Mrs. Engel Offers Her Chimney To The War Effort

By Aero-News Senior Correspondent Kevin R.C. "Hognose" O'Brien and Mrs. Ruth Engel

As a degreed but non-practicing historian, and a practicing but non-degreed aviator, I have come to admire and love much about the history of aviation. One of the most interesting aspects is discovering that there is indeed, as it says in Ecclesiastes, nothing new under the sun. Thanks to the US Navy's generous postings of the back numbers of Naval Aviation News (formerly BuAer News Letter) in Adobe Acrobat format, I discovered that even in the throes of World War Two, there were noise complaints.

I came of age during a period when the war was cold, the airplanes were threshold-of-pain loud, and a lot of good, decent people didn't see why we needed all that racket. Fortunately for the hundreds of millions freed at the end of the Cold War, a lot of other people did see why. Nevertheless, even in the dark days of 1942, someone who signed himself NORTH SHORE wrote a letter to a Chicago paper about the noise of naval air training, which he saw as an infernal nuisance, not as "the sound of freedom," as we would term jet noise in the sixties.

His letter inspired Mrs. Ruth Engel of Palatine (IL) to write her own letter of complaint. It is reproduced as it came to my attention, with spelling and capitalization, presumably, as Mrs. Engel wrote the letter, or some Naval yeoman copied it; in any event, as it appeared in the BuAer News Letter of 15 February 1943, 62 years ago.

The Chicago Tribune
Voice of the People Column

In answer to the party that signs themselves NORTH SHORE in your column, THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE, in regards to allowing planes to fly so low over the houses along the GOLD COAST, please allow me to register a complaint of these planes also.

I am a housewife living in a small three room house situated about two blocks from an auxiliary landing field known as Buffalo Grove Field, where those pilots practice landings during the day, particularly when the wind blows from the south. These planes fly over our home about 150 feet high (my guess of course) and I want to say this to the Commander and the student pilots at Glenview, that this is too high to suit me. If in their training it will help them, they are welcome to see f they can knock a few bricks off our chimney or roll their wheels along the roof if they so desire, of course with utmost safety to themselves. As you see, I have come to realize what an excellent symphony the roar of motors is becoming as they grow in numbers over my home every day. And these, mind you, are our own planes and our own pilots, who without a second thought would chase a ZERO or MESSERSCHMITT away from my home to protect it, even at the cost of their lives if necessary -- and no questions asked afterward.

These young men who pilot our planes were once owned by a good father and mother, who unselfishly have given them to selfish people such as this NORTH SHORE resident, who even wants to deny them the air over their so called homes because they might hurt a roof or so. It might be in good order now to direct such letters as they write to the Japs or the Nazi countries, who might honor such a request; who in that respect honor all requests as scraps of paper.
 
So my complaint, to the Commander at Glenview, is to suggest that he pull all the planes from the North Shore and fly them from Buffalo Grove auxiliary landing field, over my house, even if the wind don't blow from the south. And if they land and want to stop in for a good cup of scarce coffee and a sandwich they are welcome. If any of our neighbors ever complain of the noise and danger from these planes, insults from me will be in good order. For purposes of identification our home is painted cream color.

Yours truly
/s/ Mrs. Ruth Engel
P.O. Box 236, RFD #1
Palatine, Illinois

The tragedy of history is to hold such a letter in one's hands, and not be able to reach across the years and tell the feisty Mrs. Engel what I thought of her letter. She sent a copy of this letter to the CO of NAS Glenview, and he had it printed in the base newsletter, with the admonition that "Cadets who read this will of course realize that Mrs. Engel's invitation to 'knock off a few bricks from the chimney or roll their wheels along the roof,' must not be taken literally, and that prescribed regulations regarding low flying must be strictly adhered [to] at all times."

Mrs. Engel, the CO, and those irrepressible cadets! Tom Brokaw was indeed right in his formulation. They were the greatest generation. 

FMI: www.history.navy.mil