I enjoyed the pictures. I flew a flight from MKC through FYV probably 2 years before when Texas played Arkansaw at FYV and it was kinda scary. No temporary tower that year but there was one not too long after. Walt Whitlock
was coming from STL in a Convair with a bunch of folks for the game but after getting cut out of the pattern a couple of times, he went on to FSM and they bussed the folks in. I was in a DC-3 and went around 3 times because of traffic but the third time I left it dirty and flew it real slow
all the way around and close in so the light planes couldn't cut me out anymore but there were still 2 aircraft rolling out on that short runway when I touched down! Lots of cussin' and carryin' on on the FYV FSS radio that day. If I hadn't had some of the network Radio/TV announcing
crew on board that day, I'd have followed Whitlock on to FSM. It took a long time to find a big enough slot to take off again. Not too long after that, the F/O quit and went to Pan AM.
- Capt. Frosty, CN/FL pilot
I really enjoyed the memories of the 1965 Tex-Ark airport parking. Frosty's additional comments also brought back memories.
I also remember the year before when Ark beat Tex and the team arrived from the game late that night. Florence, Tom, Betsy and I drove to the airport (I happened to be off that time, not sure how that happened) to see the team fly in. The aircraft the team flew in on was swamped by
fans which barely let the props (believe it was a DC-6 also) wind down before climbing over the fence on to the wings. That was the game where a young player by the name of Ken Hatfield was instrumental in the win. Another memorable time was (daytime) when Arkansas played
Texas at FYV and President Nixon flew in by helicopter, barely making the kick-off due to low ceilings. Also another one when VP Lyndon Johnson flew into FYV from FSM on one of our CV580s. It became Air Force One that day when the 707 was too large for good ole Drake.
-Ken Stewart, CN/FL FYV station agent
I was out there that night in 1964 too, Ken.
What an experience!
I recall people up on the beacon at the white hangar.
Isn't that the night the lady punched Bob Keigley when he tried to keep the crowd back from the arriving BN DC-6?
I remember a pregnant woman getting dizzy and being propped up against the DC-6's wheel.
I think that's also the time Hank, the mechanic, whacked some guys because someone or something hit him in the back.
He had one of those huge DC-3 screwdrivers.
People were definitely on the aircraft's rampside wing before the props stopped.
It was about 1a.m. and the radio DJs had been encouraging everybody to meet the team when they flew in from AUS.
So, when the bars closed at midnight they all came to the airport.
The newspaper estimated the crowd at 5,000.
It left the place a shambles and next day the city brought prisoners out for cleanup.
They found a few folks still passed out in the grass between the runway and ramp.
-Jake Lamkins, CN/FL FYV station agent
Just pulled up the pictures from FYV, that brought back memories.
I was working for Beech Aircraft out of ICT at the time and took a group of 3 guys from Garden City, Ks. where I was living at the time.
We could'nt get in either and went to FSM, no rental cars available within a 100 miles.
They hooked a ride with a gentleman that was headed for the game also.
I didn't see them again until about 6 the next morning - they were still just a bit on the side of a rather large hang-over.
In July I got hired at FL and in Oct we merged with CN.
My next visit back to FYV was in Dec of 67 - fortunately, don't remember the captains name, he was Denver based as I was.
Loved the pictures, especially the D-18's, got about 300 hours flying those on a mail run out of LBF down thru MCI-JLN and some strange airports at night.
Scary way to make a living, luckily, I was only furloughed from FL for 2 months in 69.
-Skip Pennyweight, CN/FL pilot
Back in about 1968( I think) I was on a DC3. We lost an engine on take off out of FYV. My crew tried to get the tower's attention but because
Ark was playing UT there were a lot of small airplanes calling the tower. I ran to the cockpit and as I opened the door the captain was yelling "May
Day May Day". That got their attention! We did not have enough power to make it back around so we did a 180....one wing I swear was hitting limbs of
trees. That was the only time I ever stayed overnight in FYV. I was not too keen on getting back on the plane they sent us the next morning!
-Janey Bailey Swanson, CN/FL flight attendant
