Courier Tribune
6 Jun 1940
page 5
Waved Greeting from Airplane
Ralph Anderson of Hiawatha, who holds a lieutenant’s commission in the naval reserve flew over Sabetha a week ago Saturday in an army plane. From Sabetha the plane flew to Oneida and south of Oneida two miles and flew low over his parents home. Lt. Anderson leaned out over the plane and waved to his parents who stood in the yard near the house and waved a greeting to their son.
Monday of this week Mrs. Anderson said her son had left Hiawatha the first of this week f or another two weeks’ cruise at the Fairfax airport in Kansas City, Kansas, and she expected him to be out this way sometime during the two weeks.
lieutenant Anderson does not pilot the plane, but his students int he plane with him, whom he teaches to communicate with the ground station or other planes by radio, both sending and receiving communication such as used by the police in many cities.
Lieutenant Anders on the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jake Anderson of Oneida. He was employed at the C. E. Norrie electric shop before moving to Hiawatha.
Mrs. Anderson expects him to fly over Sabetha again just as he did before. He wrote his mother after returning to Kansas City they were unable to find a field suitable to set their heavy plane down in when they were here.
Gets Radio Flying Experience
George Ayers attended a two weeks training course of naval reserve officers in Kansas City, Kansas, the past two weeks. Ayers is in the same work as Ralph (Andy) Anderson of Hiawatha.
While Ayers was in training he took a day’s trip in an army bomber with the pilot into Iowa, where they visited a number of airports. Ayers was a the controls of the two-way telephone set and was in constant communications with his ground station in Kansas City. He reported the height they were flying and their location as they flew from their home port to Des Moines.
Ayers and the pilot each wore a parachute. They flew from three to nine thousand feet high and Mr. Ayers says to look through the clouds to earth below was a beautiful site.
