Vlado Lenoch Killed in Airplane Crash After Amelia Earhart Festival - Atchison, Kansas - 7/16/17

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Post by RyanS » Wed Jul 19, 2017 1:03 am

The Warbird Heritage Foundation, which owned Baby Duck, is temporarily suspending flight operations following the crash. They have cancelled all 2017 airshow appearances (but I do expect some to be reinstated eventually).

More on our blog: https://airshowstuff.com/v4/2017/warbir ... uck-crash/
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Post by RyanS » Wed Jul 19, 2017 11:09 am

For those who wish to attend:
With deepest regrets, we will celebrate the life and loving memory of Vlado Lenoch!
Arrangements will be held as follows:

The wake will be held at that Adolf Funeral Home on Sunday, July 23rd from 3 to 8 PM, 7000 South Madison St., Willowbrook, IL

The funeral arrangements will be held at Saint John of the cross on Monday, July 24, at 11:15 AM, 708 51st St., Western Springs

Blue Skies and tail winds-
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Post by RFDGuy » Wed Jul 19, 2017 1:53 pm

Flyncrown wrote: Mon Jul 17, 2017 10:04 pm I met Vlado at Boeing right after we both just got out of college. We shared a friend's Steen Skybolt back in those days because neither of us had any money to buy our own airplane. We'd go places together in it together - he'd fly the leg out and I'd fly the leg home. on the leg out he couldn't fly more then about 10 minutes before doing some kind of whiffer-dill. On the way home, after about 10 minutes of straight & level flying he'd ask if he could have it for a minute...then do some more whiffer-dills before giving it back to me. It took us forever to get anywhere. It was in his blood even back then.

He then built a Pitts Special and I restored a Stinson Gullwing. He did his first airshow ever in the Pitts and I was his official announcer. When he left Boeing to take over the family business I thought he was nuts. But he knew what he was doing. I had some adventures with him and Moonbeam but not near the stories others have.

We remained in close communication all these years and have been the best of friends forever. I shall miss him dearly.

Terry
That's awesome Terry! Thanks for sharing.
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Kenny Mikos
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Post by Kenny Mikos » Thu Jul 20, 2017 3:09 am

I have a story that goes back about 17 or so years ago. Vlado would occasionally come down to fly "Glamorous Gal" (P-51D) for us or perform maintenance check flights when we needed them. At the time he owned "Moonbeam McSwine" (P-51D) and one week-end was scheduled to go to a photo shoot down at Frasca Field. Moonbeam wound up down for a rudder repair and he called Howard (owner of Glamorous Gal) to ask to borrow his plane for the week-end. Lew and I maintained Howard's collection and got the call to prep the plane for flight the next day. Turns out we needed him for a maintenance check flight anyway. I packed my camera gear (old canon film Rebel- my starter camera) to bring with the next day.

My first flight in the back seat of the P-51 was a local maintenance check flight around the airfield at KUGN. I remember it well as I had made the mistake of wearing Jeans under my flight suit, not stopping to consider the close proximity of the radiator to my posterior end. We had to land to go over the plane and complete some paperwork before departing, which gave me the chance to correct my earlier oversight. That completed, we went down to Frasca Field to meet up with more P-51's and a B-17 "Yankee Lady". This was a photo shoot for a Warbird calendar outfit. I pretty much stayed on the ground and performed post and pre-flights for each photo flight over the week-end. I put the film Rebel to use for take-offs and landings. We were both having a great time.

Before one flight, I got the bright idea that I wanted a head on shot of the P-51 flying low over the grass along side the taxiway. Vlado was more than happy to oblige and he said would call on the radio when he was returning from next the photo flight. I remember sitting in the grass loading a fresh roll of ISO800 film and checking over the camera.

The call came in and I radioed that I was ready as the excitement began to build. He rolled out of a turn in perfect position and dropped down low. I zoomed in all the way and realized suddenly that I did not expect him to be THAT LOW. My autofocus was having trouble as it kept searching between the grass and plane. IT LOOKED like he was trimming the grass and I suddenly realized that I should be prone. Not wanting to damage the propeller with my head, I grabbed the tripod in a bear hug and launched backward into the grass a he ROARED right over me. Talk about a pucker factor times 50, that Merlin sounded AWESOME!!! The hair on my arms stood up as I thought back to that moment, WOW!

As he was climbing down the wing, he was smiling ear to ear and asked me if I got some good shots. I told him I would find out when I developed the film and Thanked him for obliging. I developed the film and had only 1 far off in focus shot and the rest were blurry of the sky and then a few of the grass, but the picture that I have in my memory and the feeling of being overflown by a P-51 on the deck is PRICELESS.

I would go on to fly together with Vlado many more times and am privileged to have had him as a friend. He cared deeply about aviation and wanted to share his passion for it with anyone who showed an interest. He was very modest, a genuinely nice guy, a talented professional, and always led the way with a smile. The aviation community is a family and we will struggle with this loss for some time. He may have been following his passion and doing what he loved, but he would not have wanted to go out this way. My heart and my prayers go out to his family in this difficult time.

Kenny
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Post by RyanS » Thu Jul 20, 2017 11:10 am

Kenny Mikos wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2017 3:09 am I have a story that goes back about 17 or so years ago. Vlado would occasionally come down to fly "Glamorous Gal" (P-51D) for us or perform maintenance check flights when we needed them. At the time he owned "Moonbeam McSwine" (P-51D) and one week-end was scheduled to go to a photo shoot down at Frasca Field. Moonbeam wound up down for a rudder repair and he called Howard (owner of Glamorous Gal) to ask to borrow his plane for the week-end. Lew and I maintained Howard's collection and got the call to prep the plane for flight the next day. Turns out we needed him for a maintenance check flight anyway. I packed my camera gear (old canon film Rebel- my starter camera) to bring with the next day.

My first flight in the back seat of the P-51 was a local maintenance check flight around the airfield at KUGN. I remember it well as I had made the mistake of wearing Jeans under my flight suit, not stopping to consider the close proximity of the radiator to my posterior end. We had to land to go over the plane and complete some paperwork before departing, which gave me the chance to correct my earlier oversight. That completed, we went down to Frasca Field to meet up with more P-51's and a B-17 "Yankee Lady". This was a photo shoot for a Warbird calendar outfit. I pretty much stayed on the ground and performed post and pre-flights for each photo flight over the week-end. I put the film Rebel to use for take-offs and landings. We were both having a great time.

Before one flight, I got the bright idea that I wanted a head on shot of the P-51 flying low over the grass along side the taxiway. Vlado was more than happy to oblige and he said would call on the radio when he was returning from next the photo flight. I remember sitting in the grass loading a fresh roll of ISO800 film and checking over the camera.

The call came in and I radioed that I was ready as the excitement began to build. He rolled out of a turn in perfect position and dropped down low. I zoomed in all the way and realized suddenly that I did not expect him to be THAT LOW. My autofocus was having trouble as it kept searching between the grass and plane. IT LOOKED like he was trimming the grass and I suddenly realized that I should be prone. Not wanting to damage the propeller with my head, I grabbed the tripod in a bear hug and launched backward into the grass a he ROARED right over me. Talk about a pucker factor times 50, that Merlin sounded AWESOME!!! The hair on my arms stood up as I thought back to that moment, WOW!

As he was climbing down the wing, he was smiling ear to ear and asked me if I got some good shots. I told him I would find out when I developed the film and Thanked him for obliging. I developed the film and had only 1 far off in focus shot and the rest were blurry of the sky and then a few of the grass, but the picture that I have in my memory and the feeling of being overflown by a P-51 on the deck is PRICELESS.

I would go on to fly together with Vlado many more times and am privileged to have had him as a friend. He cared deeply about aviation and wanted to share his passion for it with anyone who showed an interest. He was very modest, a genuinely nice guy, a talented professional, and always led the way with a smile. The aviation community is a family and we will struggle with this loss for some time. He may have been following his passion and doing what he loved, but he would not have wanted to go out this way. My heart and my prayers go out to his family in this difficult time.

Kenny
Yep, definitely sounds like Vlado! What a guy...
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Post by RyanS » Fri Jul 21, 2017 12:04 am

The passenger, Bethany Root, is establishing a fund in her memory to promote aviation among women. They are asking for donations via a GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/rootfund

Here is the entire post on Facebook
First, the family and friends of Bethany Root would like to express their gratitude for the outpouring of support, love and understanding, it has been incredible! Whether it was food being delivered, pilots pitching into help, people offering to work ground crew or just one of the many emails or text message offering comfort and condolences, they were all welcomed and appreciated.
The family and friends of Bethany would like to inform the community about her arrangements, celebration of life party and a very special opportunity that you may choose help us with. There is a foundation being set up to continue her legacy in aviation.

It is understandable that most of you won’t be able to attend the funeral this Saturday July 22nd in Warren, Ohio. However you are all invited to her celebration of life hangar party on Saturday July 29th at 7pm located at the Amelia Earhart Airport here in Atchison KS. The address is Amelia Earhart Airport, 16701 286th Road, Atchison KS 66002.

It was very common to find Bethany, Russ and the rest of the airport gang decompressing on the tarmac after work at the airport while watching the sunset. It seems fitting that we share in that same simple pleasure which Bethany enjoyed so much.
There will be light hors d’oeuvres and beer available for refreshments. You are welcome to bring your own thirst quencher along and a lawn chair too. Stay for awhile to enjoy pictures videos and stories about Bethany. The event is come-and-go and we hope to see you there.

In lieu of flowers or plants, please consider a gift that will give back by supporting Bethany's Foundation at RootFund.org

Bethany's Obiturary:
Atchison, KS- Bethany Lynn Root, 34, of Atchison, Ks. passed away in a plane crash on July 16, 2017. Bethany was born April 8, 1983 in Warren. A graduate of Maplewood High School and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, she was a brilliant student and actively involved in student organizations and athletics.

After an entrepreneurial run at a custom motorcycle shop in Indianapolis and teaching special education at an inner city charter school, Bethany discovered her passion for aviation with friends in St. Joseph, Mo., and trained to become one of a small handful of female agricultural pilots (crop dusters) in the country eventually holding an interest in McElwain Ag Sprayers of Wathena, Ks. Last year, Bethany became manager of the Amelia Earhart Airport in Atchison, Ks., where she dreamed to restore vitality in not only the airport, but also given honor to its namesake through air shows, fly-ins, and special events. There were no places Bethany enjoyed being more than in the skies and around friends at airport hangers. She hoped to inspire and empower future generations of girls and women to become aviators by serving as a role model, mentor, and educator to let nothing stand in their way of taking flight.

An inspiration to all she met, Bethany will be remembered for her beautiful smile, free spirit, infectious energy, and belief that the sky was truly the limit.

Surviving are her mother, Sallie of Indianapolis; two brothers, Grayson of Cortland and Jameson of Indianapolis; sister-in-law, Jenn; nephew, Easton; aunts and uncles Diane Emery of Cortland and Linda and Gary Fincham of Warren.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Charles and Margaret Fulks of Warren.

Calling hours will be from 5 to 8 p.m., July 21, 2017, at Staton Borowski Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am Saturday at the funeral home.

Bethany will be laid to rest at Pineview Memorial Park in Warren, OH.

Her family is seeking to honor her legacy and passion for flying by developing the Bethany Root Memorial Fund to support education, training, and initiatives for girls and women interested in aviation. Contributions may be made at RootFund.org.
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Post by Airplanefreak2000 » Fri Jul 21, 2017 1:47 am

Here are some photos that span a decade of seeing Vlado. I still can't believe he is gone. He will be missed greatly.
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Post by Airplanefreak2000 » Fri Jul 21, 2017 1:48 am

a few more :(
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Gregory Ashton
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Post by Gregory Ashton » Fri Jul 21, 2017 6:03 pm

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Dayton 2016
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Cleveland 2016
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Cleveland 2016
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Clevealnd 2016
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Post by RyanS » Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:13 am

Thank you everyone for the continued tributes. With the Oshkosh craziness it is too easy to forget that this happened and so recently.

Here is video of the missing man flyover for Vlado today. I saw these Mustangs come back into OSH after the flyover. There is also a memorial to Vlado in the Mustang field on the AirVenture grounds. We'll have photos of that hopefully soon.

https://www.facebook.com/annabean37/vid ... 315136134/
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