Captain Dick Sollner   

      Dick was born in 1925 in Queens, NY, raised in Brooklyn (don't let it get around). He enlisted in the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in March, 1943 while a senior in Brooklyn Technical High School. Three and a half years later he received his "Wings of Gold".
      He served three years in the Caribbean in a land based, anti submarine patrol squadron. He was designated Patrol Plane Commander in the Lockheed Neptune P2V while still an Ensign.
      After the Navy and a siege of tuberculosis he was found healthy enough to fly for Eastern Airlines in 1953. With Eastern he flew for thirty one years, the last eighteen as Captain. He flew the DC3, Martin 404, DC4, Constellations, DC6, DC7, Lockheed Electra, Boeing 727, DC8, and the last five years the Lockheed 1011 TriStar.
     Since retirement in 1984 he has been flying his Twin Comanche to such places as Victoria, BC, Portland, Ore., Mexico City, Cancun, Guatamala City, and as far as Munich, Germany via Greenland and Iceland.
      He has been an active Rotarian for fifty years having been the President of the ninety member Flemington Club. He is also a member of a pilot subgroup called The International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians which has members all over the world.
      Dick and Bill are both members of AOPA, EAA Chapters 643 and Vintage Chapter 7. Both are in the Somerville Hangar of the Ancient and Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen and also involved in the construction of a Pietenpol homebuilt, a two holer monoplane (circa 1929).
      Dick has seven grown children, two in aviation. Son John, former Marine F18 pilot, now a junior Captain with United Airlines. Daughter Anastasia, a Continental Flight Attendant with a Commercial and Instrument Rating, working on her Multi Engine Rating.
      Dick has made pilgrimages to Kitty Hawk, Oshkosh and Sun n Fun. He says his last effort will be to circle the globe.

 
                       Captain Bill Moore &   Edyth Brehmer                                   

    Bill Moore was born in Portsmouth, Va. The fourth of five children by W. Clark and Daisey Lewis Moore. He was a student at Churchland High School and for two years at William and Mary College. He played high school football but was unable to make the team at W&M. He started flying under the "Civilian Pilot Training" program, soloed on March 29, 1941 at Norfolk Airport.
    Unable to get into US military pilot training because of a perceived eye problem; at Allentown, Pa. Worked as a flight instructor of military cadets in Boston, British Royal Air Force Trans-Atlantic Ferry Command and spent the rest of WW2 flying Canadian and US built planes across the Atlantic. Planes such as The Avro Lancaster, Lockheed Hudson and Ventura, Martin Marauder (B-26) and Baltimore (A-30), North American Mitchell (B-25) and Convair (B24's).
    He flew as corporate pilot for Kaiser-Frazer Automobile company for ten years. They operated five planes to transport employees and move parts. During the Korean War they built C-119 planes that were designed by Fairchild Aircraft Company. Moore was Director of Flight Test Operations and Chief Test Pilot. When that war was over and the factory at Willow Run sold he was moved to Oakland as Chief Pilot for Kaiser Industries.
     In October 1955 the Kaiser Flight Department was deactivated and Moore went to work for Industrial Indemnity Company and Mr. Kenneth Bechtel flying a Lockheed Lodestar until that company was bought by Crum & Foster and Moore set up their flight operation at Morristown and operated their company jet for several years until he was made an Assistant Vice President of their Real Estate Department and retired in 1984.
     In 1979 he organized and operated Advance Flight Inc. providing charter service and flight instruction at Sky Manor Airport in Pittstown, NJ. He closed Advanced Flight in November 1989 after 10 years as a charter operator without an FAA violation, accident or customer complaint. Moore worked for another five years as a sailboat charter captain providing overnight or week-end sails on Chesapeake Bay.
     At  the age of 75 he retired and now keeps his flight instructor certificate active but flies only with friends. He met Edyth Brehmer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and after a hurried and often interrupted courtship they were married in Wausau, Wisconsin on May 23, 1945. They have three children and one grandchild. They live on Bissell Road, Lebanon in Hunterdon County.
    He and Capt. Dick Sollner have been friends for many years. When asked if he would like to go on a trip around the world , he didn't have to ask twice. Bill jumped at the chance and has been participating at the planning and preparation for the last few months. The departure from Sky Manor Airport is scheduled for May 17, 2002.

SEE YOU ALL SOON

 site created and produce by Manny Higazi 2002