Tom Irlbeck
When we moved from Dayton, Ohio to Minnesota in summer of 1988, Tom was one of the first persons we met. We had been here one week and decided to fly our Cessna 180 to a fly-in at the Shell Lake, Wisconsin airport. Another 180 was parked in the grass and we pulled in next to it. The pilot was a tall, lanky guy with a big grin and in no time Tom and my little boys were good buddies. We became great friends over the years, sharing the common interest of our taildragger Cessnas and then moving into the RV world. Tom and his brother Paul built his now iconic bright blue RV-8 with its Navy paint scheme. Tom was well known throughout the RV community as true lover of aviation. He flew almost 200 missions in the F-4 Phantom in Viet Nam. He was one of the first Navy “Top Gun” instructors. He flew for North Central and retired from Northwest Airlines as an A320 captain.
After retirement he was a mainstay at all of our fly-ins and most every other fly-in in this area. He never turned down a chance to give a ride to a “newbie” RV guy (or gal) and loved to give Young Eagle rides. When he wasn’t flying he was biking, canoeing, boating, hunting or hiking. He wore out a couple hips and maybe a couple knees in the process, but the wonders of orthopedic surgery brought him back into the game in short order.
In recent years he found a new passion in soaring and spent his summers at the Osceola airport thermally around the Wisconsin sky, and winters doing the same near his Florida home in Cape Coral.
Tom taught dozens of RV pilots how to handle their sporty homebuilts and he lost track of how many initial test flights he conducted for new builders. In one way or another, Tom touched so many in the local aviation community both here and in Florida. Tom and his RV-8 “Bear” will remain in our hearts and be sorely missed.
- Doug
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The Cape Coral News-Press published this article about Tom and his life in aviation......
Photos of Tom's memorial service in Fort Meyers, Florida, April 21, 2018
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Tom's Memorial Service
May 19, 2018 - Osceola, WI
It was an unseasonably cool and windy afternoon as well over 200 friends and relatives gathered at Tom's hangar at the Osceola, Wisconsin airport. Tom touched so many lives in so many ways that it was fitting that so many huddled together out of the wind to meet old friends and tell and retell classic "Tom" stories.
Here's some photos and videos of the day..........
Tom's hangar at the Osceola Airport
American Legion Honor Guard
Tom's Cessna 180 "Baby Bear"
Brother Paul taxis out in Tom's RV-8 for the "Missing Man" fly-over
Tom's hangar was packed with friends and relatives
Tom's son John gave a heartfelt eulogy
Tom's wife Katy told a touching story of how they met back in the Navy days
Videos:
Missing man formation fly-over
Cockpit video from Alex Peterson's RV-6A
Presentation of the flag to Katy Irlbeck
American Legion Honor Guard ceremony
Fifty-one years of Flying
- Tom Irlbeck
from the "RVator's Log," December 2010
I was fortunate to solo shortly after my sixteenth birthday at Anoka County Airport in 1959. The 7AC Champ was a great teacher, and was sometimes more fun than the proverbial “barrel of Monkeys”.
But, also I really started my flying career, sitting on my Mom’s lap, my Father was in the front seat of a J-3 Cub in 1945. My Dad was checking out as a pilot in the B-17 and the United States was deeply involved fighting on multiple fronts against the Germans and the Japanese.
This flight was recorded by a friend, showing me intently looking over my Dad’s right shoulder, trying to see what he was going to do next. My Mother said I enjoyed shaking the stick, and to this day, I still enjoy shaking “the stick”.
I have seen many changes in aviation, some beneficial, and some like the fences around the airports, limiting new ideas. My early days were spent cruising along behind 65 horses coming from that old Continental at 80 mph. It was a very satisfying and content time, I was 18 years old and I enjoyed the open doors, splashing around at the Rice Lake Seaplane base. Then in the winter, John Benson’s airport had skis on his J-3, and slipping and sliding, no brakes were a new challenge
Our family had a 1953 C-180, and was that fast! VOR’s and ADF, plus the E6B ruled the air.
In 1964 the Navy opened a door to their aviation program, the NAVCAD (Naval Aviation Cadet) Program, only required 2 yrs of college, and my college career was below par, a low draft number caught me on a skiing break, and “bingo”, I was signed up with the Navy. It was undoubtedly the best thing that ever could have happened to me.
This challenge, and believe me it was a constant challenge, opened many new doors for me, and I enjoyed the challenges.
In a short amount of time, the good old F-4 Phantom with Mach 2 speeds and I had become the best of friends, especially seeing as how it got me through some 170 combat missions over North Vietnam. Leaving the Navy was a tough choice, but a new door opened and I never looked back with regrets.
A small regional airline, called North Central Airlines found a seat for me in 1970. The Convair 580, a 48-passenger turbo prop, felt like flying a truck, but a very good reliable powerful truck. 34 stops in 3 days was one of our more fun working trips. My seniority number was 422, $550 dollars a month didn’t leave much for beer money that first year, but we were making our payments. I never missed a paycheck because of strikes or bankruptcies. Mergers changed my uniforms a couple of times, and sometimes I thought I was a “North Central”, when I was really a “Republic”, or was it a “Northwest”??? A planned early retirement bailed me out of the airline business in 1996 while flying the new A-320 fly by wire bird. Once again, I didn’t look back on what had been the perfect job for me, which I was leaving.
Retirement is “Great”!!! I could now build my own airplane. Oshkosh offered many choices, but the RV series won hands down. The RV-8 was going to be my new buddy; sort of a mini fighter plane was needed. After 10 years in the 8, I still enjoy the take offs, ALMOST as much as that first one.
Flying from Larry Vetterman’s, Hot Spring’s Fly in (KHSR) this last weekend gave me some “thinking” time. On the way out, there wasn’t much thinking time due to the challenges of weather, low clouds known as “Scud”, and dogging wind generators. Homeward bound was smooth tail winds at 9500 feet, 220 MPH grounds speeds and 30 miles vis.
What is the number ONE event in aviation in the last fifty or so years? It is spelled GPS!!! The mapping information, reliability and capabilities of the new units on the market places us right up there with “Star Wars” navigation. In 1976 I flew my C-180 to Alaska, mostly on compass heading and timing, due to the fact that the rain had shorted out our ADF. It was a little more of an adventure that what we had planned on. In 1997 I once again headed to Alaska, only this time with GPS on board, and let’s just say, it was much safer. GPS units are kind of like a candy jar that will never stop producing candy.
The number TWO event in aviation in the last fifty or so years? It is called the “Experimental” aircraft!! Of course, I might be a little biased on the subject. The building and flying of the Experimental aircraft has saved the general aviation community in the United States. With this I also throw in the solid state, flat screen technology that has developed in the experimental field. This last weekend out at HSR, the Experimental aircraft outnumbered manufactured aircraft by about 10 to 1. I know this is not always the ratio, but it is impressive what has been generated by the EAA flight crews. So many new innovations, businesses, and aircraft development has generated from EAA. All one has to do is attend one of the Oshkosh EAA Shows, and you will realize what I have seen. Whether you agree with everything that EAA is doing is not the question. I think we all should realize that without EAA, aviation, as we know it would be dead!!! I will also have to throw in a pitch and good word about AOPA, as it also supports our cause. My unbiased opinion is that anyone who flies a general aviation aircraft should support BOTH of these organizations.
The number THREE event in aviation in the last Fifty or so years? The lack of leadership from the FAA to help general aviation advance in technology and support. Twenty to thirty years ago, one time STC’s were easy to come by. When you wanted to try to improve your old aircraft, the one time STC was workable. Now, the FAA wants a high tech evaluation, or creates obstacle to innovations that would update our aging fleet. It is discouraging to look back, and see the obstacles that have been generated by the FAA rules and regulation. The lack of trust with the delays in physical evaluations generated by Oklahoma City is a prime example.
The number FOUR event, or I should say FARCE, is the implantation of the TFR, which follows the President or whoever they deem important. It is hard for me to understand how, or why we tolerate this sort of restrictions on our freedoms. There was a reason, for a short amount of time to evaluate what was happening during the 9/11 attack by the terrorist, but to retain this as time went on is criminal. There are no such restrictions on the automobile, trucks, trains, buses, or bicycles, but they have focused their lack of judgment and hypothetical fears, lack of common sense on the general aviation group. It appears that EAA and AOPA have rolled over, and are playing dead. The FAA has rolled over, and supports this idiotic restriction on the general aviation community. What do you think of the Presidential TFR’s?????
The LAST event that I have enjoyed, and still enjoy??? Meeting new people, especially the people around “Van’s Hangar”. There is something that bonds the pilots who fly Experimental aircraft. We are a little different, and that little difference is a good thing to have. The only thing that worries me, I see too much gray hair. We have to get more youth into aviation, so, if someone asks you to fly a Young Eagle, try to do it.
Tom’s 4 year old grand daughter enjoys a “flying lesson from Grandpa". Note the "RV chuckle"
I want to thank all of you that support general aviation. It has been a “Field of Dreams” for me, to be able to fly somewhere, and meet someone that also likes to fly. Some day, I suppose I’ll have to hang up my wings, but hopefully I can pass some of my worn out wings to one of my Grand Kids, or to one of your Grand Kids, to help keep the air moving over those wings.
Keep the greasy side up!
Tom Irlbeck and “Bear”
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