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Civil Air Patrol Showcased in Festival to Honor Jack Vilas |
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Written by 1st Lt Terese Barta
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Tuesday, 12 August 2008 |
 Boulder Junction, WI - On the shores of Trout Lake, three members of the Stevens Point Composite Squadron represented the Civil Air Patrol in an event to honor Jack Vilas, a pilot who played a role in the area's history.
The event was sponsored by the Boulder Junction Historical Society and coordinated by writer Mary Shueller, editor of a book Vilas wrote entitled "My Life to My Children."
Although a native of Chicago, Vilas called northern Wisconsin his second home, and had his Curtiss Model F flying boat shipped by train to Trout Lake. He became the state's first "flying fire warden," and his aerial accomplishments paved the way for a nationwide plan to detect and locate forest fires by air.
Vilas earned his pilot license on June 25, 1913 and made history six days later when he became the first pilot to fly across Lake Michigan in a single engine plane. The 53 mile flight took place from St. Joseph, Michigan to Grant Park, Illinois and was accomplished without map or compass. The only navigational tools he used were an aneroid barometer to monitor altitude, a plain barometer for detecting weather changes, and a clock he took out of his automobile.
During World War II, Vilas also joined the Illinois Wing of Civil Air Patrol at the age of 51, and served by watching for fires in the forest products industries in Illinois and nearby states. He also performed courier work. He participated in missions of dropping "flour bombs" over major cities on the east coast to demonstrate how easy it would be for an enemy to invade the border states of our country.
This year's celebration included a short narrative of Vilas' life given by Mary Schueller, a presentation on the history and missions of the Civil Air Patrol given by 1st Lt Terese Barta, and a demonstration of the direction finder by Senior Member Jim Johnson and Lt Col Denese Helgeland. Following the Civil Air Patrol demonstration, there was a fly over by several local pilots and an aerial wreath dropping into the lake.
Approximately 70 people attended the event, including one of Vilas' grandchildren.
This was the second year in which a festival has been held to honor Jack Vilas. Next year, organizers plan to expand the event to include a parade and display of a one-fifth-scale model of Vilas' flying boat.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 12 August 2008 )
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