Stories told about their dads John Noll and Robert Chambers by Buffy Noll and Bob Chambers. Come learn more about these two Veterans Air pilots.
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Another fun, improbable gathering of Veterans Air “kids.” Buffy Noll, Bob Chambers and their spouses Jack and Diana. In Texas. On the first official stop of Gaye Lyn’s June 2019 VAE research trip.
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Amazing how 4,872 miles can roll by without boredom. Meeting special people and continuing Veterans Air research recently spread out over 33 days.
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John Noll Veterans Air Aviator … still a man of adventure all those years later! When John Noll Veterans Air aviator and co-founder turned 70, he was living in Cherry Hill, NJ. Buffy, his daughter, and her family were in Virginia. A major air show was scheduled near them, so Buffy invited her dad down for the event. What John didn’t know was Buffy and Jack, her husband, bought him flying time in a Stearman as a birthday surprise. Buffy’s description of her dad’s response, his reaction, to the flight was awesome. All these years later I’m sure she could still see the look on his face as she told the story. Beyond besides himself! “He was shaking with excitement. Beyond besides himself!” she told me, beaming herself. (Dear Buffy, if you can find a photo of that Stearman day…that would be FAB!) I don’t know the time span of
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Join our dinner party in Texas hosted by John Noll’s daughter, Buffy, and her husband, Jack. Another guest is Will Frome, son of Michael Frome. My good fortune found this daughter and son of two Veteran Air essential crew members, a pilot/founder and a navigator/journalist, living within miles of each other.
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A new treasure…a photo of Robert C. Chambers standing with our first DC-3 in 1945 while she still looked like the government surplus Army C-47 she had been. And breaking news…Chambers was the DC-3 Chief Pilot with Veterans! Bet you didn’t know that! I didn’t before today. Come see.
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An “experimental” DC-4. A high-energy group of hardworking ex-servicemen. A Veterans Air Express UNRRA contract for cargo flights behind the iron curtain. And Newark/Miami winter passenger flights. By mid-1946, the all-veterans organization was becoming recognized and starting to thrive.
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My research project into Veterans Air Express 1945 history gets huge boost. My face-to-face meeting with 92-year old Jack Stettner, founding member & pilot, reveals great stories. And his Logbook contains my “missing” DC-3.
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Rare 1945 film footage of Veterans Air Express DC-3 & DC-4. Taken & narrated by one of the founding pilots, John Noll. Listen to his story of Veterans Air first aircraft and all-important contract with United Nations. See these grand aircraft. Watch christening of the DC-4 by Metropolitan Opera diva. Do you recognize her? We need her name.
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John J. Noll was a core founder of Veterans Air with six other WWII vets, including Saunie Gravely, my Dad. Today, for the first time, I “met” John’s daughter telephonically & we swapped tales about their 1945 upstart airline. Happy Veterans Day, Dads!
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