Last December 28, a beloved West Bend, Wisconsin, pilot named Ed Emanuel, who had taught IDPA member Jean Hauser to the private pilot's certificate, died at age 79. Those who attended the 1997 IDPA fly-in at West Bend will remember having met Ed, who was not only a good friend to Jean (he was an expert fingerspeller also as well as a great CFI) but to all pilots who came under his wing. The following obituary, written by Eric LaRose under the headline "Emanuel had a gift for teaching flying," appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and is reprinted by permission.

Edwin P. "Captain Ed" Emanuel, a flight instructor who had survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and a kamikaze bombing in the Philippines, died Friday of lung cancer at his West Bend home at the age of 79, his companion, Irene, said.

Emanuel, who was originally from Los Angeles, enlisted in the Navy when he was "barely old enough to get in" and consequently ended up on the USS Reid, a Navy destroyer, as a radio operator.

The Reid had just left its docking position Dec. 7, 1941, when ... planes for the [Imperial Japanese Navy] started dropping bombs on the unsuspecting ships.

The ship "got the heck out of there," Emanuel said, before it could be sunk or severely damaged, as 21 other ships were in the surprise attack.

On Dec. 11, 1944, the Reid was hit by a kamikaze pilot in Ormac Bay in the Philippines and sank, killing 70 per cent of the crew aboard the ship. According to Emanuel's son, Richard, the Reid was the 12th naval vessel lost in the Philippines and the 244th lost during World War II at that time.

As the Reid sank, depth charges aboard the sinking ship exploded, severely injuring Emanuel. A PT boat rescued him and others, and he was taken to Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Illinois.

After he recovered from his injuries, he took flying lessons at the nearby Waukegan Airfield.

"He was a natural at flying," Irene Emanuel said, adding that after he received his pilot's license, he moved to West Bend to work for a crop-dusting outfit.

From there, he got his instructor's and examiner's licenses, allowing him to teach and test future pilots. He later served as the chief pilot instructor for a West Bend flying service.

"He would always tell his students, 'Don't forget to fly the plane.' He'd say to forget the gadgets, don't think too far ahead, fly in the moment," recalled his son. "That's how he lived his life. He was a true professional right up to the end."

His nickname, "Captain Ed," came from a student impressed with Emanuel's gift for teaching.

"He would fly charters and people would call him that," Irene Emanuel said. "He even signed into his Web site using the name 'Captain Ed.' "

A memorial service is planned for Emanuel at 7 p.m. on Wednesday [Jan. 2, 2002] at the Experimental Aircraft Association hangar at the West Bend airport on Aerial Drive. Weather permitting, a single plane will fly as a tribute to Emanuel.

"He taught a lot of people how to fly," Irene Emanuel said, "and a lot of them are out there flying the big planes now. He really cared about his students and was a tough examiner. I don't know how we'll fit them all in the hangar, but we'll manage."

Edwin Emanuel's ashes will be spread in line with the West Bend Airport's Runway 13-31, over a prairie on the opposite side of the Milwaukee River.

Emanuel also is survived by a daughter, Pam, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

"I have many fond memories of Ed and I flying together in my Skyhawk to golf courses and ski areas in northern Wisconsin and Michigan," Jean said. "I will miss him as a good friend. "On January 2 I went to the memorial service. The EAA hall was so full that I could hardly get through. Wow!" -- Jean Hauser

Ed Emanuel and Jean Hauser in a rented Skyhawk in 1965 at West Bend Airport in West Bend, Wis., just before Jean received her private certificate after Ed had taught her to fly.