Allamakee Flyers bid farewell to Frank Byrnes

by Lissa Blake

The Allamakee Flyers will have some big shoes to fill.
That’s because after more than 50 years, Waukon’s Frank Byrnes is retiring from the flying club.
Byrnes, now 78, has served as secretary/treasurer of the local club for more than 40 years.
“My physical is still good and everything, but I just figured it was about time,” said Byrnes. “I’ve really enjoyed being a member of the Club.
Jim Wadsworth, Waukon Airport Commission member and longtime member of the Allamakee Flyers, said Byrnes will be sorely missed.
“Over the years, everybody just kind of knew Frank would take care of things. Nobody else worried about it because Frank was always there. He did all the bookkeeping and received all the literature from the State. He took care of insurance issues and memberships. Frank was always on top of it,” said Wadsworth.

HOOKED ON FLYING
Byrnes, a 1953 graduate of St. Pat’s High School in Waukon, got his first taste of flying when he joined the Air Force in 1954. A radio repair man, Byrnes remembered a particular jet trainer who had come back three times complaining that the radio in his airplane didn’t work.
“The radio would work on the ground, but would cut out when he got in the air. I told him I thought I should go up with him and check it out,” said Byrnes. Byrnes was somewhat surprised when the pilot said, “Okay! Grab a helmet, parachute and oxygen mask.”
Byrnes had flown before, but never in a cockpit. “The fun part was when I asked if I could have the controls and he let me. The only bad part is I got so excited, I forgot to even turn on the radio to see if it was working,” remembered Byrnes.
“But I was hooked after that,” he said.

BACK HOME
Following his time in the Air Force (1954-1958), Byrnes attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering before taking a job with IBM computers in New York. When the job wasn’t what he was hoping for, he returned home to help brother, Bill, with his Radio and TV business.
Bill was a charter member of the Club in 1961 and Frank followed shortly after, joining in 1962. “The Club was quite a bit bigger than. At one time we had 30 members,” said Byrnes.
Byrnes fondly recalled a number of planes the Club has owned over the years, beginning with Neal Sanderman’s Cessna Cardinal RG. “We also had a J3 Piper Cub. It was a pretty popular airplane,” he said.
The Club is set up so the members take turns flying or renting the plane. “It’s a corporation and each member pays dues. Each pays by the hour to rent the club plane(s). When I started, the fee to use the club plane was $5 per hour. Now it’s $70,” said Byrnes.
When Byrnes joined the Club, the airport was just a grass strip. “I guess it was the early '60s when it was hard-surfaced for the first time,” he said.

FAMILY FUN
Byrnes’ wife, Mary (Foley), remembers the family always enjoying flying with Frank. “We used to take trips to Philadelphia and Colorado Springs. Our children, Brian and Mary Frances, always enjoyed going up with their dad,” she recalled.
Mary remembered one particular day when Mary Frances was going to be gone with Frank in the plane for the day, and she complained about some spots on the back of her neck.
“I sent her along and then the neighbor called and mentioned the chicken pox were going around. It didn’t occur to me until they were long gone that that’s what it was. But she was a real little trooper,” said Mary.

MANY ADVENTURES
Frank said he always loved trips in his plane and has occasionally flown people for hire. “I used to take friends and relatives for rides quite often. I took a lot of people to different places,” he said.
Frank said one of his most interesting trips was to O’Hare near Chicago, which is usually limited to larger aircraft. “Dick Delaney from Waukon worked in the control tower. He told me weekends were the best times for small planes, so I flew in two different times,” remembered Frank.
Over the years, Frank logged more than 1,300 hours in the air.
“In addition to the Piper J3, we had a Piper Colt, a Cessna 170 and a Cherokee 180. Our first plane with retractable gear was the Beachcraft Bonanza in 1963. It was a nice flying plane. I guess it was my favorite one,” he said.
Though Byrnes plans to turn over his secretary/treasurer duties to someone new, he will remain the Airport Manager at the Waukon Municipal Airport.

WILL BE MISSED
Larry Gelo, a 43-year member of the Club who serves on the Waukon Airport Commission, said Byrnes has been a very important member of the Club over the years. “We’re really going to miss the guy. He was a great member and we did a lot of activities together,” said Gelo. “I’ve known for quite a while he is a big part of the reason our Club was such a success.”
For more information about the Allamakee Flyers, contact Jim Wadsworth at 563-568-3849.