Show marks century of The Wright Stuff

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer

A century of powered flight was celebrated in a colossal way yesterday at Kalaeloa Airport with skydivers, aerobatic performances, dozens of military, commercial and small civilian aircraft, two hangars filled with experts and informational exhibits galore, and, of course, plenty of food, entertainment and free aircraft rides.

One of the oldest aircraft at yesterday's celebration at Kalaeloa Airport was a yellow-and-blue 1940 Stearman PT-13 training biplane owned by pilot Bruce Clements. The aviation show will go on again today beginning at 10 a.m. Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

While the occasion was to honor the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903, Rob Moore, ground boss for the Hawai'i Aviation Celebration committee, was quick to point out that "this is also a celebration of the 93rd anniversary of powered flight for Hawai'i."

Almost unrepresented in all that abundance was aircraft from the earliest days of flight in Hawai'i. The reason, unfortunately, is that most of it no longer exists.

Kalani Ogata and Tim Cislo, two volunteers with the Hawai'i Museum of Flying at Kalaeloa Airport, lamented the loss of the most important examples of aviation history in the Islands.

For instance, Honolulu Skylark — the Curtis P18 biplane that made history on Dec. 31, 1910, when daredevil pilot "Bud" Mars made Hawai'i's first-ever flight — was allowed to fall apart over time, said Ogata. The plane's engine, which was preserved for a while, was recently thrown away by accident, he said.

Likewise, none of the four S-38 Sikorsky amphibian planes, which launched commercial interisland flight in the Islands, still exist.

"One thing we don't do well here is preserve planes that are historic to Hawai'i," said Cislo.

Still, visitors yesterday were treated to a remarkable showing of flying machines — old, new and unusual.

"Our goal was primarily to educate the people in Hawai'i to let them know they have a strong aviation presence here," said Moore, a pilot and owner of Moore Air flight school.

"And also, to have a little fun."

No one was having more fun than about 100 Boy Scouts who showed up to add wings to their aviation merit badges.

Adam Picon, 14, from Troop No. 76 in Waipahu, was one of nine Scouts who went aloft in pilot John Callahan's 1978 Piper Chieftain. Picon, who sat in the co-pilot seat and flew the plane at one point, was praised afterward by the pilot.

"The coolest thing was taking off," said Picon, moments before boarding a helicopter to go skyward again. "It was like you were floating in the air in a hot-air balloon. It was scary and fun. Totally different than flying in a jet."

Meanwhile, over in Hangar 111, a gleaming, fully restored single-engine 1947 Luscombe owned by pilot Richard Peliegrino was drawing a crowd of onlookers.

"These were made before the Cessna and the Piper companies got started," said Peliegrino. "Oh, back in the 1940s, this was the plane to have. This was actually an inexpensive aircraft. I think they went for around $3,000. I've heard they're making brand-new ones — little two-seaters like this — for around $90,000."

He said that in the 1940s there were primarily two companies making small civilian aircraft — Luscombe and Aeronca. Peliegrino, 52, once worked for a Hawai'i female pioneer pilot and flying instructor, Marguerite Gambo-Wood, who was flying an Aeronca over O'ahu on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, and dodged a squadron of Japanese Zeros moments before they bombed Pearl Harbor.

"I worked for her for five years," Peliegrino said. "We called her Ma Wood. She was a real character. She used to carry around this little bullet that went through the window of her hangar on Dec. 7 and ended up in her office."

Another highlight and probably the oldest aircraft at the celebration was a yellow-and-blue 1940 Stearman PT-13 pilot-training biplane owned by pilot Bruce Clements.

J Bennett, Clements' marketing person and pilot, has flown in the open-air biplane on numerous occasions.

"There's nothing like it," she said. "You're out in the wind and you feel everything and you smell everything and you're closer to it. You've got this leather helmet, you've got these old-fashioned goggles, and it's all absolutely incredible."

Even after 100 years, Bennett said, the biggest thrill of all is open-air flying, the way the Wright Brothers did it.

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8038.