JON WM. ALDRICH

AN AVIATION LEGEND PASSES

One of aviation history’s greatest enthusiasts was lost in 2003.

Jon first soloed in 1961, logging over 5100.0 hours in such aircraft as a Curtiss Jenny, Fairchild 24, Stearman, Fleet, Piper Apache, Taylorcraft and various Wacos. He ran a biplane rides business with his Waco UPF-7, as well as a rides business with his hot air balloons. Jon was currently at work on a 1931 Waco F-2 project. Jon soloed a Piper PA-12, but owned many airplanes such as a Funk, Navion, Cessna 175 tail dragger, Luscombe, Corben Baby Ace, Waco UPF-7, Waco UIC, Beech Bonanza, and an Ercoupe. He later sold the Ercoupe to a kid who had just moved to Los Angeles. The kid was a low time pilot and would only buy the plane on the condition that dad checked him out and gave him some lessons. The kid was John Travolta, well before he became famous!

Jon was a member of the Experimental Airplane Association, Airplane Owners and Pilots Association, numerous antique aircraft and Waco associations, he held commercial pilot ratings of single engine land and sea, multi-engine land, and free balloons. Jon also served for many years as a member of the local Airport Land Use Committee, Tuolumne County Air Sheriff Volunteer Squadron, and as a FAA appointed Air Safety Counselor. But, he was most fondly remembered by most as owner of Jon Aldrich Aviation Antiques, one of the most active air memorabilia businesses of the United States.

He started in the early 1970’s in Southern California selling WWI propellers, 1930’s helmets and goggles, WWII leather jackets, etc. It soon became apparent that he had discovered a small but strong niche market. In time, he found he could live the dream life of most any pilot: buy and sell neat old airplane stuff and make a living at it. He moved his family and business to Pine Mountain Lake Airport, CA (a residential airpark) where his business was but a few steps from his house and hangar containing a 1947 Bonanza and 1933 Waco UIC biplane.

Over the years he bought and sold items most could only dream of: a pair of gloves worn by Charles Lindbergh while he was an airmail pilot, a spare still crated propeller for the Douglas World Cruisers, the International League of Aviation Medal of Honor to Wiley Post in 1933, the list goes on and on. It was always Jon’s way to get the full background on any interesting item he bought; Who owned it? Why and how did they get it? Jon knew more about pilots and their histories from days long ago than virtually anybody, yet it was not his way to brag about it, or even talk about it unless asked. He collected and sold these precious antiques to aircraft historians, owners, museums, and people who just wanted to have a piece of aviation history. The friendly “This is Jon” when he picked up the phone was familiar to people across the world.

Jon is survived by his devoted wife, his brother (former USCG Aviation Electronics Tech), and his only child Curtiss Ried Aldrich, also a pilot (whom Jon named after a famous 1930’s propeller).

Now Jon William Aldrich is in good company with all of the aviation legends and personalities he so fondly thought of, as he is now one of them. His credo on his website is………………AND TO ALL THOSE OLD PILOTS WHO HAVE “GONE WEST”…………………I REMEMBER.

All I ask is that you remember Jon William Aldrich.

Curtiss R. Aldrich

CURTISS R. ALDRICH

I took a liking to airplanes as early as I can remember. I spent most of my weekends at Chino and Corona Airport or flying with my parents to many wonderful airports in the vicinity of Southern California. One of my “chores” was to clean the belly of our Waco UPF-7, as I was the right height to stand UNDER the fuselage and wipe it off with a rag!

I continued flying/cleaning/airport bumming through the 1980’s with not only my mom and dad, but with my grand-dad as well. Grandpa and I flew in his Cessna 140, C- 150, and C-172 frequently, going out for a morning x-c for breakfast, or just ‘boring holes in the sky’……..

In the early 1980’s dad decided I should learn to fly, so he went in partners with friend and A&P Hugh Smith on a 1959 Cessna 150. It cost $2500 for the plane in flyable condition. The next annual cost about the same, as it turned out there was a down-side to having an aluminum airplane parked out at Half Moon Bay Airport (right by the Pacific Ocean) for a number of years. Once the corrosion damage was repaired, dad taught me to fly and soloed me before the customary age of 16. Soon I bought into the Cessna 150 partnership, and had my first airplane. I flew the Cessna from our back yard to high school and college on a daily basis for about 4 years, as I had the luck of living on an airport, with both schools near the only other airport in the county!

In time I collected the usual ratings most aspiring commercial pilots do, flight instructed, but one of my really fun first jobs was flying passengers for joy rides in a restored 1940 Stearman. It was so much fun, I bought my own biplane, a 1940 Waco UPF-7. I used to tell passengers they put the pilot in the back in case we crashed! I flew it for about 7 years hopping rides across California, until I finally decided I should “get a real job”.

I hired on with Union Flights (old time Pt. 135 operator, now gone) to fly freight in Chieftans and Caravans. Eventually, I ‘landed’ a job flying DC-10’s and Boeings, but have since come to enjoy old planes more and more. One of my last projects with my dad was building up a 1931 Waco F-2 biplane. It is a complete restoration, and is 90% done, 90% to go! Flying with no autopilot, few or no radios, and using ‘pilotage’ is hard to beat!

Happy Flying,

Curtiss Aldrich