Hi Phil. Welcome to Beech talk.
Thank you for posting a pic the Merkel biplane. It's good to see it again. I met Ed through EAA chapter 88 and saw him fly it off High Point a couple chapter gatherings. It's quite an airplane and Ed was quite an engineer and pilot.

I'd wager that the majority of BT participants have learned a thing or two from Mike's posts.

Just isn’t the same around here without him is it Patrick?

Just saw this! Welcome Phil! You have a very famous, talented wife, I believe!

Please tell us more!

Yes, I'm very fortunate Bonnie puts up with me! And she has done a lot of aviation activities over the years.

She's flown 15 ARC's placing as high as 3rd; together we've done photos for 5 more races.

I'm jealous she got her PPL in a Luscombe; I had to start out with a training wheel....

She was on the boards of both Kansas Aviation Museum and Amelia Earheart Birthplace Museum, and the 1st female director of the Aeronautical Laboratory at Wichita State.

She does 1st person performances of historical women. Two with aviation connections are Katherine Wright (the business and social sense behind the Wright brothers, who were pathologically shy) and Louise Thaden, who won the 1929 "Powder Puff" derby (Amelia was 3rd). Louise also won the 1936 Bendix outright, collecting both the best women's prize ($2500) and the top prize ($5000). This was in a Staggerwing, just to make this BT appropriate.

Bonnie is a great copilot in life and flying!

Phil