When Ray Ward of Waverly visited the United States Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, he got the shock of his life - though a pleasant one. Hanging from the museum's ceiling was an R-4 Sikorsky military helicopter, the first model to be flown by the United State Army Air Force (USAAF) during World War II. Ward had believed all the flimsy craft, with the exception of the one on display in the Smithsonian had long ago become junk. Ward, a pioneer helicopter pilot and founding member of "Twirly Birds," perceived as he drew nearer the big yellow number "16" on the craft, the one he had flown!

 "That's mine!" he exclaimed to the nearest visitor who turned out to be a commercial helicopter pilot moving telephone poles to remote mountain locations and fanny warm air down on citrus crops to keep the crop from freezing.

 Ward stated the aircraft's claim to fame rests in his attempting to play horseshoes from the chopper against a ground team who fled for their lives. Ward's aim was somewhat errant and life threatening. Though this one and only air-to-ground game never was completed, Ward concluded that he was first to discover the helicopter proved an unstable platform for bomb dropping. 

 "In other words, I was a lousy horseshoe heaver." 

 The whole scheme came about when Ward learned that the mandated hour of physical training imposed on all military personnel could be satisfied by throwing at the peg with horseshoes and, with the hanger nearby, he checked out #16. 

 The R-4 helicopter unit was formed in 1943 and served through to the end of the war in 1946 when Japan surrendered. He believes "that act of the Japanese saved our lives. The rotors didn't always stay with the main airframe."

 Editor's Note: To see a picture of the #16 R-4 helicopter on the Web, visit:
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/ air_power/ap23.htm