Randy Sohn

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Clay, thanks much for that stuff/reply! Been just'a perusing all the replies here and concur, we used to have one parked up at the MSP Air Guard's museum (static display) but they (USAF) came and moved it to Wright-Patt at Dayton (IIRC). And yup, that special fuel and the tanker requirements were a large part of what killed the program. One memory I have of it was when I went over to Farnborough (London) for their airshow one year (1974 ? meb'be) and they announced over the loudspeakers that one had just left the east coast of the US, seemed like a very short time later and I watched it land. And towed into a hanger out of sight - right now!!! best, randy

Bill was a great guy! I had him as F/O several times at NOR, I was in the 109th at MSP. Sure never imagined that I'd end up flying 747s to Europe and Singapore and Seoul. A BTW here, I was looking on here for that deal about corn tassels and seedcorn, figured this one should go on there. https://vimeo.com/69854648 best, randy

Tassels. Be great if someone here who can type well would tell'ya 'bout the crews of summertime employed kids "detasseling" corn in the seed corn biz. best, randy

That's how you can tell how high you are. "Tickle the tassels". best, randy

Chuckle, nope, I was just writing on the computer forum (AVSIG) about that one. Nope, I was in management then and was sent down there to investigate that deal and to ferry that airplane back home after they'd changed the prop/engine. The guy (Mooney Co. test pilot from San Angelo) was riding in back in 1-A when Dan struck that guy wire. Ah-so, found it that I'd written, here's a copy: ----------------------------------- Lucky - (on 2nd thought make that read REALLY LUCKY) guy! We had one hit KELO-TV's once at FSD, if it hadn't been with a 580 (than God for steel prop blades) it'd been all over! He managed to land it at FSD, no injuries, and a couple of days later (they changed the prop and engine) I ferried it back here. It always had slight kink in the nacelle's skin that you could see if (1) you knew where to look and (2) the sunlight's angle was just right. Still remember getting out there the next morning to investigate that deal, found the tower laid out to the east with about 1500' of twisted orange and white steel in the cornrows of a field starting at the former foundation! And still recall our system chief pilot commenting - "Lordy-lordy, he just missed it AGAIN and would'a hit it again on the way back to the airport it it'd been upright" (thundertorms out there that night.)best, randy --------------------------------------------------- And those two 25s were Floyd Howerton's sprayers and, I think I recall, he dismantled them at Papillion. best, randy

Lotta memories here about both SUX and OMA. Earlier memories about hauling fat steers to the SUX stockyards. And the noon meal at the Exchange Building there in the stockyards. And of the Miller-Kidder Chev dealership downtown where I got my Cushman motor scooter. And he was absolutely right, the flood was in 1952, I'd graduated from HS (Okabena , MN) in 51 so had the time to do that. Then leaving farmlife to enlist in the USAF in 53. And later, applying for cadets and pilot training, then later again, leaving west Texas instructing in B-25s and being stationed at Offutt AFB and living in Bellevue, NB. And then again, later, leaving the AF and going to North Central Airlines and flying over all those places (among a lot of others <g>) in NB. best, randy

Bye. best, randy

You caused me to remember nuth'r time, used to always stop at the truck-stop in LeMars for a Maid-Rite. Also made me remember Wagner, Garrison & Abbot Commision firm at the stockyards. best, randy

Chuckle, you made me recall Paul Harvey at the "World's Greatest News" station. best, randy

Biggest memory I have was going down there 1n 1951 to volunteer work in the Missouri flood that year and standing on a hill there and being unable to see the other side of the river! best, randy

Concur, sure did me! best, randy

Hey man, thanks! I'm also try'n to think if meb'be there were other colors besides the black or maroon? Couple points: Yours said older hand crank, actually it might be older or it could be newer, impossible to say from here, have to look at the serial #. Before the REA electrified the farm areas we had no electricity and therefore the hand crank one, could've been either way age-wise. And 2nd, that "IH McCormick deering one", in actuality the brand was prolly either an "IH McCormick" or a "McCormick-Deering" or "IHC" one. In about 47 or 48 the Int'l Harvestor Corp. added that IH logo to the McCormick after the Deering was dropped/gone (note earlier H's and M's as compared to the later ones). best, randy

Boy-oh-boy, now you got me to wondern'. Thinking back, 2 colors, dark maroon or black? One machine has the crank (click-clack-click-clack <g>) and one has the electrical motor on the back. Was it the milking machine that I was thinking of? Nope, I think not, that was a Surge. Was the DeLaval a separate machine line? Or, did McCormick-Deering sell the DeLaval's? I just don't remember now and all those who were doing it when I was a farmkid are gone now. best, randy

And the two DeLaval cream separators, one electric powered and the other one crank. best, randy