Steam-powered airline takes flight

Fudpucker World Airlines never lifted off, but its president had fun.

The Hayden Lake company didn’t offer frequent flyer miles, complimentary meals, free Wi-Fi — or, for that matter, even airplanes.

But the merchandise was top-notch and in demand.

“The name of the game is fun and entertainment,” said John Schafhausen, originator and FWA president. “There’s enough seriousness in life.”

In August 1976, Schafhausen told Ray Finefrock of the Coeur d’Alene Press how a tongue-in-cheek joke launched “a full-fledged, mail-order merchandising company.”

“I do airshows with a bunch of guys,” Schafhausen said. “A couple of years ago we got to talking, and I came up with the name ‘Fudpucker World Airlines’ for our group.”

Right away, the new FWA “crew members” demanded T-shirts with the company logo. And then their families and friends clamored for the tees, too. So Schafhausen thought, “I ought to see if this will sell,” and put ads in flight magazines.

Orders poured in. Many of them began by asking: “Are you for real?”

1976 was busy for Schafhausen.

Not only did he start the world’s only “steam-powered airline,” but he also doubled as a stunt pilot for actor Robert Conrad in the new TV series, “Baa Baa Black Sheep.” Conrad played Coeur d’Alene native Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, a World War II combat pilot.

Schafhausen and Boyington became friends. The Hayden Lake man owned a Corsair, like the ones that the daring Boyington flew in combat. He also possessed a vivid imagination.

According to The Press, Schafhausen and his buddies invented slogans for Fudpucker World Airlines and a back story for its fantasy founder, Dudley P. Fudpucker. Two of their popular slogans were: “Round the World Since It Was Square” and “The Fastest Growing Slowest Going Airline in the World.”

“We are loved by ecologists,” Schafhausen told The Press. “We don’t pollute the air, leave oil spills or dump fuel.” And, he said: “We fly the SST — Super Steam Transport. Anytime you look up in the sky and see a contrail you know it’s a Fudpucker flight.”

The Fudpucker list of mail-order items — some of which are still found today on eBay — included pilot wings, uniform patches, warm-up suits, frisbees, coffee cups and flight bags.

“One of our best-selling items is the stewardess nightgown,” Schafhausen quipped. “We get a lot of orders from guys around Christmas.”

I do, I do

Smitten couples got their money’s worth for almost 25 years from Hitching Post Wedding Chapel minister LaVena Allen.

Before her 2011 retirement at age 84, LaVena offered 10-minute, personalized weddings for only $70 or $80, depending on the day of the week.

Her services weren’t robotic.

In those 10 minutes, she sermonized from the I Corinthians 13 “Love Chapter,” touted her faith in Jesus Christ, and cautioned that love wasn’t enough to hold couples together despite what the 1970s pop duo Captain and Tenille sang.

Marriage is hard work, she warned. LaVena, however, found her work fulfilling.

“I enjoy hearing about their lives,” she said. “Most everyone that comes in is happy.”

She performed most of her weddings at the iconic chapel, across from the courthouse.

But she was flexible.

Once, she supervised a Hell’s Angel wedding, complete with roaring motorcycles, gunfire and beer. She skipped the reception.

On another occasion, she wedded a couple who had lived together for 40 years and had grown children. The marriage didn’t last long. The couple got off to a good start with a honeymoon cruise. But then the groom died.

Hydroplane Hero

In the final heat of the ninth Diamond Cup on Lake Coeur d’Alene, hydroplane drivers Mira Slovak in Tahoe Miss and Col. Warner Gardner in Miss Lapeer roared past the starting line.

The light was fading on that Sunday, Aug. 14, 1966. But a photographer for The Press expertly framed the swift boats and their rooster tails for his paper.

Three years before, the two pilots were involved in a daring Diamond Cup rescue.

Slovak was leading Gardner in the final heat of the 1963 race when Slovak’s hydroplane disintegrated, throwing the unconscious driver into the water. Gardner chopped his throttle and dove into the debris field while his powerboat was still moving. Gardner then held his rival’s head above water until help arrived.

In 1966, Slovak returned to Coeur d’Alene for the first time since the accident — and dominated the Diamond Cup. Gardner was third.

On Aug. 11, 1968, Gardner, a decorated World War II combat pilot, competed in his final Diamond Cup, finishing fourth.

He died less than a month later in a fatal Gold Cup crash on the Detroit River.

The Coeur d’Alene Hydromaniacs honored his memory by organizing a memorial east of The Coeur d’Alene Resort. It shows a hydroplane with a jet zooming from its rooster tail.

Huckleberries

• Poet’s Corner: My troopers get greased / and they get exploded, / but I’m safe on my base / with my email loaded — The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“The General”).

• Rock Solid: That 4-ton rock at the Third Street entrance to Tubbs Hill was put there for a reason. On Aug. 15, 1996, it was hoisted into place, with the names of sponsors inscribed on the side, to raise money for the hallowed hill named after Coeur d’Alene pioneer Tony Tubbs. According to The Press, it was the first effort by The Friends of Tubbs Hill to raise money to preserve the waterfront treasure.

• RIP: On Aug. 20, 1976, rookie Osburn officer Earl Charles Ashton, 23, was buried in Post Falls in the presence of 300 friends, relatives and comrades. Three days earlier, he had been shot to death during a routine traffic stop on I-90, between Wallace and Kellogg. His killer was quickly captured and later sentenced to hang. However, the murderer served less than 17 years in prison. The city of Osburn will dedicate a memorial, near City Hall, to the fallen officer at noon Monday.

• Stage Delight: You’re lucky if you saw Ellen Travolta and her late husband, Jack Bannon, perform for the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre. In summer 1996, Ellen was Mama Rose and Jack was her suitor, Herbie, in a production of “Gypsy.” The two veteran actors dove into the local arts scene after moving here two years before. Among many other roles, Ellen appeared with brother John Travolta in “Grease.” And Jack, who died here in 2017, was known for his role as Donovan on “Lou Grant.”

Parting Shot

As a kid, Bob Kesson was a whiz on roller skates. As an adult, he was a 911 expert.

But he left domestic baking to wife Bonnie — until the 2006 North Idaho Fair.

Bonnie had entered the baked goods competition a few years before. So, for the fun of it, Bob, a novice baker, decided to compete with her. Both entered several desserts.

Bonnie received second-place ribbons for all her entries: wedding cake, carrot cake and mock apple pie. Bob collected third-place awards for his mock apple pie, banana bread and zucchini bread.

But the Kessons couldn’t find his raspberry cherry pie — until they walked to the championship area. It was there, with a big purple grand champion ribbon attached.

Bob hadn’t tasted it. But he planned to devour a piece at home, if the pie survived the five-day fair run.

And if it didn’t?

Well, said the newly minted pie champ, he’d bake another one.

• • •

D.F. Oliveria can be contacted at [email protected].

    In 1976, Lynnda Ferguson, 20, modeled a T-shirt from the fictitious Fudpucker World Airlines.
  

    In 2011, LaVena Allen conducted a marriage ceremony at the Hitching Post Wedding Chapel a month before retirement.
  

    In 1966, Col. Warner Gardner was welcomed by Miss Diamond Cup Helen Holland and Commodore Tom Richards.
  

    In 1966, Mira Slovak, driving Tahoe Miss, won the Diamond Cup, three years after surviving a horrific Lake Coeur d’Alene crash.
  

    Today, a memorial, east of The Coeur d’Alene Resort, honors powerboat driver Warner Gardner, a Diamond Cup favorite.
  

    In 1996, city parks supervisor Jeff Biegler guided a 4-ton Friends of Tubbs Hill rock into place at the Third Street entrance of Tubbs Hill.
  

    In 1976, slain Osburn policeman Earl Charles Ashton was buried in Post Falls in the presence of 300 people, including 173 fellow officers.
  

    In 1996, veteran actors Ellen Travolta, her husband, Jack Bannon, and Jennifer Niederloh performed for the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre.
  

    In 2006, novice baker Bob Kesson received the grand champion award for his raspberry cherry pie at the North Idaho Fair.