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Verna Noll is
For Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Noll, 201 Rohrerstown
Road, Lancaster, flying their Piper two-seater airplane is
as natural as getting into the family car and driving to the
store. So it is no surprise that Verna should be honored as
Pennsylvania’s Flying Fanner Queen for 1980.
The nomination to be queen came unexpectedly for this
grandmother, but she says, “I’m really excited about it
and so are the children.” She Was crowned at the 14th
annual convention at Beaver Falls in March. „
To be chosen as the flying farmer queen, a woman must
live on a farm and the couple must own their own plane.
The Nolls are qualified on both counts. They have their
own private landing strip nestled in their fields between
Two Guys Department Store and Stauffer’s of Kissel Hill
near Rohrerstown. The wind sock on their silo is a
familiar sight to people who travel the busy Rohrerstown
Road.
The Nolls are long-time members of the'Pennsylvania
Flying Farmers, an organization which numbers about
200. To become a full-fledged member, a flying farmer
must get over 51 percent of his income from fanning.
Nationally, there are over 2,000 members of the In
ternational Flying Farmers organization, which includes
Canada and Mexico.
June 21 has been designated “Queen’s Day” for the
Flying Farmers, and members will be traveling to the
NoU farm that day to meet with the queen and her family.
It will also be a pilot up-grading day, the Nolls explained,
and pilots will be taking their annual proficiency tests
(APT) which are required of flying farmer members.
One of the things Verna is now learning to do is to
become proficient at “Landits” which means she will be
qualified to land an airplane. She will encourage other
Flying Farmers’ wives to become qualified at Landits.
She talked about her other duties, “I will also be hostess at
Fly-Ins and attend the regular monthly meeting. I will
welcome old and new members.”
While she does not have an interest in learning to fly
herself, Verna says, “I go along with Bob a lot of the time.
I enjoy going along, but I never really cared to learn to
fly.” When asked how she feels about her husband’s
flying, she answered, “I know he’s happy doing it. He
loves to fly.”
c H/eies
Flying is not new to them. NoU says, “I’ve been flying
for at least 30 years, and the airstrip was put in in 1949.”
He recalls that he became interested in flying as a
young man when basic instruction was given to pilots
during World War H at the old Lancaster Airport, located
where Landis Brothers now stands on the Manheim Pike.
“One evening after work, in 1945, we went for our first
lesson,” he recalls, adding that it cost $5 per hour for the
plane and $3 for the instructor. Now, Noll says, it would
cost about $42 an hour.
“I was at it for three years before I got my private
license. We only went when we had money.” At the time,
hepointed out, he was working for his Dad and was being
paid 12 cents per hour.
Noll purchased his first plane in 1949. It was a Piper J 3,
and cost $6OO as a two-year-old plane. He got his present
“Super Cub” in 1958.
Despite his obvious enthusiasm for the flying, he says,
“I don’t fly more than 50 hours a year.” He also admits,
“I’m a fair weather pilot.”
Most flying farmers own airplanes for a combination of
business and pleasure. Since airplanes are certainly not a
necessity for this part of Pennsylvania, Noll says he uSes
it for business but flies mostly for pleasure. “Not many
people do things just for fun,” he says with a smile.
fa the Midwest and the West, Noll observes, “They use
their planes to check cattle. Their plane is as importrant
to them as their combines. They often fly into town for
supplies. We’re so close to everything that we don’t have
that much opportunity to use the plane.”
The Nolls farm 44 acres at their home on the Rohrer
stown Road. They have broilers and raise hogs and steers,
along with corn and wheat. Their son, C. Robert, works
with them and farms near Mountville. The airplane is
frequently used for short trips to the second farm.
Verna is a busy farmwife, being actively involved in
Farm Women Society 18, and in the Black Rock Auxiliary,
Verna and Bob Noll enjoy taking a quick airplane
trip in good weather. Here they prepare to take off
in their Piper Super Cub at their landing strip near
Rohrerstown.
BYSALLYBAIR
Staff Correspondent
flying high with her new duties
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The Nolls’ airplane is as important to them as a
car is to most people. It is often used for short trips
> it is a
When she was selected as Flying Farmer Queen,
Verna was crowned by the outgoing queen and
received roses and a trophy from Cessna. The
1980 queen will represent the Flying Farmers and
participate in their activities.
the Rohrerstown Fire Company Auxiliary and the
Rohrerstown Mennonite Church.
She is very much at home in her kitchen, enjoying
baking and cooking. She also likes to sew and maintains a
small garden. She grew up on a farm in the lititz area.
One of her big interests, not surprisingly, is that she
likes to travel, although much of her travel, far and wide,
has been done by commercial airline. A favorite trip in
their private plane is to Harrisonburg, Virginia, to visit
their daughter and her family. The Nolls have three
daughters and a son, and six grandchildren.
Vema will attend-functions like Ag Progress Days
where she will tell the story of the Flying Fanners, and
she hopes to do as last year’s Queen did by attending the
Farm Show and having brunch with Governor Thorn
burgh.
Another opportunity for Vema as Pennsylvania’s
Flying Farmer Queen, will be attending the national
convention in San Diego where she will participate in a
contest for the International Flying Farmer Queen title,
along with 49 contestants.
One of the big advantages of membership in the Flying
Farmers, according to Vema, is that it is a family
organization, “where members get to knowjamilies. We
have programs that appeal to all family members.”
Bob characterized their meetings as “interesting and
educational. We always have a chapter meeting, then tour
areas of interest.”
The objective of the flyipg farmer organization is “to
sponsor education and research m agriculture and
avaiation.’’ They also work toward the development of
public acceptance of light aircraft and want to encourage
the use of “close-in” landing strips for towns and cities.
The flying farmers promote safe flying through pilot
proficiency checks and educational clinics and they work
toward obtaining favorable legislation for the safety and
economy of general aviation.
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terrific way to see the beautiful areas in central
Pennsylvania.
Verna Noll enjoys cooking and baking in her farm
kitchen and will combine her role as farm
homemaker with her duties as Flying Farmer
Queen.
As the Flying Farmer Queen, Verna acquired a
scrapbook of previous winners, along with other
general information. Here she looks it over in her
farm kitchen.
While regulations are not a problem in Pennsylvania,
Noll pointed out that more and more air space Is becoming
controlled, which means that the ordinary guy who wants
to fly for fun has to purchase more and more expensive
equipment to fly within this controlled airspace.
Furthermore, Noll noted that in the West, where flying
is more a necessity to check out huge ranching operations,
regulations are establishing the necessity of having huge
fuel tanks on farms. Gas suppliers are reluctant to deliver
and farmers cannot afford huge reserves.
Members of the Flying Farmers, Noll explained, a l5O
receive a 10 percent discount on their insurance.
For Verna, the prospect of representing Pennsylvania’s
Flying Farmers is an unexpected pleasure and one she is
looking forward to. With flying so important to their lives,
she is anxious to tell others about the joys of flying.
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