Draft Posts
The articles, photos and stories posted below are drafts and are not fully published and are not available for public viewing until finalized and approved.
2025
Happy New Year
"Every moment is a fresh beginning"
T.S. Eliot
The education of
Charles F. Blair Jr.
A young Charlie attended high school in Buffalo and then went on to the University of Vermont.. His mechanical engineering degree gave him the tools to tackle the challenges in the years to come.
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T.C. Ryan's Flying School - San Diego, CA
Charlie's father was a Harvard Law School graduate and his mother got a degree from Cornell, so it was clear that the children would receive a good education.
Hutchinson Central Technical High School
Buffalo, N.Y.
The Blair residence Buffalo, N.Y.
exceprt from Robert Blairs interview
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It was stated in other bio's of Charles Blair that he made his first solo flight at 19. It was the summer after his freshman year that Charlie found himself at Ryan Flying School in San Diego, CA. That was the summer, that was the flght that changed Charlie forever. He returned to the University of Vermont with renewed direction. He was going to be a flyboy.
After graduating Charlie was commissioned as an
Ensign as a naval aviator. Now the real education begins.
Robert Noel Blair was Charlie's younger brother
More to come soon.
Grumman Mallard N2974 / J-36
This Mallard didn't fly at Antilles Air Boats or Virgin Islands Seaplane Shuttle but like many of the Grumman amphibians there are many connections from those early aviators
and their insight into what could be.
The turbine Mallard was born with N2974.
Read more about J-36.
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A long time ago, long before information and correspondence was at your fingertips, the Virgin Islands postman was your connection to the world .
Happy New Year / 2025
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Neal Ruetz's
Grumman Widgeon
It was about 1978, when I received a letter from Mr. Ruetz requesting assistance with a model airplane project. When his project was completed he sent another letter and photos of his final efforts.
side-bar...
At the time, I didn't know much about Neal Ruetz but as I recently reviewed his letter and subsequent internet search, I became aware of how he found himself incarcerated for many years. There was quite a bit about his arrest, trial, escape, recapture, extradition, incarceration, appeals and final parole after 20 years. I didn't know why he chose to create a model airplane until I came across an obituary of his brother Marvin. Marvin was a member of Academy of Model Aeronautics, The Society of Antique Modelers and the International Miniature Aircraft Association and possibly influenced Neal to find a new focus. After that letter of December 1980, I never heard from Neal to know if he continued his next project...the Dornier Do X.
Dorner Do X
Mae Blair
1925 - 2023
Charlie Blair's second wife Mae passed away in 2023.
Read a little more