2003
Speakers

December, 2003

A stunning tribute to Houston’s aviation history is in place. What began in April 2003, buoyed by support from the Houston Endowment, the Fondern Foundation, Southwest Airlines, Continental Airlines, and a variety of supports, the Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society began the stages to save and restore the original 1940 Air Terminal located at Houston Hobby Airport.

Our speaker is Drew Coats, President of this enthusiastic organization. To coincide with the 100th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight, the reopening of the restored North wing of the 1940 Air Terminal will take place. It will open to the public on December 17, 2003. This is the first phase of the restoration complete with a collection of vintage aircraft, collectibles and a gift shop.

Houston was one of the birth places of modern business aviation. In the 1920s and early 1930s, while most American companies still had policies expressly prohibiting their employees from traveling by air, the burgeoning Houston energy industry realized the value and utility of aircraft as business tools. Aircraft were uniquely capable of quickly traversing the great distances which separated oil fields, potential oil fields, and the centers of commerce and industry. By the mid-1930s, most Houston energy companies operated one or more business aircraft on important missions very similar to those assigned to business aircraft today.

On December 27, 2002 Paul F. Barnhart, Sr. donated Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar N31G to the Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society. The Lodestar is a quintessential example of business aviation history. It has been in continuous service as a business aircraft since the late 1940s. The Lodestar is in excellent mechanical condition, is licensed and airworthy.

Come step back in time, and a look into the future, while Drew Coats takes us on this exciting journey of aviation history in Houston.

November, 2003

Holly Geiger has been involved with aviation since she was 15 years old, when she obtained her glider pilot license at the Black Forest Gliderport, in Colorado Springs. She later attended Purdue University, completing a four-year Bachelor of Science Program in aviation. While there, she trained in a variety of general aviation aircraft, as well as in DC-6 and Boeing 707 simulators. By graduation, she had earned her commercial pilot certificate, instrument and multi-engine ratings, flight instructor certificate, and flight engineer certificate.

After college, she obtained her Flight Instructor Instrument and Flight Instructor Multi-engine ratings, and worked as a flight instructor and charter pilot.

She joined the FAA in 1979, as an Aviation Safety Inspector in Indianapolis, IN. She gave hundreds of flight checks, investigated accidents, and wrote up enforcement cases. She worked in a variety of positions there including Safety Program Manager, Principal Operations Inspector, Geographic Unit Supervisor, and Operations Unit Supervisor.

In 1996, she transferred to the San Antonio FSDO to take over the Operations Unit there. In 1997, she was promoted to Manager at the Houston FSDO. She is still in that position, where she leads a staff of 31 employees to oversee the safety of aviation in this area.

October, 2003

Theron Wright is Director of Community Affairs/Wheelchair Aviator for Challenge Air for Kids and Friends. Challenge Air is a not-for-profit organization that offers motivational, inspirational and life-changing experiences to physically challenged children and youth through aviation.

Theron Wright's dreams of becoming a pilot were shattered after he became paralyzed in a work-related accident in February 1994. "I first heard of Rick Amber three months after my accident," said Wright. "I received a newspaper article from a friend on Rick and Challenge Air. Until that time I didn't know of any disabled pilots who were flying." After attending a Challenge Air event in Tulsa, where he flew in Rick's plane using its special hand controls, 26-year-old Wright was encouraged to get his commercial license. "I started flight school at Oklahoma State University for my advanced ratings," said Wright. "Rick would tell me, 'this is too easy not to do. Get your commercial license and come fly with me'." After organizing his first Challenge Air event in March 1997, Wright was instantly committed to helping Challenge Air continue. "This is definitely the most rewarding thing I've ever done with my life. Rick taught me not to give up, to believe in myself and to continue striving to achieve my goals in aviation. Now, I am thrilled to be able to inspire special children through the gift of flight."

September, 2003

Ken English is a member of the Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) based at Ellington Field and currently serves as its Wing Leader. The CAF dates back to 1951 and begin with the purchase of a surplus Curtiss P-40 Warhawk by Lloyd Nolen, a former World War II Army Air Corps flight instructor. Together with four friends and sharing the cost, Nolen and friends purchased a P51 Mustang ("Red Nose")at $2,500. This began the unofficial founding of the Confederate Air Force. On January 1, 2002, the organization officially became the Commemorative Air Force.

The Gulf Coast Wing is located at Ellington Field, southeast of Houston. The membership is made up of approximately 141 members. The Gulf Coast Wing maintains and operates 9 replica Japanese aircraft (known as "Tora, Tora, Tora") and the Boeing B-17G "Texas Raiders". The organization is actively supportive and members participate and display vintage aircraft at one of the premier airshows in the country – Wings over Houston Airshow (October 18-19, 2003).

Mr. English is also a member of the Wings Over Houston Airshow Executive Committee. Professionally, Mr. English is a Principal in the Houston architectural firm Hermes Architects, Inc. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University, lives in Sugarland, is married and has three sons.

August, 2003

This month's speaker was L. Carey Howard of Emergency Vision Assurance System. This company markets a system that provides adequate levels of cockpit visibility during smoke-in-the-cockpit emergencies. He had his simulator available for demonstrations.

July, 2003

These days, getting to and from the Houston Airports can be a challenge. One of those challenges is dealing with the what seems, the never ending headache of traffic. Is that certainly any surprise? According to recent polls, people cite traffic and mobility as the major problem facing the Houston area. With the region's population expecting to grow by another 2 million people in the next 20 years, METRO has drafted a plan called METRO Solutions.

Our July speaker was Glenn Carraux, Senior Project Manager in Engineering & Construction Management with METRO. Besides being an engineer, Mr. Carraux is a great speaker! Mr. Carraux has twenty years experience in civil engineering, having graduated from the University of Texas at Austin engineering program in 1982. During his career, he has worked with the City of Austin, land development companies and several private engineering firms, as well as providing private consulting for a number of years. He has worked on projects both in the United States and internationally.

Prior to joining METRO, his most recent efforts included work as Project Manager and Designer for the civil site portion of Continental Airline’s new Terminal E at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, as well as for the Rocket’s new home at the Downtown Multi-purpose Arena. He also worked on the design of METRO’s test track for the Main Street Rail Line, as well as a portion of the Downtown Transit Streets Project.

He is actively involved with charity work, serving on the host and planning committee for the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s annual Celebrity Waiters Gala. Over the past 4 years, this dinner has raised more than $110,000 for Houston’s local MS Chapter. He was also instrumental in the publication of a book of photography, with all of the proceeds from the book being given to the Nicaraguan Children Texas Benefit Fund.

June, 2003

Our speaker for the June luncheon is Richard T. Jennings, M.D., M.S. Associate Professor.

Dr. Jennings attended the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine from 1970-1974. He completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Oklahoma Tulsa Medical College. After practicing obstetrics and gynecology for eight years in Stillwater, Oklahoma, he completed a second residency in aerospace medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He is boarded in both Aerospace Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Following the AM residency, he began work as a NASA flight surgeon in 1987 and served as the Chief of the Flight Medicine Clinic and Chief of Medical Operations, Space Shuttle. During this time, he was the crew surgeon or deputy crew surgeon on 15 Shuttle missions and provided direct mission support to 45 Shuttle flights. In 1995, he transitioned to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston with appointments in Preventive Medicine and Community Health, Ob/Gyn, and Family Medicine. He currently serves as residency director of the UTMB/NASA-JSC aerospace medicine residency program and director of the UTMB Aviation Medicine Center. He continues to provide astronaut clinical care, astronaut selection examinations, and consultation services at the Flight Medicine Clinic. In addition, he supervises the contractor physicians that support the space program at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, and at the Johnson Space Center. He serves as the medical director of the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston and continues work in the reproductive aspects of high-risk environments. He is a commercial pilot with an instrument rating.

May, 2003

Our speaker for the May luncheon is David A. Romero, P.E., Deputy Program Director for Hamilton Sundstrand's Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Program, NASA's term for astronaut activities conducted outside of the spacecraft pressure hull. Hamilton Sundstrand provides NASA's space suit hardware, logistics and provisioning planning, support for space operations and ground based testing, and analysis for any off-nominal space suit operations.

Hamilton Sundstrand has been NASA's space suit systems and space suit life support provider since project Apollo. Mr. Romero manages all of Hamilton Sundstrand's Houston based EVA operations.

Over the last 38 years, the NASA EVA team has conducted 138 space walks allowing 110 different crewmembers to complete over 1,557 man-hours of work in space. In addition, this team has supported approximately 20,000 to 25,000 man-hours of ground based training and testing. These numbers will continue to climb steadily for the foreseeable future.

Mr. Romero will present slides and talk about the past, present, and future of human EVA operations. He will touch on the development and evolution of the hardware and methods used to accomplish these incredibly complex activities. He will also give a glimpse of some of the revolutionary developments that may come in the future.

Mr. Romero has worked for over 20 years in engineering and program management, including 15 years in aerospace supporting a variety of NASA programs. He has over 10 years of operational experience with NASA's Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU - space suit). He received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Orleans, a Master of Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University, and an MBA from Rice University.