings of Gold.
It was mid-February, 1953. By early afternoon on the sixteenth, the temperature had struggled to reach the upper twenties. The sun was beaming unobstructed, and the ground was nearly snow- free, unusual for upstate New York at that time of year.
Tony kept his plane hangared at Rochester Municipal Airport, now Rochester International. On February 16th, we had only one class and by 10 a.m., we were free for the rest of the day – a perfect opportunity for my buddy to offer me a plane ride. It would my first and Tony knew I was an aviation enthusiast. He asked me if I was up for it. How could I refuse?
At 2 p.m., we were walking around the plane to be sure everything was in order, including the gas and oil levels, and ten minutes later we strapped into our seats with Tony in the rear. Instructors always sat in the rear. We were fortunate to have an enclosed canopy a welcomed advantage due to the frigid temperature.
The engine roared to life, and it took only eight minutes for it to be warm enough to fly. At 2:17 p.m., the control tower cleared us for takeoff. Tony asked me if I was ready, and I gave him a huge thumbs up. As we roared down the runway, I had an exhilarated feeling like none I’d ever experienced before. When we reached 70 miles per hour, we broke free from the runway. I was jubilant, ecstatic, elated! I was so excited, I nearly wet my pants! For the first time in my life there was space between me and Mother Earth.
We headed for a large open field. Tony would be practicing crop dusting. He planned to remove the front seat and replace it with a hopper, which would contain pesticides. When we arrived at the field Tony put us into a steep dive and, when we were only three feet above the ground, we were racing along at 120 miles per hour! When we reached the tree line at the other end of the field Tony pulled up into a sharp climb, made a steep left turn, then another steep left turn, and a dive back to the field. Back and forth we went. It was like a carnival ride! I was thankful that Tony was an excellent pilot. Crop dusting was a dangerous occupation.
On the way back to the airport, Tony handed the controls over to me and talked to me about the procedures. After about 10 minutes, I was keeping us straight and level, and my gentle turns were well- coordinated. Tony told me I was a natural. I made up my mind at that moment that I would be a pilot someday.
The year 1957 was a banner year for Tony and me. Capital Airlines hired Tony as a pilot. In no time, he was promoted to captain, flying Vickers Viscounts, with four turboprop engines and a seating capacity of 43 passengers. On Saint Patrick’s Day of that same year, I earned my Navy Wings of Gold. Hallelujah for both of us! Off we went into the wild blue yonder nearly every day and we’d always remember that chilly day in mid-February, 1953.
