He was one of the first Americans in Vietnam
Staff writer
Bill Novak of Lost Springs recently received a 50-year pin as a member of the American Legion.
Novak served as a lieutenant in the Air Force and was trained to fly a B-26 bomber.
After training, he was sent to Korea, where he flew daily low-level reconnaissance missions over the Yellow Sea, gathering weather information. His squad also flew over North Korea, pinpointing radar sites.
Novak had several unforgettable experiences during his time in Korea.
His most frightening experience occurred during a routine flight from Korea to Japan. The route took them past Mount Fuji, which usually was shrouded in clouds.
On this particular day, the sky was clear above the mountain, and Novak decided to fly over and take pictures. The airplane was caught in upslope turbulence, causing it to drop almost a thousand feet and then lift sharply.
Novak said he was afraid for his life and tried several times to reach the trigger on the escape hatch. Every time he did, the plane made a sudden move, preventing the action.
When Novak finally managed to guide the plane away from the mountain and land it in Japan, one engine was drooping and oil was leaking from it. All radios were destroyed.
It was a narrow escape.
Top-secret mission
While in Korea, Novak volunteered for a “top secret” mission. He flew a C-47 from Korea to Japan, then to Okinawa and the Philippines. There, he and his crew were told to take a few days off.
When they returned to the plane, its U.S. signage had been painted over and replaced with French signage.
The airmen were required to remove all identification and were told to pose as civilians flying airplanes to the French in Indochina (now known as Vietnam.) The French were trying to drive out the Communists.
Novak said he and his crew were told they were delivering medical supplies. When he had a difficult time getting the plane off the ground, he became curious and asked a crewman to open a box and check its contents. It was full of heavy ammunition.
They delivered the shipment to the French and returned to Korea without incident.
A lifetime love
An early childhood experience created in Novak an intense love of flying that never left him.
A sightseeing plane was scheduled to land at the Herington airport and give rides, but it needed a longer runway.
Novak’s father, Ralph, owned an adjacent pasture. He laid down a portion of the fence to extend the runway. In exchange, he received four free tickets. Five-year-old Bill got a free ride and was hooked for life.
After graduating from Lost Springs High School in 1946, Novak took flying lessons and earned a student license. He then attended Kemper Military Academy, a two-year community college in Booneville, Mo.
His father needed help on the farm, so Novak returned home for a year after graduating from the academy. He didn’t like farming, he said, and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1952.
“I think I was born to be in the Air Force,” the 80-year-old veteran said. “I’ve loved the Air Force all my life.”
After a year in Korea, he became a flight instructor at San Angelo, Texas, where he met and married his wife, Dolly. He was honorably discharged in September 1956.
The couple returned to Kansas, and Novak enrolled in Kansas State University, where he earned a degree in biological science.
After graduation, he worked for a consulting firm in Massachusetts and traveled all over the country. The couple and their three children bought a trailer house and lived in 10 states during a one-year period.
In the early 1960s, Novak’s father decided to retire from farming, so the family returned to the farm. After a year of farming, Novak leased the land to others and began developing an airplane parts business. It was to be the couple’s mainstay for the remainder of their working lives.
Novak acquired a plane and established a runway at the farm, calling it the Flying-in Ranch. The couple flew, and sometimes drove, all over the country to buy and deliver mostly government surplus parts. They bought and sold parts in other countries as well. Some customers flew in to pick up parts.
“It was a lucrative business,” Novak said.
After more than 40 years in the business, he still has a storage shed full of parts and continues to serve customers. He maintains the runway to serve the occasional customer who arrives by plane. Most parts are sold to operators of spray planes and helicopters.
One might call Novak an aircraft junkie. He bought a Hughes 269 helicopter several years ago and plans to re-sell it. He estimates over the years he has bought and sold 40 helicopters, as well as 10 or 12 planes.
Two years ago, he rescued a unique Cessna 160 from a junkyard. It was a cross between a Cessna 150 and Cessna 175. The government abandoned the project after the prototype was built. Novak hopes that someday a museum will buy it, assemble the parts, and put it on display.
Public service
Novak also ventured into politics for a time. When Lawrence Slocombe of Peabody died in 1972, in the middle of his term as state representative from the 70th District, the Republican Party appointed Novak to complete his term. Novak ran for re-election and won. He was defeated by Duane Goossen of Goessel in the 1981 elections.
Novak said serving in the legislature was enlightening, providing a view of “an economy in progress.”
He said the first years were encouraging because Republican legislators reached a consensus on issues to pursue. In later years, younger, more moderate Republicans tended to go their own way.
“It wasn’t as much fun then,” he said.
Novak said he smoked for 30 years but gave up the habit 20 years ago. In 2001, he underwent a heart valve replacement. The doctor inadvertently punctured a lung in the process, resulting in his dependency on oxygen when he is active.
He continues to work in his shop almost every day, readying parts for shipment.
“I feel good,” he said.
Bill and Dolly live in the same house his parents built in 1937 — albeit with additions — on their farm southwest of Lost Springs.
Novak praises his wife for being a faithful partner.
“She has been my co-pilot all these years,” he said.
He is satisfied with the life he has lived.
“It was a hell of a ride,” he said. “I had a great time. I got to do a lot of things and see a lot of places.”
Their son, Bill, lives in San Antonio, Texas. Daughter Nancy lives in Tulsa, Okla., and son, Jim, lives in McPherson. The couple has two grandchildren.