From: Gaye Lyn VAE
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2016 7:22 PM
To: South, Todd
Subject: one more “rest of the story”
Hello, Todd,
I am ashamedly late being in touch with you. But I have good news.
A few weeks ago one of our DC-3 pilots, John Schaus, whose name was not
even on my “hit list,” found out about me through your article, got my
phone number through Shea Oakley, and contacted me. What a delightful
surprise getting his phone call. I was tickled by the reverse
circumstance of being on the receiving end of a elevator speech. John
hustled to tell me his story and assure me he was not selling anything.
To complicate matters, cell reception was poor, we got disconnected, and
John thought I had hung up on him. 😀 But all ended well.
John doesn’t do computers, so he must’ve seen our story in the print
edition of the paper. He also has not yet been to my website. I sent him
a couple of hard copy pages about people that I hoped he would recognize.
Men he had flown with. And I’m waiting for him to send me a photo or
two that I could use in my announcement post about him. He’s no stranger
to your publication. He was in fact a subject of a really lovely story
that appeared May 24, 2012 when he was Grand Marshall of the Memorial Day Parade.
I’m amazed and delighted to tell you that John is no longer the newest
member of our Veterans Air family. Within the last three days I have
located, positively identified, and communicated with the daughter of
Michael Frome – and had an email exchange with Michael himself. He was
one of our UNRRA DC-4 navigators. He is is 96, born in Brooklyn, living
in Wisconsin, and composes a regular conservation newsletter which his
daughter formats and distributes for him on a blog. Beyond our emails,
I’m hoping to speak with him someday soon.
So the beat goes on, Todd. I have an embarrassment of data riches,
growing every day it seems. It is a joy and simultaneously frustrating
because I am so “far behind the power curve.” (If you’re not familiar
with it, that is an aeronautical phenomenon by which the more power you
apply to the aircraft, the faster it sinks. The remedy is scarier than
the symptom because you must push the nose down and allow the aircraft
to regain proper airflow over the wing — and, thus, proper flight
characteristics which more engine power does not provide. The closer you
are to the ground, the harder it is to believe and trust the physics of
the remedy! I’m sure an aeronautical engineer or senior aviator would
use different words to describe this. But I’ve been there once, on
approach to landing. That’s the way it was!)
Have a grand summer, Todd. Thank you so much, again, for your story.
My very best,
g.
Gaye Lyn
Veterans Air Express & Veterans Air Line
Founder, 1945: Saunie B. Gravely
Current day Researcher: Gaye Lyn Gravely
Web: www.VeteransAir.org
——————————————————————————–
From “South, Todd”
To “Gaye.Lyn”
Date 7/22/2016 11:08:37 AM
Subject RE: one more “rest of the story”
Gaye,
Glad to hear that you’re getting some responses. Happy to have
contributed something. Good luck with your ongoing quest.
-Todd