Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
As a boy, Robert Herendeen of Mentone was known to have his head in the clouds. Whenever an airplane flew over, Bob stopped whatever he was doing to watch it fly.
That early fascination turned into an unparalleled career in aviation.
Herendeen posthumously was inducted into the Air Show Hall of Fame in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 3. He died Jan. 22, 1994, at age 66.
Herendeen's widow, Jacqueline, said her husband was "master pilot, a pilot's pilot, one of the best pilots in the world."
She and her brother-in-law Don Herendeen accepted the Hall of Fame plaques in Florida earlier this month.
Don plans to bring one plaque to the Bell Aviation Museum over the holidays. The other plaque will be presented to the Hiller Aviation Museum, San Francisco, Calif.
Linda Cochran, of the Bell Aviation Museum, looks forward to an addition to the Herendeen display. More than 35 trophies won by the pilot, along with pictures, military honors and patches reside in a glass trophy at the Mentone facility.
"We learned to recognize the sound of his plane," Cochran said of Herendeen's regular visits to the area. His mother, 97-year-old Retha Mollenhour, still lives in Mentone.
"We would all go outside and look up. He would put on a fantastic show, every time, just for us."
His father, the late "Chick" Herendeen, owned and organized an air field south of Mentone. Known today as the Mentone Airport, it is the international headquarters of and privately owned by the Popular Roto Craft Association.
Herendeen learned to fly as early as he could, at age 16. He took lessons at the Rochester Airport, which was little more than a gravel strip at that time.
During his first solo flight he performed acrobatic maneuvers in a Piper J5 - a loop and a side spin - foreshadowing a storied career in aviation.
Herendeen served in the U.S. Army at the tail end of World War II. After five years he left the Army, received his commercial pilot's certificate and aviation engineer and mechanics certificate. Then he joined the U.S. Air Force.
In Korea he flew more than 80 combat missions, receiving the Airman's Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Both honors are given for heroism.
In 1955 he began a career with TransWorld Airlines, or TWA, as a co-pilot. He retired as a veteran captain in August 1985.
He was an instructor, a test pilot and an internationally known competitor in aerial acrobatics and air races.
In 1965, during the Los Angeles National Air Races, Herendeen won the Sport Biplane Class race on the 2-1/2 mile course at a speed of 126.08 mph in his Pitts Special.
He began serious aerobatic flying that same year, in a modified Pitts S-1. He placed third in his first competition at the U.S. Aerobatic Championships.
He was named to the U.S. Aerobatic Team, which competed in the World Aerobatic Contest in Moscow in 1966. The Soviets won that Cold War-era event. Herendeen placed 25th.
After the '66 world competition, he became the U.S. National Aerobatics champion.
In 1968 Herendeen was seventh in the East Germany-hosted world competition, the highest placement of an American pilot to date in a WAC.
In 1970 Herendeen won the silver medal in WAC competition in Hullavington, England, and the U.S. team of Herendeen, Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy earned the Nesterov Cup.
"Pilots know no boundaries," Jacqueline said of her husband's performances behind the Iron Curtain.
He developed an airshow act, "Putting On the Ritz." Wearing a white tuxedo with a red bow tie, he entertained crowds with a series of inverted flat spins, averaging 25 to 30 turns.
Jacqueline is a pilot, too. When she learned to fly, her instructor told her he was teaching Bob Herendeen techniques. She flew in acrobatic competitions and was judged by Herendeen.
"I was in such awe of him," she said. "He was a living legend in his own time. I couldn't even talk to him."
Working up her courage, she eventually invited Herendeen out to dinner. The meal turned into a partnership that combined marriage and business.
She became his representative because he was bashful. The couple formed an aerobatics team, the only married team in the country.
"The International Council of Air Shows is the governing body of air shows world wide," Jacqueline said from her home in San Diego, Calif. "It is a great honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame."
