Page 6 - Aerotech News and Review, October 15, 2021

Cam Martin – Heavens Above

by Larry Grooms ment in 1976, it was my job to write Cam began serving as EAA’s Chap- passed 600,000.
special to Aerotech News the daily flight schedule. But the public lain in 2012 after serving as a Fergus Cam says that in any year, Oshkosh
affairs officer found out I was the only Chapel AirVenture volunteer for more AirVenture is simply the world’s larg-
Before Cam Martin could walk or one who could identify old airplane than a decade. He also hosts the Fel- est and longest celebration of flight, a
talk, his mother prophetically wrote in photos.” lowship of the Wing, a daily opportu- combination airshow, convention and
the baby book that he seemed to have The skill came up again after Cam nity for people to come together early family reunion, with the Experimen-
a fascination for airplanes. First flight joined NASA’s Langley Research Cen- each morning in an informal setting
at age two was with his father pilot- ter, Virginia, in 1988. He was working to share a cup of coffee, a song, and a tal Aircraft Assn. at the core of it all,
ing a rented yellow Piper Cub. Cam in the field when the need arose to ur- short inspirational message at the inter- providing most of the 5,000 volunteers
says, “Apparently there wasn’t a time gently identify a mystery airplane pic- section of flight and faith. contributing 250,000 hours.
I wasn’t interested in airplanes.” ture. When other staff asked the boss if Fergus Chapel, the first structure The Oshkosh numbers are stagger-
It wasn’t a passing phase, and he he could identify the aircraft. He said, built by EAA on the site, is a replica ing:
never grew out of it. Maybe Cam was “Just call Cam and hold the photo near of a quaint, old-time rural Wisconsin • 10,000 aircraft at Wittman Re-
just born to fly. Cam’s father, a Navy the phone reciever.” church, located in a quiet area of the gional Airport and other fields in east-
man serving aboard an aircraft carrier While at Langley, he and the com- grounds. Non-denominational services central Wisconsin;
during the Korean War, learned to fly munications team he led received a are offered there for AirVenture visi- • 16,378 aircraft operations over
with help from the G.I. Bill. Cam Martin series of awards from the Aviation and tors away from their regular routines. days at Wittman alone, averaging 116
Cam remembers, “It helped to have Space Writers Association, foreshad- Cam points out that a half-dozen cler-
a dad who was good at building air- owing a long and fruitful career. ics representing a variety of faiths also takeoffs and landings per hour’
plane models. I still have a shelf full They never got farther than New York. The Experimental Aircraft Associa- volunteer to lead worship services for • 3,176 Show Planes, including
of many planes he built when I was in The war ended five days after they left tion showed up on Cam’s avocational Catholics, Protestants and Jews, “sup- 1,420 vintage aircraft, 1,089 home-
grade school. He was an avid reader California. radar about 1989 and he made his first porting the spiritual needs of the family builts, 354 warbirds, 148 aerobatic
with a significant aviation library for With two generations of military pilgrimage to the organization’s annual of flight.” aircraft, 112 amphibians, 33 ultralights
the time. We went to every airplane aviation veterans in the family, Cam week-long fly-in at Oshkosh, Wisc., as Chaplain Cam says this year’s and 27 rotorcraft;
movie that came to town — X-15, Jet Martin’s interests and activities were part of NASA’s outreach to the tech- scheduled AirVenture Oshkosh chapel • 747 commercial exhibitors, and
Pilot, The Blue Max, and The Battle of converging onto the pathway that savvy aviation community. early morning events focused on fun 1,055 hosted forums, workshops and
Britain were especially memorable.” would lead him to “the overriding pas- Over the three decades since then, and fellowship. “When anybody calls it other presentations.
A generation and two world wars sion of my life.” Cam participated at AirVenture, be- a ‘chapel service’ I cringe,” Cam says.
earlier, Cam’s grandfather, James After earning a Bachelor of science came a Forum speaker and exhibitor “We’re airplane people having way too
Campbell Martin, who studied at the degree in Business Logistics from Penn and became an EAA Young Eagles much fun.” Cam remarks, “If it flies, there is a
Carnegie Institute of Technology in State University and a later MA in Ad- Flight Leader, piloting aviation experi- Although the chapel team is pre- corner there for the enthusiasts from
Pittsburgh, was sworn into the Army ministrative Sciences from George ence flights to introduce and hopefully pared to be of assistance in dealing that niche. Burt Rutan’s earliest cus-
on March 2, 1918, and attached to the Washington University, patriotic Cam inspire eight- to 17-year-olds. Since with any incidents, Cam said this was tomers travelled back there. In the
293rd Aero Squadron Radio Detach- Martin was commissioned as an officer its inception in 1992 the Young Eagles a safe year. “We have Band-Aids for hallway of Mojave Air & Space Port’s
ment of the 28th Service Company, in the U.S. Navy where he stepped onto program has flown more than 2 million emotional first aid, but this year we administration Building is a photo of
Signal Corps at March Field in River- another rung of the ladder leading to a students. didn’t have to use any.” local homebuilts flying to Oshkosh in
side, Calif. He was given flying instruc- life and career of accomplishment in On another, higher plane, in the 50 Oshkosh, in Cam Martin’s words, formation.” Most were Burt’s designs.
tions, promoted to first sergeant and put aeronautics. years of its existence, AirVenture Os- came back to life from a pandemic year Editor’s note: This is part two of a
in charge of a Radio School for cadets. “I was many things in my Navy ca- hkosh has had three chaplains to serve that was 24 months long. Attendance three-part series. Look for part three
was pegged at 608,000, within five
people of many faiths attending the fly-
On Nov. 6, Sergeant Martin and reer, but always had some component in the next issue of Aerotech News and
his detachment went off to war, with in my job that related to public affairs,” in. Cam Martin is the current and third percent of the all-time record in 2019,
orders to report to Toul, France. Cam recalls. “In my first Navy assign- chaplain to hold that post. and only the third time attendance sur- Review.

Courtesy photograph
First in flight in Cam’s family was his grandfather, James Campbell Martin, who Courtesy photograph
served in the 293rd Aero Squadron of the Army Signal Corps. Fergus Chapel in Oshkosh, Wisc.

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