May 21st is our next pilot meeting at Knauz Auto Mall in Lake Bluff ( Rte 41 & 176 on SE corner ). Bill Knauz ( PAPA Mbr. ) has offered his Car Museum for this meeting and we find this location should attract the Waukegan and Kenosha pilots as well to this very interesting talk of flying the Boeing 314 Clipper Flying Boats owned by Pan American. This plane is 2/3 the size of the 747 and gr wgt is 84000 lbs and rotates at 60 kts IAS . Has 4 1500 hp Wright engines, Capt. Paul A. Johns Ret. is our speaker who todays lives in Iola, Wi just 38nm west of Green Bay. Paul soloed in 1929 at age 15 at the old UGN airport in a glider. At 18 he earned his Private/limited Commercial certificate in a Curtiss Wright Jr Pusher at UGN as well. In 1933, he flew with Northshore Airlines at Curtis Field latter known as NAS Glenview . Then on to United as a instrument CFI and to Pan Am in 1943. His last Pan Am Clipper flight with the314 was Feb.1946 on a US Navy charter. He will be busy telling about his efforts as a Airman. After all the heavy stuff he returns to the ultralites, starts building the FoxKit in 1989 and completes 11.5 months later. He is an AI as well and logs 600 hours for shear fun and sold it in year 2000. He is our kind of guy and I did hear his talk in MKE 9 months ago and loved every word. He had 150 pilots from the MKE area in attendance! I suggest you read up on this era of aviation and you will find this a very interesting and exciting . The Flying Boats started in 1934 with Pam Am.
PS: Come early and see the cars in the museum along with a few boats. That alone is worth the effort!