ROY, Utah -- The Hill Aerospace Museum here hosts a ‘Plane Talk’ series featuring speakers related to heritage of Hill Air Force Base, the United States Air Force, other military branches, and many other subjects related aerospace and the defense industry.
Plane Talk began at the Hill Aerospace Museum more than 20 years ago. The speaker series has usually taken place at the Hill Aerospace Museum each Saturday during the fall and winter months. The series has featured hundreds of notable speakers including former Vietnam Prisoner of War Senator Jake Garn, Col. Jay Hess, Rear Adm. Jerry Taylor, Col. Robert H. Hinckley, former Strategic Air Command Commander Gen. Russell Dougherty, former Hill AFB Commander Gen. Marc Reynolds and many more. Plane Talk will begin each Saturday at 1 p.m. in the museum auditorium.
Here is the line-up of speakers for February 2017:
Feb. 4, 1 p.m. - Carl Wolfram, The Other Side of the Story
Feb. 11, 1 p.m. - Jim Vaughan, retired airline captain and Vietnam veteran
Feb. 18, 1 p.m. - Jim Mallock, retired U.S. Air Force chief master sergeant
Feb. 25, 1 p.m. - Jon Knox, retired U.S. Air Force chief master sergeant
Additional information on each speaker:
Carl Wolfram
Mr. Wolfram spent his childhood in Germany where he witnessed one of the greatest air battles in U.S. history. He was 11 years old and residing in Schweinfurt when the famous Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission of Aug. 17, 1943 occurred.
After he completed his secondary education in Germany in 1953, he immigrated to the United States. Carl then started his engineering studies at Southern Illinois University. After two years on active duty with the U.S. Army, he completed his studies at the University of Illinois and graduated with a BS in civil engineering. He then received a direct commission in the U.S. Naval Reserve, Civil Engineer Corps. He later received an MS degree in management from the University of Arkansas.
Carl’s civilian career included many positions in different organizations. The 10 years prior to his retirement, he held the position of Director of Engineering and Construction/NATO Infrastructure at HQ U.S. Air Forces Europe.
He retired in 1993 from civil service in the rank of captain, U.S. Naval Reserve. He is married to the former Helgard Russ and they have three children and five grandchildren.
Jim Vaughan
Jim Vaughan, an Air Force Veteran, served in Vietnam in 1967 as an aircraft refueler. Jim has flown commercially for various cargo and passenger carriers during his career that began in 1974 as a certified flight instructor. After flying as a business pilot, repo representative and flying instructor, he retired from Frontier Airlines in 2007 as a captain.
Following his retirement, Jim started as a contract pilot for Federal Express based at the Salt Lake International Airport flying a Cessna Caravan, retiring in October 2014.
Jim is currently the Governor of the Utah-Idaho District of Kiwanis International. He has served as the President of the Clearfield (now North Davis) Kiwanis Club and two terms as the Lt. Governor of District 2 of the Utah-Idaho District. His tenure with Kiwanis International began in 1987 in Willis, Michigan, and has continued through his relocation to Utah in January 1990.
Jim enjoys antique cars, tractors and, of course, old airplanes. Jim has been married to Sandra (Sandy) since 1969. They will celebrate their 48th anniversary at the Kiwanis International Convention in Paris, France, this summer.
Jim Mallock
Jim Mallock is a retired chief master sergeant who spent 30 years in the United States Air Force. Seventeen of those years were spent in the air working with C-54, C-97, C-119, C-124, C-135 and C-141 aircraft. Jim flew a total of 144 missions to Vietnam between 1962 and 1973.
He began his career at Larson Air Force Base, Washington, after seeing C-124s being flown. He joined the Air Force and applied for a crew position, becoming a load master. Jim continued his journey in Newfoundland flying on the C-54 and C-119, with most of the flights going to the North Pole to support the DEW (Distant Early Warning) line.
Jim decided to retire from the Air Force but 5 years later he decided he missed his active-duty days and got a job as a C-135 load master at McGuire Air Force Base. He was subsequently transferred to Japan and then on to Hawaii. Most of their flights were going to the west coast to pick up cargo and taking it back to Hawaii, then on to Vietnam. After serving in Hawaii he transitioned to Delaware.
Following being medically grounded, Jim became a first Sergeant, moved to Hill Air Force Base, and then retired in 1987
Jon Knox
Jon Knox was a helicopter mechanic and flight engineer from 1964 to 1994. He spent 30 years in the United States Air Force, retiring as a chief master sergeant in November 1994. During his 30 years of service, he spent 32 months in Southeast Asia including Vietnam and Thailand. He has experience working on almost every helicopter the Air Force had to offer, working as a load master, gunner, flight engineer, and in maintenance. He became familiar with the helicopters he was flying from the work he performed on them during his service, including the MH-53. Through his career, he was stationed in Vietnam, Thailand, California and Florida. He moved to Utah in 1997 and has resided here ever since.