PEDRO RESCUE
HELICOPTER REUNION 2006
PRHA
REUNION
Windsor
,
Connecticut
Aug 3-5, 2006
POST
REUNION
REPORT
Another great reunion!!!
Several of the attendees mentioned that this was one of the best reunions
that they have attended. The
reunion was held in the
Hartford
,
CT, area due to its proximity to the Kaman Aircraft Corporation (KAC) headquarters
and plant. This proved to be a big
drawing point for several of the attendees and they were not disappointed.
We had 31 members attend, more than double the number at each of
the two previous reunions.
John McGonagle, a PRHA member and former Kaman test
pilot, did much of the initial reunion legwork, research and coordination.
He has since moved on to another position with Lockheed, again testing
helicopters. George Haliscak
and Frank Gallagher, also Kaman test pilots, picked up where John left off.
Our central location was the Marriott Hartford/Windsor Airport hotel in
Windsor
,
CT, a few miles north of
Hartford. This proved to be an excellent
choice as the hotel, its facilities and staff, were outstanding.
They really treated us great.
The large hospitality room was well stocked with all the necessities needed to
facilitate a welcoming atmosphere for the PRHA members, their spouses, and
guests. Many of the members brought
their Pedro or other military mementos for display.
We all spent time looking though the photograph albums, watching video
presentations on laptops or just sat around discussing the past, present and
future. We came up with solutions to solve all the world’s problems, but no
one was asking for our input. It was
a low-key reunion and by all accounts, a very successful one.
While some of us arrived a couple days early to make sure that everything was
taken care of, registration began in the hospitality room on Thursday, 3 Aug,
and continued late into the evening. It
was great to greet and meet old and new friends as they came into the room.
Friday was the day for our visit at Kaman—and what a visit it was, even though
the temperature was in the high 90’s and a humidity to match.
While George Haliscak conducted the group a tour of the KAC facilities,
its aircraft and hangars, Frank Gallagher gave a flight demonstration in the
Huskie. When Frank hit the starter
button and we heard the igniters snap and the T-53 turbine wind up, the group
had a myriad of emotions. Most had
not heard those sounds for nearly 35 years or more.
Sure brought back a lot of memories.
Almost everyone had their camera out taking pictures of a hovering,
flying, or autorotating H-43. Many
of us mentally graded Frank on his performance, and he did pass.
Frank and George also gave briefings on the K-Max and the Sea Sprite.
After this portion of the tour was completed, Kaman treated us to a lunch
in their cafeteria. It was during
this lunch that one of our members and former pilot, Nathan Greene, introduced a
friend of his from back in their SEA days. It
seems that his friend, Bruce Melton, had to leave his crippled F-105 via the
ejection seat out over the
South China Sea
, off the coast of
Vietnam
.
Nathan was on Pedro alert and was scrambled for the mission.
Pedro arrived on scene some time later as Bruce was floating in his LPU
awaiting rescue. As Pedro went in
and made the hoist pickup, this rescue was photographed by another rescue bird
also on scene. It isn’t too often
that we have a photographic record of any rescue.
Bruce and Nathan went their separate ways over the ensuing years
but were able to make contact earlier this spring—some 35 + years since they
last saw each other. Bruce and his
wife Sharon were Nathan’s guests and the reunion and we all appreciated their
story.
On Saturday, the majority of the attendees made their way to the New England Air
Museum (NEAM),
Bradley
Int’l
Airport
for a tour of that facility, which included both an HH-43B and a Kaman display.
A lunch was provided the group by the NEAM.
The PRHA made a substantial monetary donation to the museum.
While the museum tour was taking place, about 10 wives made their way into
Hartford
for a guided bus tour of the city. The
wives really enjoyed this tour and learned quite a bit about Samuel Colt of Colt
firearms fame, Katharine Hepburn, and many other notables and firsts for the
city.
Saturday evening culminated in the banquet which included, once again, the
POW/MIA ceremony. PRHA’s former
president and his wife, Bob and Vicki Gerstenberg, made a POW/MIA banner on a
white background, which was used during the ceremony.
As in previous reunions, this ceremony was very moving to many of the
members. Frank Gallagher was our
evening’s speaker and he gave us the complete rundown on Kaman’s current
posture and what it plans to accomplish in the future.
Not only was he informative, he was also articulate and humorous.
It was during our KAC tour that two of the Kaman employees, Alice Leong and
Scott Zeno, took many photographs of the group as it toured.
Scott and Alice put together a great photographic CD of those pictures
and also several large photographs of the group in front of the KAC H-43 Huskie.
These large photographs were given
out as door prizes to the winning ticket holders.
During the Saturday PRHA business meeting, the group decided to hold an official
reunion every two years and an unofficial one jointly with the Air Rescue
Association during the off-years. Len
Shults has offered to host our next official reunion in 2008 in
Montgomery,
Alabama
. Additionally, PRHA memorials at
the Air Force Museum in
Dayton
,
OH
and a couple of other locations were discussed.
When more information is available, it will be disseminated to the
organization.
All in all, this reunion was a resounding success and we
look forward to those in the future.
Sincerely,
John Christianson
President, PRHA
Check Out The Group Photo
This page last updated: May 29, 2008
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