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In the mid 1940's ,when I was a pre-teen,my dad sponsored an air-show at an air strip that he built on the farm in1943.The stripwas built by Nello-Teer Const.Co.Immediately after completing Danville Municipal airport.At that airshow Woody Edmunson was the featured aviator and he was flying "Little Butch .Lucky me,I got to sit in the pilots seat.How about that?
I saw an article in "Avation History"or "Air and Space" and Woody and someone,named Boyne were pictured standing in front of "Little Butch".
My father had a small flying operation called Perkins Flying Service.It was a grass strip field located in Roxboro,N.C. Woody Edmondson flew airshows in Lil Butch at my dad's field.Woody was the uncle of Frank Sadler,one of my dad's good friends.Those were some really fun times,people came from miles around to see those shows.
Bruce, where in Roxboro was the airstrip? I remember one off U.S.501 on the right side of highway, North of town. Another near Hurdle Mill. Whitfields?. Another on afarm not too far from Bushy Fork.
I worked for years at DCA. Woody had a flying service there, bellieve it was "Executive Air", but that was in 1960s, long tiime ago.
I transferred to RDU in 1975 and flew in/out of most of the small airports and grass strips in the greater RDU area thru the 1980s. Lived in Caldewll, Orange Co. Two daughters still live in Roxboro area.
Regards, Larry
My fathers airport was the one off of U.S.501 on the right side of the road just a little past Gentry,s Store and as far as I know, there is nothing left of it. Robert Whitfields was over by my Uncle Lawerence's farm and still might exist today. Robert was an incredible pilot with a great sense of humor. After he crop dusted farms around me, he would always wave his wings at me as he flew over and believe me, watching him spray those fields was like being at an airshow!! If you ever want to know anything else about the airports aroung the area, my father lives in Titusville, Florida and can tell you a lot more about them than I can.
Bruce Perkins,Jr.
My Neighbor, Walter Shockly, new Woody along time ago. They were good friends. Mr. Shockly lives in Lansing, MI. He is 87 years old and still doing pretty good. He is even on a bowling league. He remembers the company "Executive Air." I think that Mr. Shockly worked there with Woody.