Page 6 - Sept18T

position report
by Dianne White
So That We Remember
The “We Remember Tour” kicked off at AirVenture 2018. From left, Rob Bowen, Baron owner
and tour co-founder; Buck Kern, program director for Snowball Express; and Jim Kaiser, tour co-founder.
O
slot secured for Appleton we felt confident we’d be pounding tie-down stakes by mid-afternoon. As my husband and I hurriedly loaded our plane, I couldn’t help but notice a strikingly painted Beechcraft Baron parked nearby on the ramp of our home airport (KIXD). In spite of our tight schedule, I trotted over to the plane to take a closer look. Standing nearby were the aircraft’s owner Rob Bowen and friend Jim Kaiser. Both retired career American Airlines pilots, Rob and Jim were also Oshkosh-bound, but their mission was much different.
Rob and Jim were bringing the Baron to AirVenture 2018 for the kickoff of the “We Remember Tour” honoring America’s fallen military members since 9/11. As Jim explained it, Rob initially came up with the bucket-list idea of flying the Baron around the perimeter of the lower 48 states. Jim, a retired Navy officer, upped the ante and suggested they dedicate the aircraft to fallen mili- tary servicemen and women and tie it into Snowball Express, a charity that serves the children
n Sunday, July 22, I was one of the thousands of pilots with intent of reaching Oshkosh
or one of its reliever airports. Marginal weather in Wisconsin prevailed, but with an IFR
4 • TWIN & TURBINE
September 2018