Monday, Jun 30, 2025 |
Did you know that in order to have a healthy mind, you need to be curious? It’s as important to mental health as proper nutrition is to physical health. Curiosity is mind-fuel. It stimulates cognitive and emotional growth. Learning and experiencing new stuff make your brain function better, sharpens your memory, and increases your creativity! The best way to overcome challenges and foster resilience is to nurture a curious mindset. My extraordinary friend, Jeane Slone’s curiosity led her on a fascinating journey of discovery, ignited by a gift of a laptop and her mother’s thick blue, tattered scrapbook. Soon, Jeane forgot that selling her business meant she retired and was ‘supposed to’ kick back and relax.
Jeane grew up knowing that both her parents served in WWII, but they never shared their stories. Her mom’s career as a colonel’s admin was cut short when her pregnancy was discovered. Mom spent the rest of the war wistfully clipping news about women in service. Fifty years later, when Jeane was flipping through her mom’s enormous scrapbook, a 2-inch clipping about the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) caught her eye. That small piece of paper sparked her curiosity and started her next career. Jeane set out to learn everything about women’s roles in WWII, from building ships to flying bombers, being a reporter, a spy, and how the experiences of combat nurses varied because of their race.
New connections
Jeane’s first discovery was that her neighbor, Florence Wheeler, 87, a retired home economics teacher, was a former WASP. With Florence’s help, Jeane interviewed six WASP pilots in their 80s during a bustling, crowded local veterans gathering. She learned that 1074 brave women flew over seventy-seven different types of planes within the U.S., and sadly, thirty-eight of them died in service. Jeane quickly joined the Healdsburg Literary Guild and the Pacific Coast Air Museum to learn more. Her passion to understand what it felt like to be ‘Rosie the Riveter’ inspired her to participate in a Rosie the Riveter Look-Alike contest.
New Adventures
Jeane’s curiosity and desire for historical accuracy gave her the courage to don a helmet and goggles and climb into an 89-year-old 1941 Stearman Jenny. She was surprised when loop-de-loops and upside-down acrobatics became part of the adventure. The next trip was on a 1918 fabric-and-wood open cockpit Curtiss Jenny. Intrepid Jeane wanted to experience what it was like to fly in an open cockpit, soaring into the clouds with the wind across her face. She felt free as a bird, although the clack, clack, clacking sound of the old plane reminded her that this vintage bird was feeling its age! Jeane gained firsthand understanding of the grit and drive required by these brave women pilots. Next up, a girl has to skydive to know what it feels like to be dropped behind enemy lines as a spy, right?
New Light
Thanks to Jeane, a new perspective shines on the overlooked women of the 1940s who played a vital role in America’s involvement in WWII. Click Here to learn more about She Built Ships, She Flew Bombers, She was an American Spy, She was a WWII Photographer Behind Enemy Lines, and She was an American Combat Nurse during WWII. Click Here to enjoy Jeane’s blog.
Today, in her early 70s, since Jeane’s voice difficulties prevent her from giving lectures and presentations, she sells local authors’ books at the weekly farmer’s market. Why? Because she occasionally gets to hear a fascinating story, and who knows? Maybe the next one will spark another irresistible quest of discovery.
Curiosity not only improves our lives; it also connects us, enriches our communities, and uncovers new paths. It’s a superpower waiting to be nurtured. Take that risk! Embrace your curious spirit and go on an adventure!
by Lori Pappas
Thursday, Jun 19, 2025 |
After my adventures flying in the WW One Curtiss Jenny and aerobatics in the 1941 Stearman I caught the “flying bug” and at age 55 when had retired and was determined to learn how to pilot an airplane to enhance my writing of She Flew Bombers.
I found flying lessons in the yellow pages at Dragon Aviation at the local airport and took my handy-dandy clipboard and camera and headed out to Dragon Fly Aviation. In the tiny-cluttered building I met the owner, Bob Archibald, a former U.S. Air Force pilot with service in both the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Bob was a friendly talkative man, and I took notes as he chatted away. He founded Dragonfly Aviation school in 1981 which offered a range of flight training services. I signed up for just one costly one-hour lesson of a hundred dollars. The following week I met with my instructor, a good-looking young man who brought me out to the tarmac to board his plane. It was a small Cessna 150E and was so cute in size as compared to the large Stearman and the long Jenny.
This pilot was in love with flying and talked non-stop as I got in the side-by-side passenger seat. Up we went as I was filled with butterflies during the ascension but once we leveled off, I was enchanted by the beautiful scenery of Sonoma County as vineyards and a long windy river floated below me.
The instructor pointed and named each control and its functions. I became so distracted by the scenery below me that I couldn’t remember what the pilot said, nor could I take any notes! The short hour flew by as we landed back at Dragonfly. I shook hands with the pilot who said, “Hope to give you another lesson soon.” Once home my mind reviewed the amazing experience but realized I learned absolutely nothing! I calculated that to become a pilot I had to pay for 20 hours of flight training with an instructor then perform 10 hours of solo flights. The amount of money this would cost did not set well with me plus if I became a pilot, I certainly couldn’t afford to buy an airplane or even rent one! Still feeling bitten by the aviation bug, I fantasized about joining the Air Force then I could learn to fly for free. This naïve thought was a short-lived as I was over the age limit of 42 years old.
Thankful for the one flying lesson I worked longer hours to complete the She Flew Bombers manuscript. I called up my editor as I neared the finishing line and she told me that I needed an experienced pilot go over all the flying parts for accuracy before she could edit it for grammar, coherence, chapter and bibliography organization.
A light bulb went off and I immediately contacted former WASP Florence Wheeler, pilot instructor, and asked if she could edit the flying sections of the manuscript.
Stay Tuned, Next Time: The amazing Florence Wheeler, Editing She Flew Bombers
Wednesday, Jun 11, 2025 |
To further enhance my adventures to finish my manuscript, “She Flew Bombers” I was able to locate a used old book about an antique airplane titled: “Jenny Was No Lady” subtitle: “The Story of the JN-4D” by Jack R. Lincke, copyright: 1970. It was a fun, well-written, exciting book!
The author, Jack Lincke learned how to fly and perform aerobatics on the “Jenny” at the Missouri Kemper Military School at the age of fifteen.
He wrote that he was “hooked” on her and ended up buying one as a young man.
Jack took a three-day 1500-mile trip in his Jenny with a friend who had a ranch in Whitehall, Wyoming.
He flew it from pasture to pasture and would land close enough to garages to get gasoline to keep on traveling. They would sleep over night under the Jenny’s wing!
As they were close to their final destination the horizon turned an ominous black in a dust storm. Jack ended up whirling in the storm as the controls began to bite and he tried to land it in a pasture but flew through a fence and smack into a stack of alfalfa. He could hardly breath and was stuck in the hay. His friend was able to crawl out and went to his barn then hooked up a team of horses and pulled the airplane out.
The Jenny was totally wrecked, and he sold the engine to pay for a ticket home!
What a super awesome story this was to read!
• The Curtiss Jenny was the first and most used, mass-produced airplane during World War One from 1914-1918. Over 6,000 Jenny variants were sold as postwar surplus airplanes.
• It was not used in combat roles by the U.S. military during the war but trained most of the U.S. and Canadian pilots who served.
• It was known for being relatively easy to fly and maintain—ideal for students
Next time: My First Flying Lesson
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 |
One early morning, the phone rang, A man asked if I wanted to go up in Frank Schelling’s Jenny. With apprehension I answered, “Today?”
He said, “Frank only flies the Jenny once a year, if you want to go you’ll need to be at the airport before 8 AM.” The scary flight in the 1941 Stearman crossed my mind, but I bravely said, “OK, I’ll be there.” I threw on some clothes then phoned up my best friend of 30 years, Sivani, I asked if she could take photos of me flying in the Jenny. She enthusiastically said, “Sure that’s so cool you get to fly in one!” I sped 80 mile an hour to the airport while looking cautiously for the CHP. I got there just in time and there was my best friend of 30 years, Sivani, with her big, dimpled smile waiting to share the new adventure with me.
We joined a small crowd of men to watch the yearly launch of the Jenny. A handsome young man came up to me and asked, “Are you ready to go up?” I replied, “I think so.” He said, “I’ll help you in the Jenny, I’m the pilot, names Robin Reid.” With a shaky voice I replied, “Isn’t Frank the pilot?” “He doesn’t have a commercial license like I do.” He scanned my distraught face saying, “No need to worry, I fly commercial Boeing 747 airplanes out of the Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose. I’ll give you a very safe flight.”
I calculated that the Jenny was an 89-year-old airplane. Did I have the guts to follow through with this? Pilot Robin gave me a helmet and goggles to put on as he helped me into the cockpit of the Jenny. Frank turned the propeller and up we went. It was heavenly as we soared across the patch-work land and up into the clouds as the wind drifted joyfully in my face. I felt free as a bird. The Clack, Clack, Clacking sound it made that brought the reality of how old this plane really was.
The flight was too short as I fell deeply in love with the Jenny. Much to our surprise, the pilot asked Sivani if she wanted a flight in the Jenny. She exuberantly agreed. Once the Jenny was airborne, I saw there was another small airplane that followed it. After another person went up Frank announced that the rides were over due to not enough gas! After both planes landed, I asked about the second airplane and was introduced to the pilot, Roger Cain. Roger told me he was a professional aerial photographer based in San Francisco and conducts air-to air photo shoots from his vintage aircraft. I told him I was writing a manuscript about the Women Airforce Service Pilots, and he said he would send me the photos he had just taken of the Jenny!
You can see his photo on the cover of She Flew Bombers.
Before I left to go home, Frank proudly told me there were only 10 Jenny’s in the world that were still airborne. It dawned on me that I had just experienced an amazing once in the lifetime event.
If you’re interested in viewing more of Roger Cain’s aerial photography, you can explore his photo gallery here!
Next Time: A Motorless Flight With my Amazing, Adventurous sidekick
Thursday, May 29, 2025 |
I would like to introduce an amazing, powerful “LADY” her name is Jenny. Many of the Women Airforce Service Pilots practiced these 1918 surplus planes as young girls. I was determined to find a Jenny to describe for my “She Flew Bombers” manuscript.
I drove an hour away to the Schellville Airport and with my trusty clipboard and Nikon camera I went to find Frank Shelling’s hanger hoping Jenny would be there. I smelled a whiff of shellac in an open hanger and saw a man touching up the wood parts of an airplane. Breathlessly, before me was a WW ONE 1918 Curtiss Jenny Biplane trainer! With a pounding heart, I introduced myself as an aspiring writer about the WASPs, and owner Frank was very pleased to meet me. He enthusiastically wanted to show off his proud restored “baby” and asked me if I would like to help him move it onto a nearby field so I could take a take a photograph of it. I answered eagerly, yes. But did have some anxiety about moving this large airplane.
Frank instructed me to grab the handhold under the lower wing as he did on the opposite side, and we carefully pulled the airplane out of the hanger. It was astonishingly easy it was to guide the Jenny out onto the field, and it was awesome to see the large wingspan of 43 ft. 7 inches long. I felt the fabric wings. Frank said it was 100% cotton covered with cellulose-based dope to tighten and stiffen them. After the photo was taken, we put the Jenny back in its home. Frank asked if I would like a flight in her. I agreed with astonishment to experience this rare opportunity.
We exchanged phone numbers as I profusely thanked him. On the drive home, thoughts of my frightening flight in the 1941 Stearman flew in my head, and I hoped the Jenny would not be as scary. At home, I pushed my fears aside and with a fervor of enthusiasm, I wrote about my heroine Violet flying in a Curtiss Jenny. 348
Stay tuned for my next blog: Up in a Fabric and Wood Flying Machine.
Monday, May 12, 2025 |
After meeting my first amazing WW II woman Airforce service pilot, Florence Wheeler, it sparked the beginning of my research to write my historical novel, She Flew Bombers.
I learned that young women in the 1930’s did fly airplanes! Many learned how on fabric and wood surplus 1918 World War One Curtiss Jenny’s.
I was determined to try and find this airplane to see and feel what it looked like to describe more accurately in my book. It would be my first hands on experience, and this method would continue when writing all five of my historical novels.
I went to the Pacific Coast Air Museum in nearby Santa Rosa, CA and asked if anyone knew of where a “Jenny” was in Sonoma County. One of the members told me he thought a pilot had one in a hangar in the town of Sonoma at the Schellville Airport.
I drove there with my camera and clip board and stopped by the Vintage Aircraft Company at the airport. The receptionist told me that Frank Shelling had a restored World War One Curtiss Jenny, but he was not there and to come back on a Thursday.
A lightbulb went off in my head as I read the sign “Biplane Rides” and I paid to go flying in a restored 1941 WW II Boeing PT-17 Stearman open cockpit bi-plane.
This type of aircraft was used by the WASPs for training purposes and practicing aerobatic maneuvers. These maneuvers are used to challenge pilots to control the aircraft in unusual attitudes, improving their handling skills and situational awareness. Aerobatics training also enhances confidence and calm decision-making during challenging flight conditions.
By going up in the 1941 Stearman I could add this skill of experiencing aerobatics firsthand and write an accurate account of what it is like for the WASPs to perform tricks.
I thought about the comic strips in the newspaper and watched the television specials of the Snoopy the dog cartoon character fearlessly flying across the fields into enemy territory chasing the Red Baron across France performing many aerobatics. I was over the top excited to become Snoopy!
After I paid for the flight, I met my pilot, Chris Prevost, who was the owner of the Vintage Aircraft Company. This remarkable man was a passionate vintage aircraft restorer with over 11,500 flying hours. I told the pilot that I was doing research about the WASPs to write a book. He was as excited to meet me as I was to meet him, and Chris said he would perform extra tricks for me to experience!
We walked outside to the bright reddish-orange aircraft as a surge of enthusiasm with anticipation filled my entire being as my heart fluttered.
Pilot Chris placed a simple, thin cloth helmet on my head. This was obviously just a photographic gimmick since it certainly would not protect my head in case of a crash. He also put a parachute on me then his assistant helped me climbed up the ladder into the front cockpit and strapped me in.
The assistant hand-propped the propeller as my excitement also turned with it and the roar of the engine shot up my adrenaline level as my heart pounded. I was ready for this super, fun thrilling adventure!
Chris got in the back cockpit, and we ascended into the sky. It was exhilarating to feel the wind rushing into my face, the fragrance of the exhaust with the freedom of sitting in the open air enjoying the lovely panoramic view streaming below as the patchwork of the colorful fields soared by.
Unfortunately, that wonderful rush was short lived when the plane flew extremely fast, and I was spun sideways and upside down like a crazy rollercoaster ride. The ground became the sky and the sky the ground. The tricks filled me with rapid confusion.
I had constant anxiety that the pilot never instructed me on the use of the parachute I was wearing, plus having an asinine cloth cap as a fake helmet was worrisome. What if something went wrong in this 66 -year- old antique plane and we had to bail out? Further tricks made the G-forces press weight on my body as the vintage plane climbed and rolled.
The 20-minute flight felt like an intense hour as I closed my eyes shut for mental protection. I couldn’t even see or hear the pilot behind me to tell him I wanted to get out to end this nightmare.
Relief!
At last, it was over as pilot Chris Prevost landed the WW II Stearman and helped me out. I climbed down the ladder to the safety of solid ground my legs wobbled and shook.
The pilot with a big grin on his face asked me how I liked all the tricks he performed. Not wanting to disappoint him I mumbled, “It was OK.”
Upon sitting down inside the hanger, I gained control of myself, retrieved my clipboard and asked him what the name of all the tricks were called that we did. Chris proudly rattled off the list of aerobatics:
S turns, lazy eights, barrel rolls, loops, hammer heads and Cuban eights.
I wrote them all down thanked the owner and drove to the safety of my home.
While driving I thought I certainly was glad to have had that unforgettable adventure but would never try it again! On the hour ride home, I formulated what I would write in my budding manuscript “She Flew Bombers.”
I would name the heroine Violet, after my daughter. Besides “Violet the pilot” sounded catchy! Violet could go up in a plane with a handsome barnstormer pilot and share the same fear I had doing aerobatics. I would base Violet loosely on WASP Florence Wheeler’s flying experiences.
The next day as I typed my budding manuscript on my laptop, I discovered that writing in the first-person feels more sincere and authentic, and I could openly share this feeling with personal hands-on experiences. This would make the story more relatable and emotionally compelling for my readers.
Stay tuned for Blog three: Flying in a World War One fabric and wood Curtiss Jenny.
Photos of my adventure:
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Vintage Aircraft Company
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Chris Provost: Owner & Restorer of Vintage Aircraft
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Chris Provost
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Climbing aboard the WWII Stearman
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Strapped In!
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Climbing into the front cockpit with my helmet and parachute on!
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Heading to the runway
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Ready, Set, Go!
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Up in the air!
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The Patchwork Landscape
