10 September 1947 – 18 September 2021

Mike Boyd – 1971

Mike Boyd – 2014

Once again it is my sad duty to report on the unexpected death of a Brother Mondonguero. Mike Boyd died on 18 September 2021 of an apparent heart attack. Mike and family lived on the south shore of Donner Lake for many years, and he had been a member of Mondongueros for some 20 years. He was compelled to move to a lower altitude about 10 years ago due to a respiratory illness suffered by his wife, and relocated to Gerber CA, in the Redding area.

Mike grew up an Air Force ‘Brat,’ as his father was a test pilot at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio from 1946 until retirement in the early 1960s, after which he worked as an air carrier operations inspector for the FAA in Burlingame CA. His mother Betty (nee Elizabeth Shea) was a test pilot for Larry Bell before WWII, and flew with the WASPs, principally ferrying P-39 and P-63 aircraft to the Soviet Union from New York, via Alaska and Anadyr.

Mike completed USAF pilot training in 1971, and spent his time in SAC as a KC-135 pilot, ultimately assigned to the special group responsible for regularly supporting the SR-71 flights.

Mike later flew the C-130 and B-707 for Southern Air Transport, and the B-747F for Atlas Air. After retirement, Mike flew for the International Ferry & Flight Test Group, principally on the B-737, B-747, DC-8 and DC-10, and flew with me regularly worldwide on those types. We shared some unique experiences flying together, including a post-heavy check test flight on a B-747 where the flight controls jammed due to a maintenance error, and another planned B-747 flight on the morning of 11 September 2001, when our pre-flight inspection at George AFB was interrupted by local security personnel with drawn weapons, advising of the attacks in New York City and Washington DC.

Mike was a voracious reader and student of military and political history, and proudly proclaimed himself to be his local library’s “best customer.”

On our collective behalf, I have expressed condolences to his wife, Dawn, and daughters. No services are planned at this time.

Dictator Gary Edwards has announced that regular lunch meetings will be suspended for reasons of the surge in the Delta Mutation Covid-19 incidence in Washoe County.

At least one member of the “regular” attendees at lunch has tested positive for the Delta Mutation of Covid-19, and whether he was vaccinated is not known for certain. We have not asked members for their vaccination status, but it is believed that several members may not be vaccinated.

Out of an abundance of caution, and based in no small measure upon the fact that we are all in the most susceptible age range for respiratory and other problems should we become infected, Dictator Gary Edwards has decided to suspend weekly lunch meetings temporarily, and also to delay the planned Annual Barbecue Event.

Therefore, the weekly luncheon meetings for Thursdays, 9 September and 16 September are cancelled.

The Dictator will re-evaluate the situation over the next two weeks, including the Washoe County case incidence reports. For reference, new cases in Washoe County on 03 September 2021 were over 1,400 news cases per day with more than 30 deaths per day. Those numbers are higher than at any time since the pandemic began.

At least one member of the “regular” attendees at lunch has tested positive for the Delta Mutation of Covid-19, and whether he was vaccinated is not known for certain. We have not asked members for their vaccination status, but it is believed that several members may not be vaccinated.

Out of an abundance of caution, and based in no small measure upon the fact that we are all pretty much in the most susceptible age range for respiratory and other problems should we become infected, Dictator Gary Edwards has decided to suspend weekly lunch meetings, and also to delay the planned Annual Barbecue Event.

Therefore, the weekly luncheon meetings for Thursdays, 9 September and 16 September are cancelled. The Dictator will re-evaluate the situation over the next two weeks, including the Washoe County case incidence reports. For reference, new cases in Washoe County three days ago were over 1,400 news cases per day with more than 30 deaths per day. Those numbers are higher than at any time since the pandemic began.

The Annual Barbecue is re-scheduled by the Dictator to be held at his home between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm on the evening of Saturday, 25 Sep 2021. This is an annual tradition that is not to be missed for both the camaraderie and good food.

Gary Senior and Gary Junior will watch over the slow cook and smoke process all day, with ribs, beans and cole slaw the always-delicious result. A modest fee will be collected to offset the cost of the food and drink.

Gary’s home is at 9230 Hidden Park Drive in the Del Webb Somersett area west of Reno. The most efficient route is west in I-80 to about the four mile marker, exiting to the right and button-hooking 180 degrees back through the gateway arch. A map of the route is set forth below. As the Dictator says, “It’s all right turns coming in, and all left turns going out”.

15 March 1945 – 31 December 2020

It is with great sadness that I must bring in the new year by announcing the death of our Brother Mike Henrikson.

Mike served as a Naval Aviator starting in 1966, flying the S-2F, Lockheed P2V Neptune and P-3 Orion. After active duty with the USN, he flew as a pilot for the Flying Tigers Line until retirement during the period when Tigers was acquired by Federal Express. At Tigers, he flew all seats on various models of the Douglas DC-8 and Boeing 747, retiring as a Captain.

A member of Mondongueros since 2012, we will all remember Mike for his intelligence and quick wit. He kept himself informed about the world broadly, and saw things more clearly than most of us, always with a mixture of good humor and insight.

Mike was hospitalized earlier in the week for pneumonia, and passed on 31 December 2020. I called Ellen today to convey our collective condolences to her and the family. She wanted us all to know how much Mike missed the camaraderie of our weekly luncheons during 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced us all into “sheltering in place.” She said that meeting with fellow aviators and talking about flying at meetings of Mondongueros and QB was a highlight of every month for Mike.

Ellen has now announced that a Celebration of Life for Mike is scheduled to take place at the Washoe County Golf Course club-house just off Skyline Drive and Arlington Avenue, for the afternoon of Friday, 30 April 2021.

Because of Mike’s close association with Mondongueros and the Reno QB Hangar, it has been important to Ellen that this event be conducted in Reno so that Mike’s many friends in the Reno aviation community have the opportunity to pay their respects.

On behalf of Mike’s Brothers Mondongueros, “Thank You Ellen!”

Mark H Goodrich – Webmaster

Mike Henrikson – 1966

Mike Henrikson – 1975

With news from the Prospector’s Club that it is planning to reopen on a “limited basis” in November, the Dictator, in consultation with several members, has again considered the best course of action for Club de los Mondongueros. On one hand, we all miss the camaraderie of seeing one another, but on the other, our membership is, by definition, in the highest risk group for complications (including time in the ICU and even death) if infected with the COVID-19 virus.

In addition, Washoe County is not only designated nationally as a “hot spot” for new infections, the rate of new cases in Washoe County is surging ahead of all other counties in the state. The CDC is warning that the national increase in the rates of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths will continue for at least another two months, and now surpasses the previous records since the start of the pandemic. This also comes with the news that the international efforts to develop a vaccine have hit a variety of “snags” that will have the effect of delaying the reasonable time frame for availability of preventative measures, and an increasing incidence of complicating long-term physical problems for even those who have contracted and seemingly recovered from the virus.

As a result, the Dictator has determined the best – which is to say the safest – course of action for Mondongueros is to remain in “stand down mode” until the state of the virus in Nevada and Washoe County allows the physicians and scientists to recommend that groups such as ours may return to meeting without creating an undue risk to the members, to their families, and to the community-at-large.

We are all crossing our fingers and hoping that 2021 brings better news not only for Mondongueros, but also for nations and people worldwide.

Gary Edwards, Sr. – Dictator
Mark H Goodrich – Web Master

                           William James Elander, Jr.                         02 July 1934 – 28 August 2020

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our brother William J. “Bill” Elander, on 28 August 2020.

Bill graduated from The Citadel in 1957, was immediately commissioned in the U.S. Air Force, and entered pilot training at Webb AFB, Luke AFB, and Nellis AFB, with his first post-training assignment in the F-100 at George AFB in Victorville, California.

Subsequent assignments were in the F-105 and F-4. In 1969, Bill was selected to join the USAF Thunderbirds Demonstration Team, where he served with our Brother Doyle Ruff.

                       Bill Elander – 6th from the left                               Doyle Ruff – 3rd from the left

In 1965, Bill spent six months flying combat missions over North Vietnam in the F-105, and in 1972, returned to fly a second tour in the F-4E. His aircraft was shot down by a surface-to-air missile in July 1972 near Hanoi, and after a successful ejection, Bill joined other airmen at the prison known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” After his release in March 1973, Bill continued with the USAF until his retirement.

We will all remember Bill as a patriot, and as a good friend with a giving disposition and a warm heart.

Bill suffered from a number of health issues in recent years, which in the months prior to his death included multiple surgeries and two strokes. He died at home, surrounded by his wife, Lynn, children Scott, Tanya and Benjamin, and grandchildren.

Plans for a celebration of life are not yet finalized. We will update the membership when details are known.

The first is: Elgen Long: “The Way It Was…” and recounts the career of Member Elgen Long from his early days in the 1930s and 1940s as a radio operator and navigator on Boeing 314 “China Clipper” amphibians for World Airways, Consolidated PBYs for the United States Navy, and DC-4s for Alaska Airlines, to his subsequent positions as a pilot for the Flying Tiger Line on C-46s, DC-4s, DC-8s, and finally B-747s.

The second is The Great Albatross Caper, and recounts the events of the very humorous last leg of a trans-Pacific flight in a Grumman Albatross, flown by Members Mark H Goodrich and Bill Charney. It not only addresses the ways in which such flights – 15 to 20 hours in length – were made before the advent of GPS navigation, but also reveals the FAA to be a home for the congenitally bewildered, which will be a surprise to no one who has dealt with the agency.

Enjoy.

11 July 1943 – 30 December 2019

News has been received that Member Terry Ermert, who had been battling cancer for almost two years, succumbed to it at his home in Folsom on 30 December 2019.

Terry flew for the Flying Tiger Line, and therefore shared many hours aloft with our substantial contingent of members who also were crew members for Tiger.

The thoughts of the membership are with Olina and their family.

David Penning  16 April 1931 – 03 October 2019

Member Dave Penning died suddenly and unexpectedly on the evening of 03-04 October 2019, of what has been characterized by physicians as a sudden and unexpected massive stroke.

Dave had been a member of Mondongueros since 2000, and was continuously active. He attended the recent annual barbecue event and meetings up to the week prior to his death, and was not apparently suffering from anything serious.

A veteran of the US Army, Taft Prep School, Yale, and with a Harvard MBA, Dave’s professional life was spent consulting with large corporate clients on issues of efficient management and manufacturing.

Members will remember Dave as an extraordinarily intelligent and thoughtful man, with a passion for aviation that spanned both gliding, and his beloved Beechcraft Bonanza.

The thoughts and prayers of the membership go out to Joyce, and to other members of Dave’s family.

Joyce has asked me to convey a “Thank You” for the thoughts she has received from the membership. The family has set a celebration of life for Dave to be held at the Tamarack Junction (13101 South Virginia Street in Reno) on Sunday, December 8, 2019, beginning at 1300. Joyce has stressed that a part of the program is set begin precisely at 1300, and therefore requests that we all plan to arrive a little early.