Did a Wright Brother sign your license? And does it get you a blimp ride?

Patriot Ledger ^ | Saturday, July 10, 2004 | TAMARA RACE

[Radix]

The paper itself had a few images that are not on line. Inclusive were the original pilot's License w/ Orville Wrights endorsement, and some other images of Goodyear blimps.

[AntiKev]

Ping.

[Professional Engineer]

Neat story. Thanks for posting it.

[NautiNurse]

He's a fine looking 97 year old gentleman!

More information about Edith Denny

[Servant of the 9]

Goodyear would be smart to send a blimp just to give him a check ride. It would make the National Newscasts on a slow (John Kerry) news day.

Besides, it's the right thing to do.

So9

[SoCalPol]

When my second cousin was a kid, she saw the Hindenburg
go over her house in Jersey just before it crashed.

[knarf]

Besides, it's the right thing to do.

Just needed to be said again.

[GeronL]

Their aircraft regustration is CF-SKY? Wow, this guy was a real original!! Cool.

[abner]

I would have taken him in either of my balloons....

[Mjaye]

What a cool story! Just in case, I checked, but my license was signed by J. Lynn Helms. Rats!!! But I did get to ride in the Goodyear Blimp as a kid, it was very exciting, though I was paranoid about birds with sharp beaks.

[JaguarXKE]

Vanity - Our oldest son, Shaun, has been flying since he was in Junior High School. He started in gliders with the Civil Air Patrol. Shaun's first instructor, and the man who signed him off for his glider license was Alicide Santilli. This means that my son is one degree of separation from one of the Wright Brothers because the man who signed off Al for his license was none other than Orville Wright. Here's a story about Al and his early days of flying:
Al Santilli

Al is also the guy who Commissioned our son in the Air Force last May (see picture below). Shaun is now two months from graduating from Air Force Pilot Training.

Al is a retired Army colonel. The patch you see on his shoulder is a mushroom...Al was a witness to the very first Atomic bomb in New Mexico back in the 40's.

Jag

[GreenHornet]

When my second cousin was a kid, she saw the Hindenburg go over her house in Jersey just before it crashed.

I live very close to Lakehurst Naval Air Station. Every year on May 6th, they have a ceremony to observe the anniversary of the Hindenburg Disaster. On a couple of occasions, I've had the opportunity to talk with a gentleman who lives in the area, who was part of the ground crew the night of the crash. A very interesting and fascinating person to talk to.

[bootless]

Awesome!

[JRandomFreeper]

That's pretty cool. Make sure he knows he'll have to coin his first salute to an enlisted member. The AF Academy coins are really nice.

God Bless the men that fly and fight.

/john

[alancarp]

Another BTTT for the nice story of the week. Good post.

[abner]

Very cool!

[stumpy]

I got a 30 minute ride over L.A. in the Goodyear Blimp (the one that crashed in San Francisco during WW II) When I came home from Viet Nam in 1968.

[Criminal Number 18F]

I had one of those patches in my collection when I was a kid, and I never knew what it was.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[JaguarXKE]

That's pretty cool. Make sure he knows he'll have to coin his first salute to an enlisted member. The AF Academy coins are really nice.

That happened about two minutes after he was sworn in last May. :)

[FreeManWhoCan]

I rode the GoodYear Blimp 3 weeks ago in Pampano Beach, FL. The pilot took us over Fort Laderdale beach and the trip lasted about an hour. He would turn a wheel on his right side of his chair and use pedals to fly. You can only ride it with permission from GoodYear or one of their vendors. The cabin only fits 5 of us with the pilot making six. I used to see the GoodYear Blimp fly over our house in OpaLocka over 20 years ago. It turned out that I was flying in the same blimp. The pilot and crews go to diffeent shows around the country and a truck follows them with all parts incase something breaks. What a job!