According to his brother Fidelis, Bernard ‘Bernie’ Miltenberger built his first airplane in 1931, a Heath Parasol. The aircraft was built from a Heath Company kit and was powered by a modified four cylinder Henderson motorcycle engine. With the under powered motorcycle engine and the Heath’s marginal handling capabilities, and with Bernie’s lack of piloting skills, only a skimming flight of a few feet in height was achieved, fortunately without incident.
An Aeronca C-2, powered by a 26 hp two cylinder engine was purchased at Bettis Field at Pittsburgh in 1932 and flown to Mexico Farms Airport by Curly Bill Johnson. Johnson had admonished Bernie not to fly the Heath, as he deemed it a dangerous airplane, and offered to teach him to fly in Johnson’s Fairchild KR-31 Challenger. When Bernie was ready to solo he did so in his C-2 Aeronca. Bernie flew frequently and really learned how to fly in the Aeronca. Both the Heath and the Aeronca were hangared at Seymour Bottom on the west side of Knobley Mountain, just across the adjacent mountain range from Mexico Farms in West Virginia. This site is along the Potomac River south of the Cumberland Fairgrounds.
After selling the Heath, Miltenberger later replaced the Aeronca C-2 with a Taylor E-2 Cub purchased in 1935 from an individual at Bowman Field, Louisville, KY, who delivered the airplane for the price of a return train fare. This E-2 was unique in that it was an early vintage Taylor Cub with serial number 25, one of the earliest of the many thousands of Taylor and Piper Airplanes built since. Bernie said that during the 1936 flood he was concerned about rising water involving his hangar. He drove a horse down the steep west mountainside access trail from the Miltenberger residence, planning to move the Cub to higher ground. Upon arrival the hangar had water level up to the fuselage. He quickly attached a rope to the landing gear and, with the help of the horse and his two brothers, pulled the Cub through the thigh deep water to higher ground. No sooner was that accomplished when the Miltenbergers observed the hangar being swept away by the fast rising flood waters of the Potomac River. A year or so later the fabric of the Cub failed a quality test and Bernie recovered the E-2 himself, painting the fuselage blue and the wings red and hangaring it at Mexico Farms. At this time he acquired Andrew Connors as a partner. The author, as a highly motivated thirteen year old, built a model of this particular Taylor E-2 Cub in 1937.
It was thought, by some of the local old time pilots that Bernie was the originator of the air show, ‘The Flying Farmer’ or ‘ The How Not To Fly Act’, in the late 1930’s. Bernie dressed as a farmer in bib overalls and straw hat presenting himself to the air show public address announcer saying that he would like an airplane ride. After securing the farmer in the E-2 Cub the pilot, who obviously was going to pilot the airplane, flips the propeller to start the engine. The engine roars with full power, the pilot darts away from the apparent uncontrolled and rapidly moving Cub, now only occupied by the farmer. The Cub rapidly becomes airborne as the pilot is shaking his fist and yelling wildly at this hick farmer. Wild maneuvers follow with very low steep turns and near stalled antics of full control movements as the farmer apparently attempts to control the airplane. Wagging the rudder and elevators at the crowd, the runaway farmer on his errant flight ends the act with a one wheel landing, with the engine shut down. Such outlandish maneuvers required expert flying on the part of Bernie as he performed one of the best flying farmer acts ever observed. Miltenberger amused and amazed crowds at airshows, continuing even after WW II while flying the Taylorcraft in his wild and crazy performance. The ‘Flying Farmer Act’ now is considered a classic and is performed by several aerial performers at air shows throughout the country. But Bernie Miltenberger is considered by many to be the first to undertake this crowd pleasing performance.
Like his good friend, Forrest Miller, Bernie was friendly and kind to fledgling student pilots. This included the author, with whom Bernie shared knowledge and generously allowed Bob Poling and others to fly Miltenberger’s E-2 Cub. In early 1942 Bernie sold the E-2 to Holmes Hinkle and then acquired the original J-2 Cub of the Cumberland Flying Service. In 1945 Miltenberger purchased a rare 55 hp Lycoming powered Taylorcraft from Guy Hanna and Ed Wolford at the Romney, WV Airport. In later years he actively participated in the operations of Chapter 426 of the Experimental Aircraft Association at Mexico Farms. With his passing a few years ago a four plane aerial salute, flying the missing man formation, flew over his grave site ceremonies in recognition of Bernard Miltenberger’s huge contributions to Cumberland aviation.
Clockwise from top left: Bernie Miltenberger, the Heath Parasol, the Taylor E-2 Cub, and Bernie with his Aeronca C-2. The Aeronca C-2 was later owned and flown by many local pilots.
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Wings Over Cumberland 