THE FUTURE OF OUR MUSIC:
>>>The
people have spoken (kk)
Awesome
responses!! Thank you for what you do!
Donna
Kent,
As
long as the people who visit your blog, the artists like Tommy James, Ides of
March and all of the other artists go on the Oldies Cruises and continue to
share their talents on the radio and pack in the venues all over the world,
"Our" music will never die.
The
Top 3333 Countdown woke many people up and exposed the music to a new
generation of listeners who are searching for better than what they are hearing
today.
Keep
bridging that gap. The music isn't dead by a long shot!
Nikki
We went (with a group of Forgotten
Hits Readers) to see The Four C Notes Wednesday Night at The City Winery … in
fact, John Michael Coppola (“Frankie”) even gave us a nice shout out from the
stage (which I guess means I’ve got to give them a great review, right?!?!)
But the truth is, they make it SO easy
to do so … because this is consistently one of the best tribute shows you can see … two
solid hours of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons biggest hits, along with a
nice sprinkling of forgotten gems as well, all executed to perfection by this
top notch act. (kk)
Up-coming shows:
Which immediately brings to mind the
success of a show like “Jersey Boys” … the stage show was a SMASH success, with
touring companies appearing all over the country, playing to RAVE reviews
everywhere it went. (JMC was OUR Frankie
Valli for the 2 ½ year run here in Chicago ... and let me tell you, he blows
the Clint Eastwood movie version away!!!)
But my point here once again is that
if you expose new generations to this great music, they will fall in love with
it just like we did. Audiences of ALL
ages made “Jersey Boys” a sell out it played … and kids from 6 to 60 are still
singing all these great hits and loving the experience. (Now I realize that The Four Seasons didn’t
have as many chart hits as say Nicki Minaj or Jay-Z … but somehow I think they
probably made a stronger and more long-lasting impression overall … until, of
course, the Nicki Minaj tribute musical opens up 25 years from now and proves
me wrong.)
It's shows like this … and “Mamma
Mia” … and the Carole King tribute musical “Beautiful” that help to keep this
music alive and expose it to a new audience.
And that’s all we ask … give this
music a chance and it’ll win over new fans and followers every time. (Maybe it’ll even help to get that Drake or
Lil Wayne song stuck in your head out of there!) kk
Thanks
again for the tickets. My wife and I had a great time. The concert and the
seats were excellent ... we were very close to the front. Hopefully I can win
tickets again!
Dave
Roth
We had excellent seats as well … I
could literally rest my elbow on the stage!
(lol) Thanks again to Dan Conroe
and The City Winery for their on-going support of Forgotten Hits … AND the acts
that mean so much to our readers. (kk)
Hi Kent,
Sorry I've been radio
silent for so long. The vagaries and vicissitudes of life have had a way
of getting in the way.
The timing of your
rant on Billboard's whacked way of tabulating chart statistics coincided
with my closing in on securing a copy of every book Joel Whitburn has issued
over the past 50 years. And I'm expecting a shipment of a few of the new
ones any day now. As I was flipping through a recent copy of his flagship
"Pop Singles" title, I was thinking, "How on earth can you
compare a downloaded song from today with a single that sold a million copies,
yet sailed up and down the chart in a dozen weeks in 1966?" I
remember pondering something similar 25 years ago when Mariah Carey and Boyz II
Men were at Number One for 16 weeks with "One Fine Day." C'mon!
Different standards of
reckoning produce vastly different results. This must put a chill in Joel
Whitburn's spine. How does he continue to produce era-spanning books that
have legitimate relative statistics? I just don't think that there's any
valid way of putting those "apples & oranges" in the same basket
anymore.
One of your readers
mentioned the stature of Paul Whiteman in his era. Hey, I don't know if
any artist other than, perhaps, Elvis or the Beatles who rivalled the
overwhelming success and ubiquity of Bing Crosby in his prime years. But
that's why Joel has "Pop Memories" and "Pop Hits" titles
that conclude in 1940 and 1954. Maybe "Pop Singles" needs to be
limited to 1955-2000 and then frozen in amber.
I'd keep buying new
editions of "Joel Whitburn's "Pop Downloads & Airplay" just
to feign some sense of contemporary currency. But the books he issues
that parse out chart statistics prior to the Millennium are the ones I'd
continue to enjoy.
I live smack dab in
between Baltimore and D.C.-- two major cities with no oldies radio stations at
all. Consequently, heritage Top 40 acts that are still touring skip this
corridor altogether, and there's no venue here like your Arcada Theater.
Why would an entrepreneur take a shot at that segment of business without the
promotional clout of a local station?
There's no question
that we're aging out. And for the most part, we're taking our pop culture
and music with us. It's been ever thus. It's certainly true,
though, that when a classic record is featured in a film or a TV commercial
that younger ears respond the way we did, but those outlets are anomalies.
Oh my! What will
become of my record collection when I kick the bucket?
Hope this finds you
well and not too disgruntled, Kent!
Regards,
Scott Paton
ENTER NOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!:
Here
is a list of our current Forgotten Hits give-away opportunities …
Please
enter soon if you are interested in any of these special promotions as we will
begin picking winners for some of these prizes as early as this weekend!
A
pair of tickets to see THE IDES OF MARCH –
Live
at The City Winery – Wednesday, March 4th
(Winners
will be picked this weekend!)
A
pair of tickets to see AL JARDINE, founding member of The Beach Boys –
Live
at The City Winery – Tuesday, March 31st
A
copy of Mark Bego’s brand new book Elton John:
Rocket Man, a best-selling biography
And
this just in …
A
copy of the CD “Thank You, Mister Rogers,” featuring several of Mr. Rogers’
original tunes as interpreted and recorded by artists like Kellie Pickler Micky
Dolenz (lead singer of The Monkees), Vanessa Williams, Rita Wilson (her
husband, Tom Hanks, portrays Fred Rogers in the hit movie “A Beautiful Day In
The Neighborhood”), Lee Greenwood, Jim Brickman, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis,
Jr. (original members of The Fifth Dimension), The Cowsills, Tom Bergeron, Jon
Secada and others.
More
info here: https://www.amazon.com/Thank-You-Mister-Rogers-Memories/dp/B07WLBRD7H/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=thank+you+mister+rogers&qid=1582235908&s=music&sr=1-1
THIS
AND THAT:
Good morning, Kent:
Enjoying the daily Forgotten Hits feed, as always. You put a
lot more time and energy into it than people realize. I want to tell you
how much I appreciate your dedication to the blog.
I speak for the entire Me Team when I say, “Thank you for the
mention in the ‘Thursday This and That.’” We had a lot of fun doing
the prep for the Two-Hit Wonders portion of our upcoming feature,
Twin-Spins. It’s a much more select list, as you might imagine, than that
of One-Hit Wonders. We came up with 48 of them, far fewer than our
single-hit artists. That means we’re able to drop one in every hour of
the weekend, starting Friday night in the 7:00 hour, with very few
repeats. And it’s hard to find a more eclectic list — from Jethro Tull
and Neil Young to the Left Banke and Vanity Fare to Beverly Bremers (!) and
Will to Power. Two-hit artists actually make up a fun list.
Also, as for live streams, four of our affiliates are offering one:
WJMK Flint, MI
WXZO Burlington, VT
KXXP Portland, OR
WMYX HD-2 Milwaukee, WI
Thanks again for the mention … and your ongoing support.
Rick
Hi Kent,
Clicked on
to this Prince 2002 video and thought you, Sam Boyd, Burton Cummings, and Randy
Bachman would get a kick out of the guitar riff at the open of the show.
Peace,
Tim
Kiley
Kent,
You stated in
Thursday's FH that Freddy Cannon is 83 years old (young).
Kent, I find that hard
to believe. There is no way in the world he is that old.
Also, on television
yesterday I saw a commercial (for the first time) headlining Heinz 57 Ketchup.
In the background were the 4 Tops singing REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE. Now this commercial
may be weeks of being shown on television but yesterday was the first time that
I had seen it.
Larry
According to Joel Whitburn’s book,
“Boom Boom” will turn 84 on December 4th of this year … which puts
him at 83 for his September 13th concert. You would NEVER believe it to see him up
there rockin’.
"It Wasn't
Me" (perfect title for a guy that got into the trouble he did!) was the
opening track on Chuck’s "Fresh Berry's" album in 1965, after which
Chuck parted with Chess to join Mercury. (The brothers still had unreleased
songs that wouldn't be heard till after Leonard Chess' death)
--Bob Frable
Chuck Berry was better at ripping
himself off than just about anybody!
(lol) Of course when John Fogerty
did it, he got sued! (How do you
plagiarize yourself exactly?!?!) kk
kk:
The Killer Is Back. He wants to be in the "COUNTRY MUSIC
HALL OF FAME."
FB
From left, Marlon Jackson, Joel Brandes
(Universal Attractions Agency),
Tito Jackson, Randy Alexander (cruise
publicist / Randex Communications),
Jackie Jackson, and Alan Rubens (StarVista LIVE Executive Producer and
Senior
Vice President), gather backstage prior to one of The Jacksons’ two performances
on the sold-out Ultimate Disco Cruise. Credit: StarVista
LIVE / Randex Communications.
THE JACKSONS MEET THE TALENT EXECS ON THE
ULTIMATE DISCO CRUISE
Legendary show biz “First Family” The Jacksons, making a
rare music-themed cruise appearance, met up backstage last week at the sold-out
Ultimate Disco Cruise with the talent executives responsible for
booking the group’s pair of performances on the just-completed voyage: Alan
Rubens, StarVista LIVE Executive
Producer and Senior Vice President, and Joel Brandes, The Jacksons’
agent at Universal Attractions Agency. StarVista LIVE is the leader in
nostalgia-based music cruise experiences.
The Ultimate Disco Cruise was the second consecutive StarVista
LIVE music cruise on which the Jacksons performed in 2020. In January, Brandes
and Rubens also brought the world-famous brothers to the sold-out Soul Train
Cruise to perform before another pair of elated audiences, many of whom have
since purchased cabins to return to each cruise in 2021. The 2021 Soul Train
Cruise, scheduled to set sail in January, is already sold out.
The 2020 Ultimate Disco Cruise exploded with a “boatload”
of superstars in its unstoppable talent lineup in which The Jacksons
were just joined by KC and The Sunshine Band, Commodores, Shalamar Reloaded featuring Jody Watley, The Blue Notes, Heatwave, The Trammps featuring Earl Young, The Miracles, ,
Sister Sledge,; The Miracles, Al McKay Allstars performing the music of
Earth, Wind & Fire, First Ladies of Disco featuring Martha Wash, Linda
Clifford and Norma Jean Wright, George McCrae, Maxine Nightingale, France
Jolie, Anita Ward, and much more. The incredible array of live concerts by
the pioneers who made dance music a lasting part of all of our lives “rocked
the boat” for five incredible nights, bringing the cultural phenomenon of the
1970s from the dance floor to the high seas on the Celebrity Infinity luxury
ship as it wound through the Caribbean, with stops in Key West and Nassau,
Bahamas.
For further information on the 2021 Ultimate Disco Cruise,
please call 844.296.3472 or visit www.UltimateDiscoCruise.com.
Kent
This morning I'm doing
an interview with Marquis Who's Who publication for my "Lifetime
Achievement Award In Entertainment"! My new album is being submitted to
Warner Rhino today also ...
A big Day … and I'm
still Rockin.
Best,
Merrell Fankhauser
Another plea for LJ Coon’s request
to reopen the investigation into the plane crash that claimed the lives of
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper has been published by The Pilot
Tribune …
Keeping You In The
Loop !!
An FBI Investigation
has been requested.
LJ
'Plea for Iowa Official's
help, to clear name of Buddy Holly Pilot'
By DANA LARSEN
Pilot-Tribune Editor
As the 61st anniversary of “The Day the Music Died” passes, a retired flight expert is taking his crusade to Iowa to clear Pilot Roger Peterson from Alta who piloted that Beechcraft Bonanza in the flight that claimed the life of rock ’n’ roll pioneer's Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper J P Richardson.
By DANA LARSEN
Pilot-Tribune Editor
As the 61st anniversary of “The Day the Music Died” passes, a retired flight expert is taking his crusade to Iowa to clear Pilot Roger Peterson from Alta who piloted that Beechcraft Bonanza in the flight that claimed the life of rock ’n’ roll pioneer's Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper J P Richardson.
L J Coon, who identifies
himself as a pilot, aircraft dispatcher and former test proctor for the Federal
Aviation Administration, believes the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) got it
wrong when it ruled shortly after the 1959 crash that an "Unwise
decision" to fly in bad weather by pilot Roger Peterson caused the 4-place
aircraft he was in charge of February 3, 1959 to initiate a 'forced landing'.
After
more than five years of struggling to convince the National Transportation
Safety Board to open their version of investigation, and to change
the cause of the crash from “Pilot error” to “Undetermined” or inconclusive
clearing the Pilot Peterson's name. Frustrated, L J Coon is now asking Iowa
authorities to get involved.
He has taken his plea to an Assistant Iowa Attorney General, The Iowa County Attorneys Association, The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department. He has asked for assistance from two state political representatives for the Clear Lake / Mason City area where the crash occurred, as well as The Regional Omaha FBI office that covers the Iowa area.
Most of those offices have not responded.
He has taken his plea to an Assistant Iowa Attorney General, The Iowa County Attorneys Association, The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department. He has asked for assistance from two state political representatives for the Clear Lake / Mason City area where the crash occurred, as well as The Regional Omaha FBI office that covers the Iowa area.
Most of those offices have not responded.
The
Cerro Gordo County Attorney indicated that their office and local law
enforcement have failed to find any files from 1959 that would indicate that
the FBI or any Federal agency ever conducted an Investigation into the crash.
Mr. Coon,
I appreciate your
concerns over the aviation incident that took place in 1959.
However, we have not
found any Investigative file's which would suggest that an Investigation
actually took place in 1959.
I have discussed this
with law enforcement and they concur (the lack of Investigative file's).
I was unable to locate
any information on whether The FBI or any other Federal agency actually investigated
this matter.
L
J Coon said, that a retired National Transportation Safety Board
Investigator told him that the board “will not tolerate having their errors
questioned.”
In
2015, the NTSB declined Coon’s appeal to reopen the investigation, saying his
NTSB Petition for Reconsideration questioning many points of the original
findings failed to present any new facts.
Coon said the board simply brushed him off.
Coon said the board simply brushed him off.
The Dwyer's were Not
Allowed to speak during The 1959 hearings
The Dwyer's have
concealed information that will prove what Really happened in This
Accident
(The Dwyer's)
"This is gonna
stir things up, and some folks are not gonna like what I have to say.
But you have to
remember: I was the only one there and I kept some of the wreckage.
There’s a reason I
still have it. It backs up what really caused this crash."
Buddy Holly, and fellow
rockers Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson, and pilot
Roger Peterson were killed when their VFR chartered plane crashed on a rural
frozen farm field soon after departure.
The
(CAB) Civil Aeronautics Board from 1959 blamed the Pilot, saying
Peterson had made a bad decision to take off into poor winter weather, and was
not properly familiar with flying by instruments only.
L J Coon challenged The CAB's findings, stressing that 5-adult witnesses to the aircrafts departure reported that there was no “Hollywood Snowstorm,” and that snow did not start in the area until the following morning.
L J Coon challenged The CAB's findings, stressing that 5-adult witnesses to the aircrafts departure reported that there was no “Hollywood Snowstorm,” and that snow did not start in the area until the following morning.
Visibility
at Departure (0058Z) was reported as 6-miles visibility, or VFR. The “ceiling” was
3,000 feet VFR, on departure the plane leveled off at 800 feet, which would
have been about twice
the
height of the Statue of Liberty for readers reference. The rest of the
reported ceiling height of
3,000 feet was above the aircraft with 6-miles visibility out in front.
The
(CAB) found The N3794N Magneto Switch in the Off position. Pilot Peterson would
have reached over with his right hand, switched The Magneto from On to Off
cutting power in the aircraft
(a standard
procedure to prepare for a Forced Landing) an emergency landing, L J Coon
concluded.
( Not
...a 3,000 foot per minute free fall from 800 feet, as The CAB offered
in their 1959 report )
The Magneto
Power Switch would have been turned 3-keyed notched position from ON to OFF.
(The Coroner would
indicate that Pilot (Roger Peterson's) right thumb was freshly amputated at the
first interphalangeal joint (Distal Thumb Tip) and the right index finger tip
area with a curved dorsal laceration).
Turning The Magneto
Power Switch to OFF, is indicative of preparation for a 'Forced
Landing'.
L J Coon studied weight
distribution in the four-seat Bonanza, The Fueling situation or lack there of,
Possible Carburetor Icing February 3,1959 at 0058Z, Possible corrosion of The
aircrafts Tail Tip area as depicted in Historic photos, and other factors
that he felt could have contributed to the crash.
Beech Aircraft’s
Bonanza-35 V-Tail marketing campaign highlighted
The “Survivability” features of the aircraft. However, in the
mind of the consumer, advertising The "Survivability" admitted that
aircraft crashes were possible.
This marketing
approach was a huge failure, since the General Aviation community was not ready
to hear about anything suggesting the possibility that an airplane might crash.
(Beech Aircraft
Corporation)
'Safety studies of the
Beech Bonanza-35 V-Tail were conducted by Beech Aircraft and
Cornell University prior to the 1947 production.
('The low-wing
design, and strong crash-resistant cabin compartment would protect
passengers during a forced landing'.) *
For several years now, L J
Coon has dissected the Historic photos of the crash scene, insider
information on the plane model, weather reports from the time of the tragedy,
and scraps of information from witnesses - which he hopes is enough to prove
that The Dwyer Flying Service Pilot was not at fault.
In fact, Pilot Roger Peterson should be remembered for "The heroic effort" he made to try to save his passengers, L J Coon suggests.
In fact, Pilot Roger Peterson should be remembered for "The heroic effort" he made to try to save his passengers, L J Coon suggests.
Owners
of the plane ( Barbara and Jerry Dwyer ) were not allowed to speak at the
hearings into the crash in 1959, even though they claimed to have concealed
evidence from the wreckage that shows
“what
really happened,” L J Coon says. “This crucial evidence was never revealed.”
The Dwyer's were Not
Allowed to speak during The 1959 hearings
The Dwyer's have
concealed information that will prove what Really happened in This
Accident
(The Dwyer's)
"This is gonna
stir things up, and some folks are not gonna like what I have to say.
But you have to
remember: I was the only one there and I kept some of the wreckage.
There’s a reason I
still have it. It backs up what really caused this crash."
After
souvenir-hunters had damaged buildings trying to get to the remains of the
plane, the owner had wreckage taken away to an unknown location, according to L
J Coon, and as Owner Jerry Dwyer has stated since 1959
I was the only one
there and I kept some of the wreckage.
There’s a reason I
still have it. It backs up what really caused this crash."
With hits like “That'll Be
the Day,” “Peggy Sue” and “Rave On” 22-year-old Holly was a breakout star in
the early days of pop music. Valens, just 17, was best known for "La
Bamba," and Richardson, 28, for "Chantilly Lace." Don McLean
immortalized the tragedy as “the day the music died,” in his 1971 hit
"American Pie."
Holly, fed up with freezing bus rides between his gigs spread across the midwest, had chartered the plane after playing a "Winter Dance Party" concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.
Holly, fed up with freezing bus rides between his gigs spread across the midwest, had chartered the plane after playing a "Winter Dance Party" concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.
After
more than 60 years, The NTSB is far from eager to revisit as well as open their
Investigation that would likely spur sensational headlines and controversy.
"You
have gotten our attention," agency officials told L J Coon in 2015, but
The NTSB Investigation seems no closer to happening today than it was then.
The agency receives about
eight or nine petitions every year to change its findings or reopen an aviation
accident, according to the Wall Street Journal, but according to L J Coon, a
retired executive of that agency told him it has only changed a "probable
cause" decision once in The NTSB's history - and that was after being
"embarrassed into such action by its own staff."
A new movie on the latter
stages of Holly’s life, called “Clear Lake,” was reported to be in production
in the summer of 2018, but there has been no recent word of its release. Coon
hints that his research could be the basis for a book or documentary.
The now-deceased owner of the plane and charter service had always maintained that Pilot Roger Peterson was much more experienced and proficient as a pilot than he was given credit for, having flown cross-country.
"They said he was not familiar with this airplane, which is a crock. If you drove your car out to California and to New York and Florida a few times, you would probably be familiar with how the lights worked and a few other things,” the owner said.
The now-deceased owner of the plane and charter service had always maintained that Pilot Roger Peterson was much more experienced and proficient as a pilot than he was given credit for, having flown cross-country.
"They said he was not familiar with this airplane, which is a crock. If you drove your car out to California and to New York and Florida a few times, you would probably be familiar with how the lights worked and a few other things,” the owner said.
L J Coon mentions that
mechanical failure, not pilot error, caused the crash, and that Peterson had
properly attempted to make a Forced Emergency Landing on a frozen field, as
evidenced by the testimony of a woman who observed the plane descending while
she was hanging curtains in a window at her home. She confirmed seeing the
landing light turned back on, which indicates that Peterson had remained in
control. The slightly dipped nose of the plane that the woman described was
correct for initiating a Forced Landing, with Peterson apparently hoping he
could settle the plane on its belly on the clear cut frozen farm field having
the where withal to turn The Magneto Power Switch 3-keyed notches to the Off
position. (The aircraft slid on the cleared frozen farm field backwards for 588
feet, normal landing distance for this aircraft is 580 feet)
The
(CAB) Civil Aeronautics Board report from 1959 indicated that
the aircraft's navigation equipment had been properly set for the course
from the Mason City airport to Fargo, N.D.
where
the performers were to have their next concert.
Northwest
Heading,
The
Landing gear retracted,
The
Landing Light turned back on,
The
CAB report indicated that the VSI was found at 3,000 per minute (However,
N3794N VSI only went to 2,000 feet per minute ),
The
Right Wing ejected half way into the 588 feet slide backward / tail
first,
The
Magneto Power Switch turned 3-keyed notched to The
OFF position,
The
Fuel available or danger was never mentioned,
There
was No Snow falling until after 9:30 a.m. via the Coroners report )
The
1959 CAB report stated that All of the aircraft's Seat Belting had failed
(However, Pilot Peterson remained in the aircraft)
(Beech Aircraft
Corporation)
'Safety studies of the
Beech Bonanza-35 V-Tail were conducted by Beech Aircraft and
Cornell University prior to the 1947 production.
('The low-wing
design, and strong crash-resistant cabin compartment would protect
passengers during a forced landing'.) *
Despite manufacturer claims
that the Beech featured "a strong crash-resistant cabin compartment that
would protect passengers during a forced landing," the plane failed to
live up to its survivability claims, L J Coon said. The cabin ripped open, and
all the passengers were ejected well before the plane slid to a stop against a
field barbed wire fence. Only pilot Peterson's body remained inside, still at
the controls.
L J
Coon theorizes that Pilot Roger Peterson may have been saddled with an
improperly loaded plane. While the Beech was a sturdy four-seater, it had
strict limits for cargo weight capacity.
The
Pilot and Holly in the front seating weighed (via The Coroners report) 185 and
165 pounds.
Valens
and Richardson the rear seated passengers weight 225 pounds and 250 pounds,
along with a full load of the performers' luggage and the weight of Fuel, may
have been well over The Manufactures
recommended Useful Load for the aircraft.
The aircraft Taxied,
Departed,
Leveled off at 800
feet,
Flew for 4.9 miles or
3.5 minutes,
The Landing light
turned back on,
The landing gear
up,
The Magneto Power
switch turned to the Off position,
All, in a Slow Normal
Descent prior to touching the frozen farm field,
'The right wing tip
first with The nose lowered slightly'
L J
Coon also wonders if someone had off loaded enough Fuel to get to the plane's
useful load weight limit within limits. He said there was no report of fire at
the crash site or fuel spilled as one would expect with a plane carrying at
least enough fuel for a 90-minute flight ( Having 39 gallon total capacity
).
Reporters
at the scene never mentioned a smell of aviation fuel.
The
CAB's 1959 report mentioned settings on the other gauges in the plane, but
conspicuously failed to note reading on the fuel gauge, whether there was fuel
found in the wing tanks or engine, and whether fueling caps had been closed
after fueling, L J Coon offered.
(Beech Aircraft
Corporation)
'Safety studies of the
Beech Bonanza-35 V-Tail were conducted by Beech Aircraft and
Cornell University prior to the 1947 production.
('The low-wing
design, and strong crash-resistant cabin compartment would protect
passengers during a forced landing'.) *
The
1959 (CAB) report had questioned whether Pilot Peterson understood the Sperry
altitude gyro instrument that was ( right there in front of Pilot Peterson)
since the day he started flying this aircraft since purchased by The Dwyer
Flying Service July 1958.
L J
Coon also mentioned that Historic photos show that The "V tail" area
where the tail section joins to the tail fuselage is the only area that
depicted a Corrosive area of damage.
He isn't buying the story that Peterson was disoriented and lost control due to inexperience.
He isn't buying the story that Peterson was disoriented and lost control due to inexperience.
The Dwyer
Flying Service that employed Pilot Roger Peterson was certified by The FAA in
February 1959 to conduct chartered flights in VFR conditions only (both Day and
Night)
Following
this aviation accident ...The FAA did not de-certify The Dwyer Flying Service,
and their Insurance company did not cancel them.
(This conclusion
would indicate that the Dwyer Flying Service chartered Flight on February
3, 1959 was in compliance with FAA VFR Flight Rules)
"Roger would have flown out and about this airport at night, under multiple conditions," Coon told the Pilot-Tribune. "He had to be very familiar with all directions of this airport in and out."
"Roger would have flown out and about this airport at night, under multiple conditions," Coon told the Pilot-Tribune. "He had to be very familiar with all directions of this airport in and out."
There
were other Aircraft out flying that evening February 3, 1959 ....and reported
conditions were considered normal with no issues.
L J
Coon theorizes that if Buddy Holly, in the right front passenger seat, had
twisted to his left to face the rear passengers, his foot / feet could have
pressed the passenger side rudder pedals, sending the plane veering
sideways and forcing pilot Peterson to struggle to correct the aircraft while
already dealing with a heavy workload in The 4.9 miles / 3.5 minute flight from
800 feet above ground.
The passenger side rudder
pedals where made available by the manufacturer though sometimes removed to
avoid just such an accident, he indicates.
Some other reports theorize
that Holly and Richardson had attempted to switch seats while the plane was in
the air, based on the pattern of ejection of the victims, but that was never
proven or disproven.
Rumors
abound to this day - one claiming that aviation enthusiast Holly had pressured
the young pilot to let him try the controls, another that there was some kind
of struggle on board and a pistol belonging to Holly and found in the snow at
the scene had been fired. There is no evidence of either being true.
Coon plans to continue his crusade to right what he sees as an injustice against the Alta native, but does admit that even a new investigation isn't assured of changing the ruling marring Peterson's legacy.
Coon plans to continue his crusade to right what he sees as an injustice against the Alta native, but does admit that even a new investigation isn't assured of changing the ruling marring Peterson's legacy.
"At this time I am not
sure that any of the current findings and reported information over the years
will clear pilot Roger Peterson," he says. "Even so, inviting a
larger picture of all the contributing factors to be examined, could clear up
some of the questions."
The music stars will be
forever remembered. The pilot, who also lost his life, was all but forgotten.
"He was a young man who built his life around flying," the Civil Aeronautics Board reflected in its report following the crash. He had begun flying at age 16, had his license just after graduating high school, and by 21, had over 700 hours of flight experience, and a year as a charter flight pilot and flight instructor under his belt.
The eldest of four children, Peterson grew up in Alta and had married his high school sweetheart, Deanne Lenz, the September before. They had just established a home in Clear Lake, not far from the Mason City airport. The career he was passionate about seemed assured.
"He was a young man who built his life around flying," the Civil Aeronautics Board reflected in its report following the crash. He had begun flying at age 16, had his license just after graduating high school, and by 21, had over 700 hours of flight experience, and a year as a charter flight pilot and flight instructor under his belt.
The eldest of four children, Peterson grew up in Alta and had married his high school sweetheart, Deanne Lenz, the September before. They had just established a home in Clear Lake, not far from the Mason City airport. The career he was passionate about seemed assured.
For the rest of their lives,
Roger Peterson's parents, Arthur and Pearl, who continued to live in Alta,
hoped that their son would be remembered in the same breath with the more
famous personalities lost in the crash. They received letters of condolence
from the families of Holly and Valens. While long lines of adoring fans
attended Holly's memorial, a quiet Iowa funeral was held for the pilot, and a
small marker in a Storm Lake cemetery denotes his grave site, etched with a
tiny plane. A memorial tree to Peterson was planted at the crash site.
One online memorial site to Peterson has hundreds of comments from people all over the world.
One online memorial site to Peterson has hundreds of comments from people all over the world.
On
what would have been his 71st birthday, one visitor wrote, "May you always
be soaring above the clouds!"
"You are most likely the one person's name that day that no one remembers, but you did your best," another wrote.
"You are most likely the one person's name that day that no one remembers, but you did your best," another wrote.
Beech Aircraft’s
Bonanza-35 V-Tail marketing campaign highlighted
The “Survivability” features of the aircraft.
However, in the mind
of the consumer, advertising The "Survivability" admitted that
aircraft crashes were possible.
This marketing
approach was a huge failure, since the General Aviation community was not ready
to hear about anything suggesting the possibility that an airplane might crash.
(Beech Aircraft
Corporation)
'Safety studies of the
Beech Bonanza-35 V-Tail were conducted by Beech Aircraft and
Cornell University prior to the 1947 production.
('The low-wing
design, and strong crash-resistant cabin compartment would protect
passengers during a forced landing'.) *
In Closing:
I believe that The
1959 (CAB) Civil Aeronautics Board Accident report / Probable Cause findings
of The Mason City Iowa Aviation Accident Tuesday 0058Z
February-3-1959'
Should Be 'Found
Inconclusive', while
an actual Thorough Investigation of The February-15-1959 (CAB) Civil
Aeronautics Board 'Probable Cause' findings, is conducted.
Kindest Regards,
L J Coon
