In Memoriam
|
David Keith Allen At 6:10 PM, Sunday, June 30, 2024 it
was reported that two Coloradans died in crash of vintage biplane
in northwestern Kansas. Their 1934 WACO YKC single-engine biplane
crashed into a field around 10 miles north of Hoxie in Sheridan County,
the Kansas Highway Patrol said. The Patrol identified the pilot as
David Allen, 78, of Elbert, Colorado, and the passenger as Jeanne
Allen, 79. Another report with pictures is available here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13593035/Colorado-couple-David-Jeanne-Allen-Kansas-plane-crash.html
The Allen's Beautiful 1947 Piper PA-11
Cub Special - http://usafa68.org/Photos/Allen/DKA_Piper.htm This article originally appeared in the September/October
2024 issue of Vintage Airplane magazine. The late Dave and Jeanne Allen of Elbert, Colorado, were well-known within the vintage community as the husband-wife restoration team whose work was highly acclaimed. Together, they devoted decades of their lives to transforming project aircraft into stunning award winners. Dave and Jeanne were a team in every sense of the word, and their matching outfits made them easily recognizable at the numerous fly-ins they attended throughout the country. In recognition of their remarkable penchant for authenticity and their contributions to the field of vintage aviation, Dave and Jeanne are the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association’s 2024 Hall of Fame inductees. Dave grew up near Fresno, in the San Joaquin Valley of California. “Aviation is my passion; it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” said Dave, “my mom has a picture of me when I was 3; I’m holding a couple of boards nailed together, and she said I called it an ‘A-plane.’ I am living my dream!” As a young boy, he’d awaken to the thundering roar of radials as crop dusters flew nearby. Springing out of bed, he’d hop on his bike to go watch the biplanes fly their aerial ballet just above the fields. By the time he was 11, he was flagging for them. Later on, Dave joined the Air Force and flew the T-41, T-37, and T-38 at pilot training. “I trained in Special Ops, U-10D, but the Vietnam assignment was canceled by President Nixon in 1969. I flew Rescue HC-130s in the United Kingdom, and went back as Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner at the Rescue school in Utah, then over to Korat, Thailand. Then I went back to Airmanship at the Air Force Academy,” said Dave, “my last active duty assignment was running the Academy soaring program, and flying UV-18B Twin Otters, part time, in the parachute program.” Dave got off active duty in 1979, and finished up in the Air Force Reserve flying C-130Bs in Colorado Springs. All told, his Air Force career lasted 20 years. Then he went to the airlines and retired from a 19 year stint with United, flying all the models of the 737 up to that point. Jeanne grew up in Madera in the San Joaquin Valley, and nurtured her interest in aviation before she met Dave. She and Dave dated for six years prior to marrying, and Jeanne knew that Dave was all about flying. The two meshed well, and their team work was copacetic, with occasional challenges. For instance, when Dave’s “git-er-done” streak manifested, they discussed the issue, and Jeanne usually prevailed with the admonition: “No short cuts, let’s do it the way it should be done.” Soaring Flight “Some aviation folks know us as Waco people, but we’re really glider and flivver people,” said Dave, “seriously – our first aircraft that we owned were gliders and a Champ.” Jeanne was a certificated glider pilot, and logged around 80 hours in sailplanes including an open-cockpit, side-by-side Slingsby T.21 Sedberg and single-place Schneider Grunau Baby II; a Schleicher Ka-8; and a Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus. By 1975, she had completed the Soaring Society of America’s requirements for her A, B, and C badges. When Dave soared competitively, Jeanne stepped adeptly into the role of being his ground chase crew – often with their two very young sons in tow. Dave logged more than 2,000 soaring hours, and established several records which still stand. He completed the requirements for his Gold and Diamond Badges in 1974, and set a number of records while flying a two-place Schempp-Hirth Janus A. In 1981, he received the Colorado State Soaring Award for the most Outstanding Sailplane Flight of the Year in Colorado. A Restoration Team was Born As the Allens transitioned from soaring to flying vintage airplanes, they bought an Aeronca Champ to fly while they were working on a biplane project. Their first full-scale airplane building project was a NuWaco T10 Taperwing, which they started in 1987. Six and a half years later, it was flying. They received the 1993 AirVenture Antique Aircraft Replica Champion – Bronze Lindy, and logged 320 hours in NX275TW before selling it. In the spring of 1999, Dave and Jeanne’s longstanding interest in soaring prompted them to complete a restoration of a 1967 Schleicher ASK-13 (N1715). Unbeknownst to them in those early days, they’d found their niche in the restoration world. The Taperwing and Schleicher projects merely whetted their appetite for more hands-on restorations. 1930 Waco ASO and Air Tours Dave and Jeanne yearned for a Straightwing Waco, and they enthusiastically launched into their 1930 Waco ASO project (NC662Y), completing it in 4 ½ years. Once finished and flying, they both enjoyed the way the Straightwing handled. “It’s not heavy on the controls at all,” said Jeanne, “When I’m holding the iPad in the front cockpit and using ForeFlight, I’m barely holding the stick and it’s just very responsive.” Dave and Jeanne started flying NC662Y in 2002 and participated in the Aviation Foundation of America’s 2003 re-creation of the 1932 National Air Tour to celebrate the Centennial of Flight. They flew their Waco ASO (#26) 4,000 miles along the route of the uncompleted 1932 tour. “It was a life-altering event; it really was. There were 80 people and two dozen old airplanes flying; it was just so much fun,” said Dave. Jeanne enjoyed the Air Tour and cherished her memories of that adventure. “We had all these people from all over the country and we were able to work together,” reflected Jeanne, “Just being in the sky with old airplanes flying together does make you feel like you were in that 1930s era when it was a lot less hectic.” Dave and Jeanne also flew NC662Y in the American Barnstormer Tours in 2006 and 2008. They kept their Straightwing in excellent shape throughout the 1,100 hours they flew it. In 2012, NC662Y received the AirVenture Silver Age (1928-1936) Outstanding Open-Cockpit Biplane award. It was Reserve Grand Champion Antique at Sun ’n Fun 2016, and Grand Champion Antique in 2017. In 2018, they flew it to Antique Airfield for the 15th year reunion of the 2003 National Air Tour. In 2021, NC662Y received the Ken Love Memorial Award for the Best Wright-powered Aircraft at the Antique Airplane Association and Air Power Museum’s (AAA/APM) annual fly-in. 1934 Cabin Waco YKC Seldom are a husband and wife so intricately entwined with multiple facets of aviation that it becomes the central focus of their lives – yet Dave and Jeanne wouldn’t have had it any other way. Their next restoration project – and perhaps the one for which they were best known – was a 1934 Waco YKC which they purchased as a project in December 2003. It had last flown in the late 1940s, and was originally owned by the State of Ohio’s Bureau of Aeronautics. They eagerly delved into the minutia of its history and restored it to that authentic splendor. “I actually was responsible for him even thinking about this project – he didn’t really want to do a Cabin Waco; for years he said it was too much of a project. But after a lot of flying in the Taperwing and Straightwing open cockpits, I thought an enclosed cabin would be nice,” said Jeanne. Team Approach The Allens long ago learned how to enhance their productivity as a team. Throughout all of their projects, Dave tackled the mechanical aspects and Jeanne focused on the “hidden” facets of cleaning, corrosion control, and research. The Allens’ tenacity and superb attention to the tiniest of details was ever-present, and when they couldn’t locate correct parts, their creativity came to the rescue and helped them devise a way to fabricate those items. They worked on their Waco YKC project virtually every day for a decade—sometimes together, and sometimes taking on separate tasks. They also carefully documented each aspect of the project by taking notes, making sketches, and shooting video and still photos—all of which came in handy as their work progressed. “Jeanne has the quality control and attention to detail that keeps me straight,” said Dave. Sharing her insight about working as a team, Jeanne said: “There’s going to be one person who’s the ‘boss’ and the other one is the ‘employee.’ You just have to say, ‘if we’re going to accomplish this project, then somebody is calling the shots.’ So I did things like running errands, researching the airplane’s history, and keeping track of all the bookwork. That allowed him to think through the process of what needed to come next, so we could keep moving on the project.” Vintage Ambassadors “We’re kind of mini-ambassadors for the Golden Age of aviation, and if we can do this, anyone can! It does take tenacity and a matter of priorities, but if you want a Waco, you can build a Waco. Do something everyday, no matter what – don’t let anything get in the way. Even if you only have an hour free, there are things that you can start,” declared Dave, “otherwise, you’re going to lose many precious hours of working on it. Don’t try to get your arms around the whole thing at once; whenever you do that, it’s depressing. Just enjoy and learn whatever process you’re doing at the time. Then move on to the next one. Remember, when you build an airplane, you know the airplane.” NS14137 received the Antique Grand Champion—Gold Lindy at AirVenture 2013. It was also the AAA/APM ‘s 2013 Antique Grand Champion, and the 2014 Antique Grand Champion at Sun ‘n Fun. It was the Neil A. Armstrong Aviation Heritage Trophy Grand Champion at the 2014 Reno – National Aviation Heritage Invitational. Additionally, this resplendent Cabin Waco received The Lyndsey R. Cunningham Award at the 2019 Morgan Adams Concours d’Elegance (a fundraiser for children’s cancer research) in Englewood, Colorado. 1947 Piper PA-11 Cub Special Dave and Jeanne’s next project was a well-worn Cub Special. They were inspired to restore it for several reasons. In 2014, they were anticipating the advent of their seventh decade, so with practicality and an eye to the future, they wanted to make sure they had a way to keep flying. “BasicMed hadn’t been approved at that time, and with new Special Light Sport Aircraft costing $125,000 or more,” explained Dave, “our advocacy was that a person, a club, or a couple of young people could instead get an old project and restore it. Then they can fly it for the cost of only 4.5 to 5 gallons of fuel an hour, and have a ball for way less than the price of a new car! So we decided to restore one that was eligible to be flown by a sport pilot, and the PA-11 fit the bill.” They also wanted to shine a spotlight on forlorn flivvers, and demonstrate that, especially when imbued with new vigor via restoration, these old airplanes provide rewarding and economical ways to enjoy fun flying. Their diligent efforts made NC4880M the “Cinderella” of the vintage ball in 2022, when it was awarded the AirVenture Classic Grand Champion Gold Lindy. They began their 6-year restoration of NC4880M right after they purchased it as a basket case in 2014. “It was more of a project – airplanes always are – than what we anticipated, mainly due to the wings,” said Dave, “and none of the sheet metal was good for anything but patterns. … [But] there is a lot of help out there, especially through the type clubs.” Gratitude Throughout their projects, Dave and Jeanne enjoyed immeasurable help and guidance from a wide array of aviators, mechanics, vendors, and individuals in the aviation community. They always made certain to give credit where it was due, and to express appreciation for those who helped them achieve their lofty goals. “We are grateful for all the people who have helped us in so many ways during each of our restoration projects through the years,” said Dave. Passion for Aviation Discipline and tenacity, garnished with a touch of Dave’s dry humor and a heaping helping of Jeanne’s encouragement, were a few of the ingredients that enabled them to attain dreams that others would have relinquished. Dave and Jeanne’s passion for aviation (and each other) never lost its luster. Their insatiable appetite for restorations continued beyond their PA-11; their most recent project was a 1929 Waco CSO (NC265M), and they also had a 1930 Waco RNF (NC862V) awaiting its turn. A Wealth of Memories Two years ago, Dave and Jeanne flew their PA-11 on a jaunt across the interior portion of the country in July 2022. They initiated their flight with a sentient spirit of adventure befitting these optimistic and young-at-heart septuagenarians, and flew 775 nautical miles from their home at Kelly Air Park (CO15) to Oshkosh. It took them nearly 10 hours’ travel time, spanning three days (counting the 30-minute flight into Oshkosh), and bequeathed them with a wealth of memories. In turn, Dave and Jeanne’s ebullient passion for aviation imbued the vintage community at large with a virtually iconic, and certainly irreplaceable wealth of memories. Poet John Donne wrote: “No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main …”. That sentiment is especially true in the vintage community. We are jubilant with each other’s successes, always willing to lend a helping hand, and cheer each other onward through challenging times…and we feel an ineffable depth of bereavement when we lose cherished members of our vintage family. The Allen’s legacy of enthusiasm and devotion to authentic restorations will, no doubt, continue to inspire individuals who aspire to achieve aviation excellence. Dave and Jeanne Allen will be inducted into the EAA Vintage Aircraft Aviation Hall of Fame in October 2024. |
Return to In Memoriam