Three Kids Added


As Erral had wished, we were blessed with the births if our three children, a girl and two boys. They joined us almost on the schedule she had planned.

We had started talking about our future family in late summer, 1945.  Later, in her hundreds of letters it was mentioned several times.  On 7/6/46, Erral wrote, "..... I want three, two boys and a girl  ..... What do you think of that?" 

Then, in her letter of 7/14/46, she wrote, ".....  I'll agree and wait seven or eight years.   That is fine with me."  In keeping with her wishes, it was seven years, almost to the day, from the time Erral first started talking about the children we wanted when Debra was born.   She was joined by her two younger brothers; first Jeff, two years and five months later; then Claude in another two years and nine months.

           Debra Lea - August 15, 1952 - Portland, Oregon

          Jeffrey Loren - January 22, 1955 - Eugene, Oregon

          Claude Leslie - November 8, 1957 - Springfield, Oregon



              Wish Come True -  Two boys and a  girl


1960 - An Exciting Year 
We'd had our own plane since 1958, but by now had moved up to a 4-place Tri-Pacer, and our next adventure began.  Click on Fly-In Beach Cabin to see what turned out to be many years of invigorating weekend and vacation diversions for our family.

(to be continued -move to Salem - Board of Aeronautics years - design/ build new home)

Flying Lessons - Solo
It was close to Erral's birthday in 1964 when we took the kids to the State Fair. We were all having a good time when we came on a display sponsored by Salem Aviation, Inc. Sky King was there, at the center of the exhibit, talking to folks and signing autographs. This was exciting for all of us, and Erral was in an especially good mood. Almost devilish, she went up to Sky King and sat on his lap, telling him how much she liked watching him in his TV series. He was having fun, too, and they had a good conversation. I noticed, also, a sign advertising a special for flying lessons. Taking note, I didn't say anything until Erral got off Sky King's lap, then asked her if she'd like to learn to fly. She was extra turned on to aviation at that moment and said yes, with a big smile and her eyes glistening.

Quietly, I bought her the solo course as advertised and kept it secret as a gift for her thirty-sixth birthday on September 18. She was quite surprised and could hardly believe it, but soon got used to the idea and enthusiastically scheduled her lessons, with the first one the day after her birthday. Even with three kids, a husband, and a house to take care of, she progressed very diligently, taking at least three lessons a week. Mostly, they had to be short because she was squeezing time out of her busy schedule, even taking young Claude along at times, having him wait in the pilots lounge thumbing through old aviation magazines while mommy took her flying lessons.
 
Erral always hoped I would not be around the airport to watch as she was learning to fly.  Unfortunately, it didn't always work out, and one day I happened to be taxiing to the runway in the State airplane right behind her and Dean Meyer, her flight instructor, in their Cessna 150.  She told me later this made her very nervous and that I shouldn't have been following so close.  After that, I was careful to not be anywhere near when she was flying -- except for the day she soloed.  Dean, her CFI, had told me when he expected her to take her first flight alone, so I made sure to be at the airport when she taxied in.  It was a thrill for me to greet her, and she was excited, too.  I got to watch as Dean took a pair of scissors to the tail of her blouse to commemorate her first solo flight in the finest of aviator traditions.  It was a special blouse, one of her favorites, one she had picked to wear that day, one with lacey ruffles -- as a sacrifice -- and to show the world what a woman could acheive.   It was later displayed on the flight school's wall of fame.
 
                                                             Erral getting blouse tail cut off by instructor, Dean Meyer

Erral had accumulated 11 hours and 5 minutes of dual instruction and soloed after her 20th lesson. 

By coincidence, it was Claude's seventh birthday, November 8, 1964. It was only a 10-minute flight , but she was so elated she followed it with a second 20-minute solo flight and seemed happy with that accomplishment. From the airport -- always first the greatest wife and mom -- she rushed home to put the finishing touches on a birthday party for Claude and his friends. After soloing, Erral saw little need, nor had much desire, to continue flight instruction and going on to obtain a pilot's license. The flying, she left to me, and she was comfortable as my co-pilot -- but now was more qualified than ever.  After that, I always joked that we never needed an expensive autopilot; Erral took its place.   Flying lessons for her had  saved us a pile of money; it was an ingenious investment.


 
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