Eugene ‘Gene’ Kelley grew up in South Cumberland and became an aviation enthusiast at a young age. He witnessed the activities at Mexico Farms and the Cumberland Airport until his death in 1998. As a child he recognized the famous Lockheed Vega ‘Winnie Mae’ as it flew over his home and described to his father what airplane he had observed. His father was skeptical of his son and did not believe his statement even though Wylie Post and the Winnie Mae were much in the news. Gene convinced his father to walk with him to Mexico Farms and there, lo and behold, were both Wylie Post and the Winnie Mae.
Kelley befriended Ronald ‘Torque’ Landis and the other old-time Mexico Farm pilots. With this background Gene became a consummate story teller, with a recall of events that was unsurpassed. He, therefore, became an excellent source of historical information.
Gene became acquainted with another airport buff that he had seldom seen on the airport. The gentleman invited Gene to go flying with him in his newly acquired aircraft. They walked around the plane, boarded, and the owner started the engine and taxied to the active runway. The before take-off checks were all completed and the acquaintance turned to Gene and said, “OK, go ahead and fly her.” Kelley, who had never learned to fly in spite his deep interest, was taken aback and stated, “I can’t fly her, I do not know how!” The response was, “I don’t know how either.” Each had assumed the other was a pilot. At that point the chagrined aircraft owner returned the plane back to the hangar.
One of Gene’s favorite stories concerned an outlaw Taylorcraft kept privately a distance from Cumberland in the 1950s. This was prior to the Civil Aeronautics Authority and later the Federal Aviation Administration exercised strong control on private flying activities. The owner of the Taylorcraft flew the aircraft to Cumberland one Sunday and attempted to land on runway 19. The Taylorcraft is known to be a craft that tends to float on landing before contact. On the round out for landing the pilot apparently forced the T-Craft hard on to the macadam. When the wheels hit and bounced into the air a part of the plane fell off. At this point the pilot advanced power, then reduced it, and when the T-craft again hit the runway another part of the airplane fell away. Again the pilot added power and repeated the galloping act a third time, again losing another part of the airframe. At this point the pilot was running out of runway and in danger of going off the end and down the steep 200 foot bank into the Potomac River. Full power was advanced but the ship only staggered into the air over the edge of the departure end of the runway and sank out of sight. The airport on-lookers jumped into their cars and quickly drove to the end of runway 19 to view down on the lower Mexico Farms Airport. They observed the Taylorcraft lying like a big spent bug at the intersection of the west and north runways. Apparently the Taylorcraft hit with a big splat, the landing gear broken upwards and the wings broken down. Fortunately, the pilot was unhurt and was seen walking around the wreckage and waving to the sightseers on the hill indicating that he was all right.
Gene and his wife, June, had no children of their own but they were known to assist numerous youngsters in their area with heartfelt hospitality and generosity. Gene had long service as a superb professional photographer but on his retirement from that profession had no interest other than to photograph aircraft or young kids. He was frequently asked to perform other photographic services. His standard answer to those queries was, “I only take pictures of kids and airplanes”. Gene Kelley provided numerous professional aircraft photographs to the delight of the aircraft’s owners. With his recall of local flying activities, the relating of amusing and factual anecdotes, and his photography work, Kelley contributed immensely to local aviation history.
Gene Kelley in his younger days and a photo taken by Gene of Stan Leasure in his Fairchild PT-23. This aircraft was purchased by Stan for $250.
Gene Kelley, in later life as a boxing trainer for Randy Shreve, and on the right an air show Pitts Special photo taken by Gene.
Two photos taken by Gene Kelley. On the left is a Culver Dart with Herb Wentz entering the cockpit and Warren Mullenax to the right. The other Kelley photo is of Bill Adam’s air show configured 450 hp Stearman. Gene Kelley’s photos were always of outstanding quality in 8” x 10” size.
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Wings Over Cumberland 