World War II combat pilot celebrates 102nd birthday at Solberg Airport

When friends and family wanted to surprise World War II veteran Bob Vaucher for his 102nd birthday, they knew exactly the right spot for the celebrations: Solberg Airport in Readington, New Jersey.

Bob is one of the oldest customers at Solberg Airport (N51), dating back to the 1940s when Thor Solberg Sr. and his wife, Lorraine, owned the airport, according to Suzy Solberg Nagle, who is now a co-owner of the airport with her husband, Ed.

While he was “overwhelmed” by the surprise party, Bob told a reporter from the local newspaper, The Courier News, that “having an audience at hand, I collected myself and shared the story of first flying into Solberg in the summer of 1941 to court my sweetheart Eleanor.”

He flew into the airport in a PT13 Stearman from Westover Field in Massachusetts, where he was stationed. He and Eleanor Hooey became engaged a week after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and were married for 53 years. She passed in 1994.

To commemorate Bob’s birthday Gavin, Suzanne and Ed’s son, flew several low passes over the airport in the family’s North American SNJ 4.

“Bob requested 102 fly-bys, but the sun was beginning to set, so that goal was deferred to another day,” Bob’s “sweetheart” of 23 years, Donna Lazartic, told the local newspaper.

Bob’s adventures in World War II contained a lot of firsts.

He was the first to fly the first B-29 accepted by the U.S. Army Air Corps after it was delivered to the U.S. Air Corps 40th Bomb Group in Pratt, Kansas.

When he was 24, he was the first to test the B-29 at 38,000 feet. He flew the first B-29 combat mission over Japan. He also flew the longest B-29 mission — 4,030 miles — from India to Sumatra.

During the war he flew 40 aircraft types, including the B-17, in 117 missions. He earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses, five Air Medals, eight Battle Stars, and 13 wartime commendations and citations.

During the signing of the surrender of Japan to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Bob, as mission commander, led the American “Show of Force Flyover” of 526 bombers over the USS Battleship Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945.

He left active duty in June 1946, but remained in the reserves until 1962. 

Bob was tapped to serve as the Honorary Air Boss for the Arsenal of Democracy fly-over over Washington, D.C., which was unfortunately cancelled due to poor weather. The fly-over was to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory over Europe day.

“Bob was in Washington, D.C. for the week where the World War II planes and crew were gathered and organizing for the fly-over,” Lazartic told the local newspaper. “Bob was able to fly in the B-29 DOC on Sunday when the weather cleared.”