Howard Randall:  

Life I have loved airplanes since before 1959 when I was a child. My first toy airplane I can remember I received as an award from the Olds Seed Company around 1963 for selling garden seeds to neighborhood farms and residents. It had 2 D cell batteries with a cable about 3 feet long to the left wing that ran a motor to spin the prop. Push a button on the batteries pack, propeller would turn, plane goes, “pilot” me spins and gets dizzy! Sometime later around 1960 I received a control line model airplane like a P51 Mustang with a Cox .049 gas engine as a Christmas gift. My dad and I both had mangled fingers leaning how to start it. Mostly I crashed it learning how to fly. I remember a B52 plastic display model, and some type of biplane plastic model with a small model collection. During my high school years (1966-1969) I remember my dad studying for a written pilot exam. While working on family farms, I saw small biplanes overhead doing stunts-aerobatics. What a fantastic free show this was for all the rural people! Later I discovered it was Dave Dacy pursuing his dreams as an airshow performer, sometimes now with a wing walker. My dad pursued and received a private pilot license and was part owner of a Cessna 182. I flew with him a couple of times form Machesney airport in Loves Park, Illinois. Once, about 1966, we flew to Canada with dads friends Bud Bobert, also a pilot, and Dick? on a fishing trip. The Canada airstrip was short and surrounded with forest. When departing with our full load of fish the stall warning screamed at lift-off as we climbed slowly. I was afraid when we were building speed to climb because the end of the strip seemed close. We barely cleared the trees by inches at the end of the airstrip. I remember looking down at the land...Expand for more