By BRUCE TROXELL
Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation (AADF) dedicated the newest member of its four-Stearman fleet, the Spirit of Wisconsin, on June 19, 2019, at its new home base, Stevens Point Municipal Airport (KSTE).
The restored 1943 veteran Stearman stood proudly by Old Glory as local dignitaries honored those who worked so hard to make the Spirit of Wisconsin a reality.
AADF presented the Spirit of Wisconsin’s first Dream Flight to 95-year-old World War II veteran Eddie Lamken. Eddie’s transformation following his initial Dream Flight in 2016 was amazing and it inspired a family and a community to raise more than $125,000 to purchase the biplane once used to train aviators during World War II, according to foundation officials.
“Eddie was wheelchair bound by choice and had given up on life,” says his son, Dave. “However, after he took his Dream Flight, he was smiling from ear-to-ear and hasn’t been in a wheelchair since.”
Dave Lamken and his family led the fundraising campaign to raise $125,000 to buy the World War II biplane so other veterans and families could experience the joy and magic of a Dream Flight.
“The effect it has on veterans and families is life-changing,” Lamken notes.
Dave had the honor of cutting the ribbon officially dedicating the Spirit of Wisconsin to Midwestern veterans and their families.
When asked about Eddie’s reaction to the flight and the day’s events, Dave said, “Eddie is 95 for this flight and was so happy and proud to see the plane. He cried when he saw we purchased a Name on the Plane sponsorship for him. This wonderful central Wisconsin community came out in the hundreds to support the dedication and veterans flying. It was amazing to see all the people, the stories being told, tears being cried, and the overall love, pride, and joy being displayed.”
Eddie’s story isn’t unusual. Cheryl Jakusz, a resident programs director at a Stevens Point senior living community, shared that after Richard Hahn’s Dream Flight, he is “totally different.” The 78-year-old didn’t talk much and didn’t come out of his room much, except for dinner.
“This flight made a huge impact on him,” she reports. “He’s happy and talking a lot.”
The day after the Dream Flights in Stevens Point, the Spirit of Wisconsin, with AADF founder and third-generation Stearman pilot Darryl Fisher at the controls, left on a seven-stop dedication tour of Wisconsin that ended in a week-long visit to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019. Tour stops included Waupaca Municipal Airport, JetAir in Green Bay, Regional Airports at Chippewa Valley, La Crosse, and Dane County, and the Waukesha County Airport.
Restoration
The road to those Dream Flights in Stevens Point began in June 2018, when Fisher and Karl Gratriex, a volunteer mechanic, visited Roland Garlinghouse in Heber Springs, Arkansas. They were there to inspect Garlinghouse’s 1943 Stearman, a biplane once used to train aviators in Minneapolis during World War II.
The inspection and flight test went well and, after agreeing on a price with Garlinghouse, his former Stearman became the new Spirit of Wisconsin. Fisher and Gratriex returned to Heber Springs later that summer to pick up the Stearman.
The pair then flew the Stearman to Nevada, where 14 volunteers from Nevada, Oregon, California, and Texas spent the next seven months restoring the Spirit of Wisconsin. Some of the volunteers worked in the hangar just outside of Carson City, Nevada, where the airplane was stored, while others worked remotely restoring, packaging, and shipping parts to be installed on the airplane.
Restoration work included removing and replacing everything from the firewall forward with overhauled or new parts. A new 275 horsepower Jacobs R755-B2M engine with a new Hamilton Standard constant speed prop was hung on the engine mount to give the old airframe a little more get up and go than the previous 225-horsepower Lycoming.
The inside of the fuselage was completely stripped, inspected, repainted, and rewired. The seats were refurbished and new seat belts installed. New instrument panels, with all-new instruments, new radios, and a new transponder, were fabricated and installed.
Other mechanical items, such as landing gear, brakes, wheel bearings, and tail wheel were disassembled, inspected, and overhauled.
The restored Spirit of Wisconsin made its first test flight on June 2, 2019, and, except for a few very minor issues, passed the test with flying colors. The restored Stearman was declared ready to join AADF’s fleet to give back to those who have given.
Ready for Work
Fisher and co-pilot Darryl Smith took off from Nevada on June 11, 2019, heading for Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Other than meeting up with the Golden Knights, the U.S. Army’s Parachute Team, at a refueling stop in Casper, Wyoming, the trip was uneventful, giving the pilots the opportunity to enjoy great views of the upper Midwest scenery.
The Spirit of Wisconsin arrived at Stevens Point Municipal Airport on June 13, in plenty of time to give Eddie Lamken and his fellow senior veterans their Dream Flights — the first assignment in the 76-year-old Stearman’s latest tour of duty.
As AADF’s squadron of Stearmans grows, it becomes more apparent that a Stearman is the perfect airplane to carry out AADF’s mission of “Giving Back to Those That Have Given.” And Darryl Fisher knows why.
“It’s fun to fly,” he says. “It’s just an awesome experience with the biplane, the open cockpit. Whether people trained in them or not, and frankly it doesn’t matter what your age is, it’s just sort of a historic plane. People love it.”
You can watch a video about the Spirit of Wisconsin Dedication and Inaugural Dream Flight on YouTube.