N5000E with Aero Service Corporation

Aero Service Corporation (and N5000E)

[This page was started for details on a particular DC-3, but which has expanded into a page about Aero Service Corp.]

In March 2005 Robert Welshe wrote me:
"I read your website with great interest, particularly with respect to the DC-3 I knew as N5000E, when it was with Aero Service. Originally Aero Service Corp, Philadelphia Pennsylvania and operating from the North Philadelphia airport then Aero Service Division of Western Geophysical in Houston.
Although Aero Corp had had previous DC-3's in the 1950's, N5000E was the 1st of 4 DC-3's set up with alkali-vapor magnetometer systems in the middle 60's and through to the early 80's. As has been pointed out, these aircraft had two sensors towed on stainless steel coaxial cables. One sensor was about 100 feet below, the other about 300 feet below and both were vertically aligned to measure the difference in magnetic field intensity at two heights. The 'birds' were some 250 feet or more behind the aircraft. At an early stage, in order to fly during periods of minimum turbulence in Texas, the aircraft flew at night, using an infrared tracking camera [liquid nitrogen and all!] and had two B26 landing lights under the fuselage illuminating the 'birds'in an attempt to make their presence known to light aircraft. Fortunately, this practice was not continued. This was in 1968.
As it turns out, two of these DC-3's are now in the vicinity of the airport in Tamanrasset, Algeria. Both crashed there. N7119 crashed after losing an engine just after takeoff and did not make it back to the airport runway. All the crew survived ok. This was in ~~1974~~ 1973 as I remember.

Dave Fenwick reacted on the N7119 crash as follows (sent Dec.2007):
N7119 at Tammanrasset Just to set the records straight, the crash of Aero Service D.C.3 N7119 occurred on 17 June 1973, at Tamanrasset,Algeria.
Flight crew on board were: Left seat Jim Bennett, right seat Dave Fenwick, electronics operator Mike O'Connor.
Three pilots were working this survey: myself (Dave Fenwick), Jim Bennett, and the late Warren Kuech, all captains.
We flew a schedule of L seat, R seat. day off.
We lost the right engine on take off without enough distance to stop... Due to very rough terrain we made a left turn out and attempted to return to the airport. Unfortunately while trying to climb over a rather large rock hill, the aircraft stalled and we smacked the top of it. We then had a spectacular and very rough toboggan ride to the bottom of it, leaving the right engine behind to follow us down! The left engine departed the wing as we slid to a stop and after passing through and partly under the fuselage, ended up behind the right wing.
We had nearly 1.000 gallons of fuel on board, which was now pouring out of ruptured tanks... Luckily with no hot engines left there was no ensuing fire.
We all had mainly minor injuries and departed Tamanrasset the following day for medical attention.
Dave.

Dave Fenwick wrote, when he sent these 2 photos in March 2008:
"N7119 in its last resting place. Please note the engine on the right is the left eng, the one on the left is the right engine"

N189UM crashed on landing on a ferry flight from the US to Africa enroute to a job with a ferry crew. All the crew were ok. I have trouble remembering the year, but it was around 1976 (Herman Buttigieg offered the date: 07Apr78). Ironically, Aero also bellied in an Aero Commander 680F at Tamanrasset just after takeoff, in 1973, but it was repaired and returned to service. The density altitude was a factor at this airport, but not a good excuse. This was during a period when N7119 and two Aero Commanders were in the country for approximately 3 years doing a very large geophysical survey.
All of Aero's DC3 aircraft had fuel tank capacity beyond the 'standard' 800 gallons, but N5000E had the best setup, and was a kidney buster with it's 1200 gallon capacity. N5000E was the most traveled of the fleet. It had worked in Adak, at the end of the Aleutian chain, and also in Tiera del Fuego, as well as Niger and Mauritania to name a few places.
Canadian Aero [later Spartan] had a fine history, and I spent a spring at Canadian Aero in Ottawa in the late 1960's.
I worked for Aero Service from Sept 1961, when I joined them in Australia [also with another old R4D], then through Philadelphia between field assignments and then heading the equipment development through it's time in Houston until the remnants were sold off in August of 1990. It was a great time. Amongst other aircraft, we also operated two Douglas B26 Invaders during this time, and a Caravelle 6R N1001U bought from United Airlines and used as a platform for Synthetic Aperture Radar for mapping purposes. All of Brazil was imaged with this system, as was large areas of Indonesia the Philippines , all of Liberia, Gabon and Japan, and many areas in the US and elsewhere.
Aero's aircraft fleet had included B17's, PBY's and even a couple of P38's before I joined them. The company was actually founded in 1919, and got involved in aerial photography and photogrammetry in the 30's and then immediately after WWII in geophysical work with the magnetometer developed by Gulf Oil. Aerial photography was the dominant business until the late 50's, when geophysics became dominant. A Canadian division was setup during this time, Canadian Aero Service, later sold to Spartan Aerial Services.
The last B17 was still there when I came to Philadelphia and then was sold to the Confederate Airforce. It had been used for high altitude photography and then in it's last missions as a laser profiler during the early 60's."

"I joined Aero in 1961 [Sept] and worked in Australia until 1965. Then I moved elsewhere in the world, including the Middle East. I was in / out of Philadelphia in the middle late 1960s and 1970; moved to Houston with the merge with Western Geo in 1973 until the demise of Aero in August 1990. About people: I remember I worked with Bud Thomae [Pilot], Harry Hughes [mechanic ex TapCo and Aramco] and others."
Thanks Bob!

Tom O'Malley wrote me in August 2006-
"What a surprise, I came across your website when I googled Aero Service just to see if it still existed... Since you are familiar with 'Aero' and 'Canadian Aero' you are probably familiar with the name Tom O"Malley: my father. The Aero sites are a real nostalgia trip.
As a child I met the late great Virgil Kaufman, he was legendary even then. Some of my earliest memories are of flying between Ottawa and Phily in one of those old Dacks peering down the camera hole.
Did you know Bob Reckoweg, Bill Deslaurier, Tom Rowlands, etc.? As a kid my summer jobs included EM surveys in the arctic ( single engine Otter ), airborne mag in Utah, Idaho ( Aero Commander ) etc..
Well, thanks for the trip, many fond memories.
Tom O'Malley

Tom further clarified:
"Virgil Kauffman was a veteran WW I pilot. He went to work for Aero in 1919 an subsequently bought the company in 1924. He, and his contemporaries, were instrumental in developing the art of photo-interpretation, and the field of photogrametric engineering.
Before the U.S. entered WWII, several Aero staff, my father included, were sent to London on diplomatic passports for technical aid in photo-interpretation - this work had a direct impact on the Normandy invasion.
Yes, the people mentioned above were all Aero Corp personnel; they, and many others had remarkable stories. E.g. Bob Reckoweg ( pronounced Rekaway ) was an American fighter pilot, shot down in the English Channel, and who obviously survived!
Canadian Aero was started by my father (c.1950 ). Their primary job then was to photograph almost the entire country using surplus B 17's from which platt maps were made by what was then known as Energy Mines and Resources Canada.
As the 1950s progressed, there was frentic airborne mineral and oil exploration. It was a golden age for the industry. By the way, for any historians out there, if you google Aero Service Corporation Philadelphia Pa. you will find extensive archives of interesting and historic arial photographs documenting many events of the early and middle 20th century."
Thanks Tom!

Mike Barrett is also an old hand at geophysical surveys; while he wrote on the subject of DC-3 C-FSAW, he also shared some general sentiments on this subject:
"I was on the geophysical survey in Iran where C-FSAW crashed back in 1977.
These were long flights, usually each over 10-11 hours each. For these flights, we always took full fuel and even had an additional 260 imperial gallon fuel tank inside the cabin. Along with all the survey gear which was a lot heavier back then, it was a really heavy bird!"

"I am still involved in airborne geophysical survey and earlier this year we completed an oil-mag survey for Shell in Libya. I had heard of a WWII bomber that had become lost there perhaps in 1942, I think. I’d hoped that our survey area would take us near the crash site but this was far from where we working, out near the Egyptian border. The name of the aircraft was the “Lady be Good.”
I think it was discovered by some Pommy seismic surveyors in the 60s sometime.
Apparently, the crew had attempted to walk out but had never made it.
But I have flown over another lost DC-3, this time up in Irian Jaya. It was also lost back in WWII while flying over the high mountain range that traverses New Guinea and Irian.
There had been survivors including an Aussie nurse, but the wreckage (with occupants) was also only found in the 60s when the Freeport Mining geos were exploring up there.
I have been in airborne surveying since 1974, and although I do little actual flying today, more design and testing of electromagnetic equipment, I still enjoy the travel aspect of the business.
This industry has more than its fair share of stories and I think a very good book could be written on the subject. Airborne surveying began just after the war and used modified old sub-hunter magnetometers to look for minerals. A large variety of aircraft have been used for this purpose, beginning with the old war-birds of course.
Personally, I must have flown in perhaps 30+ varieties of fixed and rotor-winged aircraft over the years.
It also has a risk factor associated with it. We ourselves lost an aircraft in Namibia only last year. V5-AAG, a Cessna 210, and to this day we still do NOT know the reason why (the equipment now is much smaller and lighter and we can now do a better job using a Ce.210 than we ever could with an old DC-3!)
With regard to the airborne risk factor angle, I can personally attest to a few of them…
Getting lost (in pre-GPS days):

Power lines

Jet fighter interception

Rough mountain terrain

"Bird" towing cable getting tangled around control surfaces

Interception by Law-enforcement Rambos..

Over-flying of international borders by accident

Military area infringement by accident

Onboard electrical & engine fires

Engine failure

Poor mountain weather (cloud & winds)

Helicopter tail-rotor failure

Gunfire from the ground

Running low of fuel

Pilots overstressing their aircraft…

To mention just a few that I now recall off the top of my head...
Thanks Mike !

During Nov.2006 Doug Morrison wrote me:
"Many years ago now, somewhere in March or so 1965, I flew on an aerial survey test flight (being one of many in my life); it was in the DC-3/RD-4 VH-MJR (ex N9032H) and it was along the south coast of Tasmania, Australia.
It was not such an important flight, but I thought I should let you know that when I stumbled across your website recently and sighting some submissions by persons I have met or worked with, I couldn't resist sending the accompanying image of Bob Welshe on board VH-MJR...
I have maintained my interest in the history of the aerial survey companies Aero Service, Canadian Aero, CGG, Geoterrex, etc. And I really have found it interesting that I have worked with your three correspondents who have discussed the Aero Service DC-3s with you i.e., Bob Welshe, Tom O'Malley Jnr and Mike Barrett."
Doug Morrison

David Owens wrote me in March 2007:
"Our company purchased most of the aerial negatives and hired most of the photo-lab personnel from Aero Service as well as most of the photo equipment from that day. We have negs dating back to the 1920's and 1930's from the Philly days to last present...
I stumbled across your article about the planes in a search for a turbine Commander for lease with camera port(s).
Go to www.aerialviewpoint.com if interested in what has become of the last days...
David Owens
Aerial Viewpoint
N14AV
AC-500A-Colemill

Aero Service and (world wide) survey flights also feature as subjects in Allan MacNutt's interesting book, about his varied flying career: Altimeter Rising (written with Norman Avery, published by Mac's Aviation Books in 2000; subtitled "My 50 years in the cockpit". Recommended reading!

Received following request in Oct.2007:
"I am putting some history together of my Dad (about to be 86 this oct.2007). He was a HUMP pilot during WWII, then worked out of Saudi Arabia for Aramco for 8 years and later for Aero Service photographing all of Egypt in 1961.
My Dad's name is Foster "Mac" McEdward. He flew for 54 years and was fortunate to fly a DC-3 N8009 for the last 20 years of his career. He was a member of the Hump Pilots Association for many years. Anyone out there remember him? He would love to hear from you all.
Dad is now 86 and resides in Vermont where he has called home for over 60 years. I also live in Vermont and would be happy to relay any information / reactions.

Do you have any suggestions as to where I can find out more about the Aero Service and people who worked for them during the early 60's?
Pennie Rand

ANYONE???

Jim Peden replied:
"I flew N8009 for almost 3 years with Foster MacEdward. At the time it was owned by International Shoe Machine Corporation. Captain MacEdward is still going strong in his 80's and lives in Middlebury, Vermont, where the plane was often taken for service.
Prior to that, it was the flagship of Johnson & Johnson during the 1950's and before that was used by China National Aviation Corporation. The "chung" or Chinese symbol for "Center" or "Central" was preserved on the aircraft."
Jim Peden

In Nov.2007 I received following email from Dave Rowlands, good to see the trail continues:
I have just crossed your 5000E & Aero Service Corp site which includes reference to Canadian Aero Services Ltd. started by Tom O'Malley. My father, Tom Rowlands is referred to and he was the President of Can Aero from near inception. Dad is still trucking at 91 and it would be good to contact O'Malley Jr. Can you help?
I too grew up in the photo/mag world. It is interesting that Canadian Aero being of US Aero Service Corp parentage, could not operate aircraft in Canadian Register. Spartan Air Sercice Ltd., Bradley Air Service Ltd. and Survair Ltd. (Tom Rowlands' Company) were all used by Can Aero.
I have been with the aviation world all my career and have many stories.

By all means, Dave: share!

And he did:

"Most memorable was an aeromagnetic survey done by Survair Ltd. in an Aero Commander 680E using Decca Navigation, flying lines over the Beaufort Sea towards Russia from a base at Mould Bay, Prince Patrick Island in the high Arctic...
Though we saw it as cold as -62F, it was 24 hour daylight in early spring. We therefore flew round the clock using triple crew of which Mac was one of the pilots. I was an apprentice mech. We flew 500 hours in a little over 6 weeks. An article in the Ottawa Citizen (our home town newspaper) noted that "in one calender day" our Commander flew 25 hours and 20 minutes air time! This consisted of 4 sorities of 6+ hours with the first fllight off just after midnight and the last before midnight. We log flight time in the day of takeoff and thus logged more that 24 hours in one day!!
The photo is of two Twin Otters we operated for International Nickel on Elctromagnetic survey."

Marty Platt wrote me in April 2008-
"I flew for Aero Service in the mid-1980s, flying Navajos and Cessna 404s. I remember the DC-3 hangered at Goodyear airport along with the Side-looking radar equipped Caravelle.
I don't think the DC-3 or the Caravelle were ever used again after the time I was employed at Aero Service.
You probably know that the Caravelle is now parked at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson,AZ.
My last job flying for Aero was in May of 1986 in Berbera Somalia, the aircraft was a C-404 80DS which I also flew out of King Salmon,AK from August to October of 1985.
Probably of more interest is the fact that my father was a pilot for Aramco in Dhahran, from 1949 to 1966. He often talked about the Aero Service crews mapping Arabia. I wish he were still alive because I know he would remember names."

Doug Morrison wrote me in May 2008:

Good to visit your website every now and then - interested to see Dave Fenwick included some photos of pranged Aero Service Corporations DC-3 in Libya. I was very interested to see that Dave Rowlands has also contacted you and I was more than interested to see his father was still alive at the end of 2007.
I thought Dave and his father may be interested in the attached item I found in a 1955 Flight magazine in the UK.
I have an old unidentified photo of an SNB-1 that was doing aeromagnetic work in Canada in the late 1940s (maybe as early as 1945) and Dave's father may be able to identify it... Bob Parmerter, the expert on Beech 18s etc, knows of this photo but he has not been able to identify it either. See below.
Doug Morrison
Sydney Australia

Aero Service SNB-1
Article on the subject of Survey in Flight Nov. 1955 PART 1 + PART 2

Dave Rowlands commented on the above image:
"I am not able to shed light on the SNB-1, but wonder if it was a Bradley Air Service AT-11..? Canadian Aero used Bradley for lift briefly after the demise of Spartan Air Service and prior to Survair Ltd. But I cannot remember specifically if the Beech was configured for Mag with a bird in trail."

I received a request and in Dec.2008 a response came to this request. Since it has a bearing on Aero Service Corporation, I decided to add this, even though it has no bearing on DC-3 N5000E...
(The question was initially put on my Qestions & Answers page)

QUOTE In surfing the net for a picture of N161V, I typed in Aero Service Corp. and came across a piece written by Robert Welshe (March 2005)

Harry Hermanson and I, Nancy Hermanson, were married on Feb. 17, 1968 and flew to Texas on Feb. 19, 1968 to start employment with Aero Service Corp.
on the Texas project. Harry was hired as co-pilot under Walter Byrd who was then captain of N161V. When Walter was transferred out of the country, George Vine took over as captain of the aircraft. While in Texas Harry initiated the night flying as he was the only one on the crew who completely understood the Doppler system. The reason for the night flights was to avoid the daytime thermals causing the birds to vacillate. What with the wind and the thermals during the daytime, they weren't getting a lot of airtime.

From Texas we went to Italy for a couple of months and on to Thailand for 13 months.

We arrived in Bangkok on July 11, 1968. From there we were sent to Bethel Alaska, for a stay of 6 months.

We were employed at Aero Service from February 1968 through 1972 and Harry traveled 62 countries, while I followed him to most of them. I will always hold fond memories of N161V.

I would like to acquire a picture of N161V.

I have been through all the histories of DC-3's and found N5000E owned by Aero Service but nothing on N161V. Could somebody please help me out? UNQUOTE

Ron Gooding wrote me in Dec.2008:
"Here are photographs of what I believe to be N161V taken in 1969/70 at Addis Ababa Ethiopia and Bandar Abbas, Iraq in 1969/70.
Harry Hermanson the Pilot can be seen sitting on a box in the foreground second pic down (with sunglasses) and I, Ron Gooding wife Pauline, was a member of the electronics crew during this project.
Kindest regards to Nancy and Harry Hermanson!"

N161V

N161V Aero Service Corp

Ron added to these photos: "The photo below, with Harry Hermanson shown seated, may in fact be DC-3 N7119; you will notice that it has different markings and double-window configuration different from N161V (above pics); it looks identical to the DC3 shown down in the desert at Tamanrasset, Algeria sent in by Dave Fenwick.
That N7119 picture to the best of my recollection was taken at an Ethiopian Airforce Base close to the border with Somalia in early 1970.

Aero Service Corporation DC-3

Photos kindly provided by
Ron Gooding
Ex Canadian Aero Service Corporation 1968 - 1971
Hunt Club Road, Ottawa

Rod Erling contributed this in March 2009:
"My name is Rod Erling and I was in charge of Aircraft Stores at both Mercer County and North Philadelphia Airports, from 1955 through 1960.
I supplied parts support for all of the aircraft owned by Aero Service. These included 3 B-17s, 2 DC-3s, 2 AT-11s, 2 P-38s and 2 Beech Model 17 Staggerwings plus a number of Pipers. And 2 PBYs.
When one of the birds came in for major overhaul, it meant many busy, long days because there was always contracts to fly. These aircraft were not Hanger Queens and they had extensive flying times.
At times I would crew these planes on domestic shake down flights.
Most large parts were stored at Vergal Kauffman's barn, near Washington Crossing Park, in Bucks County PA.
I still have my Aero Service flight crew pin from the 1950s!"
Rod

In March 2009 I received a request from Étienne Govare:
"Do you know where the Canadian Aero Services Ltd archives are located?
We would like to find an aerial photo from the Hart-Jaune project (Québec) and the 16 topographic maps produced around 1957-1958.."

Aero Service survey map

Help would be welcome, see my emailadress details at bottom page...

Peter Jensen wrote me in Sep.2009:
"My father was Homer Jensen, who was the co-inventor of the magnetometer during WWII, and ran much of the aerial magnetic surveying operations that Aero conducted, from the 1950's until the 80's.
I have many fond memories of some of the people who've been kind enough to contribute to this website, although I was only a child during the periods they're speaking about. As a child, though, I got to play aboard many of the amazing aircraft that have been discussed here - probably to the annoyance of many of these fine contributors - at both the Mercer and North Philadelphia airport sites. The PBY's and B-17's were among my favorites, because there was so much to see in each of them. The P-38's, though, were the most impressive to see up close.

"You may enjoy a verbal picture of what the large Aero hanger at North Philadelphia Airport looked like on a typical day in the 1960's: A B-17 parked outside, one or two PBY's on the grass outside the hanger, a DC-3 inside looking majestic, a staggerwing Beech, a helicopter or two, and often a smaller single engine plane or two. And, on a really good day, a P-38! Now THAT was a hanger full!"

"The Caravelle jetliner is mentioned in passing on this page, and that was my Dad's last big project with Aero. He got the government to permit the commercial use of the Goodyear side-looking military radar, which was classified at the time, and mounted it in the Caravelle. That plane and radar flew all over Brazil in what was, then, the largest mapping project I believe ever undertaken from the air, and several new rivers were discovered. Also flew in Alaska and parts of the US."

Sud SE-210 Caravelle VI-R N1001U (c/n 86) seen at the Pima Air Museum (Tucson,AZ) in May 2008.

The first production Caravelle VI-R, originally delivered to United Airlines on 18Jan61. Later it was used by Aero Service Goodyear Aerospace as a radar test bed. Now on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum. Airliners.net

"I also have many fond memories of Virgil Kaufman, and Aero has to be the only company in the world with both a Virgil and a Homer!

"Dad's first pilot's license was signed off by Orville Wright, then the inspector for pilots in the US, and he had considerable, and early, experience with a wide range of planes. His two brothers, and his father, were also pilots, and were featured in the local paper as the 'flying Jensens'."

"Many thanks to all who've contributed their memories, and any you might have of my father would also be most appreciated."
Peter

Rolf Larsson sent me this photo of N1001U in actual use, seen on Miami on 16 October 1975.

Caravelle N1001U by Larsson

Jacques Hémet sent me these images (below), he wrote: "Aero Service Caravelle and crew spent some time on my Toulouse facilities in the eighties.." (See also Jacques' pages on this website ONE + TWO

Eric Jacobsen wrote me in Oct. 2009:
"Thank you for the interesting website on Philadelphia's Aero Services Corporation.
I was half, or even three-quarters, raised by Ed Canfield, an early Aero Services pilot. So many stories...!
Anyhow, the full series of Propwash, the Aero Services in-house magazine, is posted at:
keystoneaerialsurveys.com/propwash

The Nov. 1938 issue covers Ed's first trip with Virgil K (moose hunting in Canada, north of Williston ND, in a Stinson).
The Nov. 1952 issue covers Ed's retirement from Aero Services. In between there are stories of his Cuban aerial survey and a successful emergency landing in an Airmaster in the Yukon (stranded for a week on an island, but made a comfortable camp), and the subsequent trip to Canada in a Beech Staggerwing with a replacement Warner 165, to fly the Airmaster off the island with.

Ed's main fame, pre Aero Services, was aerial coyote hunting from a Culver Dart, for the hides/bounty. Over a thousand coyotes per winter!
There are good photos posted by the Williston museum.
The Culver Dart is still in license by David Foulke, near Philadelphia; it has appeared in a number of publications as it is the best preserved of its type.

Q.: Does anyone have a cross reference of Aero Service aircraft?
There are a few airmasters floating around with the camera windws in place. I would like to know N number of Airmaster involved in Yukon emergency landing...
Eric Jacobson
Grand Junction, CO

Doug Morrison wrote me in Nov.2009:
"I have been tracking certain events in the early postwar operations of Aero Service as part of my research into the overall history of aeromagnetic surveying. Eric, and maybe others, interested in Aero may find the following enlightening.

Eric wrote of Ed Canfield being an early Aero Service survey pilot and this is true. He flew a good percentage of the early aeromagnetic surveys for Aero in fact he piloted the aircraft on the very first aeromagnetic survey using a fluxgate magnetometer as a test in May 1944 at Boyertown Pennsylvania in Aero's Beech D17 Staggerwing NX18575, accompanied by Homer Jensen (Peter Jensens father) and JR Balsley of the US Geological Survey.
Only the Russians had flown survey magnetometers in aircraft before this (using old induction coil mags). The first antisubmarine magnetometers were flown in 1941.
Ed shortly thereafter piloted the second ever aeromag survey aircraft, a Beechcraft SNB-1 or AT-11 - possibly the one that has already been posted on this blog - it still hasn't been positively identified but was likely N69575 and it did work in Canada as far as I can tell.
I would be very interested if Eric has more detail on Ed's flying for Aero Service 1944-1947, as I am trying to track this early aeromagnetic survey work (areas, aircraft and crews).

Eric asked if anyone knew which Cessna Airmaster it was that Ed force-landed in the Yukon. I am not quite sure when this may have occurred, but I see from old Prop Wash magazines Aero Service had an old Cessna C.38 (early Airmaster) that was workshopped in 1950 after suffering undercarriage damage in the 1949-50 winter... This C.38 was registered N19455. Was this in the time frame that Ed Canfield reportedly force landed?"
Doug Morrison,
Sydney, Australia.

Linda Burchett Blythe sent me the following in July 2010:
"I read with interest your information and stories about Aero Service Corporation.
My father was Harry P. Burchett who was hired by Virgil Kauffman after Dad retired from the Army Corp of Engineers in 1957.
He was director of Aero’s subsidiary companies and at one point, if my memory serves me well, he was Assistant General Manager under Tom O’Malley. Some of the people you mentioned are very familiar to me and stayed with us at our home when they were in Philadelphia on business.
I remember Bill DesLaurier very well. These folks were all special people. Talented, accomplished, and loved to have a good time.

My Dad passed away on July 5, 2008 at the age of 89. After his death I found passports from his travels and letters he wrote on some of his trips. After Aero he worked with the Department of Defense at the Army Map Service, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Defense Mapping Agency."

In an article about Indigo Airlines (www.indigoair.co.tz), written by Tim Spearman for Propliner Magazine (No.122, 2010), I came across a remark that Tony Baxter, who flew N5000E in 1990 from the USA on its ferry flight, now operates this same vintage DC-3 in Zanzibar having been registered 5H-DAK for Indigo Airlines!

Mark Reinmiller wrote (Dec.2011):
"My father, Harry (Bud) Reinmiller, worked for Aero Service, probably from the 1940s until the 1960s.
I thought that he left when the company went to Texas. He then went to work for a company in Norristown, PA called Vernon Graphics.
I believe he originally worked in the photo lab.
He and I used to hunt with a friend of my father who also worked there (Dick Boyle), and I recall someone else he knew there (Harry Franke?). For many years after he left the company we used to hunt on Virgil Kaufmanns farm in Bucks County. He had a grass airstrip and a hanger on the farm.
I remember going to NE Philly airport when I was young and going into an old B17 that I believe was there for spare parts. I think they had one or more B17s there that they used, but we did not get into them."

Mark