By:Jennifer Marino
The hangar is one building away from the new Cradle of Aviation museum in Garden City. It and Lindemann, who is better known as Wally, have played an important role in the evolution of the museum. The cavernous building is where many of the volunteers helped restore and build the planes housed in the museum.
Lindemann, 74, a retired carpenter, started volunteering 12 years ago. His interest in planes however started long before that, when he was 14 years old he built what he called "rubber band models" of planes. Plus, he was able to learn about aviation as a boy from his uncle who was a TWA pilot.
A resident of Rockville Centre for 43 years, Lindemann also fostered his love of planes during his nearly four years, from 1946-1949, in the Navy. He was a plane captain (or crew chief) for one of the Curtis Sea Hawks that were on his ship, the USS Little Rock.
He would take care of the plane and go through a check list before take-off. The pilot would also go through a check list and after the thumbs up was given the Sea Hawk would be catapulted off the deck.
Lindemann says the volunteers at the museum often share stories and reminisce about their varied backgrounds. He will have another opportunity to reminisce when the USS Little Rock holds its reunion in San Diego, CA this year.
During his time in the Navy, Lindemann also got his pilots license and made several flights from Norfolk, VA to Roosevelt Field on Long Island before it was a shopping mall.
He heard about volunteering with the Cradle of Aviation through word of mouth and felt he had to seize the opportunity "just to be near planes."
Lindemann has been married to his wife, Martha, for 45 years. He is retired from his job as "The Wood Doctor" and his two children, Kathy and Thomas, are grown.
Several planes in the museum were worked on by Lindemann including a Grumman F3F2, an X-43 an experimental supersonic test plane and a Waco CG4A a troop transfer glider, the kind that was used in the invasion of Normandy on D-day.
The Buffalo Brewster is his current project with 15 other volunteers including Chester Hendel, another Rockville Centre resident. The plane is being built from scratch with the help of draftsman Herb Wickman who especially helped with the metal framing that is the base of the plane. After the framing, there are more wooden templates that go over it and then thin sheets of plywood are used instead of metal sheeting as the outer shell.
The work does not seem easy. One volunteer, Joe Heaney, was on a ladder using a hair dryer to work with the wood and the glue. Many of the men, including Lindemann had cuts on their arms.
"We live, sleep, eat, breath planes," said volunteer Charlie Svatek, an engineer retired from Sperry.
He isn't lying. The volunteers' lunchroom has many model and radio controlled airplanes soaring above, several made by Lindemann. He flies the radio controlled ones in his spare time and has a two-car garage full of them at home. "Hangar one and hangar two," he said with a laugh.
When asked which plane that he's worked on is his favorite, Lindemann starts to say he liked doing the very large wing on the Waco CG4A, but then he changes his mind. "Everyone is your favorite. Everyone is a new adventure," he said.
For more information about the Cradle of Aviation, visit their website at www.cradleofaviation.org, and if you were on the USS Little Rock and would like to go to the reunion contact Nick Perillo (908)464-1248.
