Author Topic: My thanks for remembering a WW2 pilot's 80th birthday  (Read 554 times)

Offline Grendel

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My thanks for remembering a WW2 pilot's 80th birthday
« on: December 12, 2002, 12:21:32 PM »
My thanks for remembering a WW2 pilot's 80th birthday

Hello guys,

Sorry it's taken this long to thank you but... I suck.

Anyway, here's what I posted on September:

Quote

A war pilot 80 years birthday - requesting virtual pilots' participation

A pilot of Finnish Air Force, professor Kauko Aho, has today his 80 years birthday. Mr. Aho has tremendously helped the Virtual Pilots Finland Association's aviation history research, and without him we most likely wouldn't be anywhere near the current situation - having close ties to Finnish war pilots' association.

Mr. Aho has participated in several virtual pilots' conventions, joined us in field trips and local virtual pilots have visited him and his wonderful wife Hilkka several times in his home. Mr. Aho is more than "just a war pilot", he is a resource, a friend of simulator pilots and wonderful, loveable old gentleman who has always been ready to help virtual pilots in any way he can.

It is too late to collect a big list of congratulations to him for today, but our association has already sent him a big flower arrangement with a greeting card.

I am now though collecting birthday greetings from virtual pilots - from all over the world. Make me and make a old man happy by giving him a birthday greeting!

Please give a message of any kind and lenght and your name & location.

I will deliver the greetings personally next week.


The response from the virtual pilots community was very, very nice.

I'm including below the birthday letter we gave him. Lots of responses - from all over the world.

I told mr. Aho that this shows how he and his fellow war pilots are respected, how he has so many friends he's never seen - all over the world. His wife, the wonderful old lady Hilkka Aho was so happily surprised and glad also, reading through the greetings list which went on page after page. We also sent him a huge bunch of flowers.

Below photos of the card presentation. We catched mr. Aho from the Finnish war pilots' association trip, so we were able to give the birthday greetings in excellent company.

Mr. Aho, Finnish war pilots' association's chairman Kivioja and Grendel doing his little speech:



Julle, Mr. Aho and Grendel:



The letter below thanks mr. Aho for his help to the Finnish Virtual Pilots Association et cetera.

Thanks all!

Grendel

--


Parahin Kauko Aho,

Pienenä kiitoksena niistä ystävällisistä sanoista ja teoista, mitä olette suomalaisten virtuaalilentäjien pientä yhteisöä kohtaan osoittaneet, mainitsimme syntymäpäivistänne yhteisömme keskustelufoorumilla toivoen yhteiseen addressiin osallistumista. Lisäksi, koska julkaisemamme ilmailuhistorialliset artikkelit, joiden syntyä ja ylipäätään historiaprojektiamme olette suuresti auttaneet, ovat luettavissa englanninkielisinä kansainväliselläkin tasolla pyysimme osallistumista syntymäpäiväonnitteluihin myös historia-artikkelejamme lukeneilta ulkomaisilta virtuaalilentäjiltä.

Oheinen onnittelulista kertoo arvostuksestanne harrastajayhteisömme keskuudessa - ja osoittaa, että Teillä on paljon kaukaisiakin tuntemattomia ystäviä. Toivomme että tämä ilahduttaa teitä molempia, niin Kaukoa kuin Hilkkaakin.

VirtuaaliLentoLaivue Icebreakers
Virtuaalilentäjät - Virtual Pilots ry
Ja kaikki ohessa mainitut.


Kaikesta yhteisestä kiittäen ja huomisen tapahtumia odottaen,
Jukka O. Kauppinen, VLeLv Icebreakers, Virtuaalilentäjät ry

Ilmaa siipien alle,
Jussi Soini, VirtuaaliTukiLentoLaivue

Sydämmelliset onnittelut 80-vuotiaalle päivänsankarille.
Jari-Matti "Jasz" Taskinen

Pitkää ikää ja terveyttä.
Tuomas Haarala
Lart / VLeLv Icebreakers, Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey

Sydämmelliset Onnittelut !
 Marko Salo
-maqu-  =VleLv Moosefly=

Sydämmelliset Onnittelut 80 vuotis päivän johdosta
Kunnioittaen ja kiittäen,
Isto "Iku" Tiihonen
-iku- Crashers' Club

Onnea ja pitkää ikää Pilven Veikolle!
Christian Tampio
Flanker, Lentolaivue 34

Paljon onnea 80 vuotiaalle Kauko Aholle.
kunnioittaen
Janne Kallela
Netfly, Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey

Onnea 80- Vuotispäivän johdosta.
Terveyttä ja pitkää ikää toivottaen, kunnioittaen.
LLv26_Hogleg   Timo Kilpinen

Paljon onnea ja pitkää ikää 80-vuotiaalle Kauko Aholle.
Kunnioittaen.
Pentti Kurkinen
Buffalo, Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey

Onnittelut 80-vuotiaalle lentäjäsankarille
Ville Ranki
VLeLv Icebreakers
Sydämelliset onnittelut 80- vuotispäivän johdosta.
Kiittäen ja kunnioittaen.
Matti Lehti
Matson, Crashers' Club / Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey

Sydämmelliset Onnittelut Kauko Aholle
Teidän 80-vuotis päivän kunniaksi.
Pertti Lindewall
"Perttt"

Sydämmelliset Onnittelut 80 vuotis päivän johdosta
Kunnioittaen
Teemu 'Teme' Perheentupa

Sydämelliset onnittelut 80-vuotispäivänne johdosta.
Kunnioittaen,
Matti Yrjölä / VHleLv 24

Sydämelliset onnittelut Kauko Aholle merkkipäivän johdosta.
Kunnioittaen
Jari Halivuori
Elk, Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey

Sydämelliset onnittelut 80-vuotispäivänänne omasta ja yhdistyksemme
puolesta! Suurkiitokset korvaamattomasta avustanne Virtuaalilentäjien
historiaprojektille !
Kunnioittaen,
Timo "Kossu" Niiranen
Puheenjohtaja
Virtuaalilentäjät - Virtual Pilots ry

Sydämmelliset Onnittelut 80 vuotis päivän johdosta
Kunnioittaen ja kiittäen,
Olli "oiva" Lehojärvi
-oiva- Crashers' Club

Parhaimmat onnittelut merkkipäivän johdosta !!
Harri ' Harppa' Niemi

Kauko Aholle lämpimät onnittelut.
ja KL
dadada
lentokersantti, LUMILAPIOLENTUE
Sydämelliset onnittelut todelliselle Blenheim-lentäjälle virtuaaliselta
mersukuskilta. Vielä tuoreena virtuaalilentäjänä arvostan panostanne
yhdistyksemme ja harrastustoimintamme hyväksi ja ennen kaikkea, aivan
toisella tasolla, kunnioitan tekojanne Suomen itsenäisyyden puolesta.
Kunnioittaen
Pekka Potka
murmur,  II / Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"

Onnittelut 80 vuotis päivän johdosta.
Kunnioittaen
Esa "Örkki" Väyrynen
Osasto Lagus

   Sydämmelliset onnitteluni 80 vuotis päivänne johdosta.
Kiitokset vapaasta Suomesta teille ja kohtalotovereillenne.
Ari "ardesi" Simolin    =VLeLv41 Moosefly=

Lämpimät 80-vuotis toivotukset täältä viileästä
pohjolasta ja pitkää ikää.
Terveisin Risto Korva VLeLv Icebreakers Oulu

Parhaimmat onnittelut 80-vuotispäivänne omasta ja virtuaalilaivueemme
puolesta! Suuret kiitokset myös innoituksestanne, esimerkistänne ja uhrauksistanne Isänmaamme ja meidän kaikkien nuorempien sukupolvien hyväksi.
Sami "BlauKreuz" Kukkonen
Varapuheenjohtaja, Virtuaalilentäjät ry.
Komentaja, (virtuaali)Lentolaivue 34

Sydämelliset onnittelut 80-vuotta nuorelle lentäjäsankarille ja
suurkiitokset työstänne Suomen vapauden edestä!
Kunnioittaen
Jarmo Paimen
'jartsa' virtuaalilentolaivue Jagdgeschwader 3 'Udet'

Parhaat onnittelut merkkipäivänne johdosta!
Ville "Camouflage" Pitkänen
Virtuaalilentäjä
Varakomentaja, (virtuaali)Lentolaivue 34

Sydämmelliset syntymäpäiväonnittelut Herra Aholle.
Santtu Ahonen
VLeLv Icebreakers
Syntymäpäiväonnittelut merkkipäivän johdosta.
-ok---, oko
Olli Korhonen
VLeLv Icebreakers, Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey
Virtuaalilentäjät ry:n hallituksen varajäsen

Lämpimät Onnittelut merkkipäivän johdosta.
Matti Saloranta
-tern-   Crashers' Club
Tiira     Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey

The warmest of birthday greetings from NE Ohio, USA
kbobJG26

Greetings and happy birthday!
Regards,
Chris Williams
Virginia, USA

Happy Brithday Sir<80> You don't look a day over 60!!
Dean Mahoney<--kiwi>
Kobe, Japan
« Last Edit: December 12, 2002, 12:24:58 PM by Grendel »

Offline Grendel

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My thanks for remembering a WW2 pilot's 80th birthday
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2002, 12:22:43 PM »
Happy birthday, and many more sir!

Tim Wysko
North Eastern New York

Happy birthday!
Frank Baldwin
London UK

80 years young...
Congratulations from Toronto, Canada on your 80th birthday. May you have many more.
Man Utd

Happy 80th B'Day Sir, !
Best Regards,
Josh A. Borton (-jbot-)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Happy 80th Birthday Mr. Aho from down under in Australia.
Paul =bads= Bedford
Port Macquarie
NSW
Australia.


Happy 80th Birthday from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A !!!
Virtual Pilot
Rittmeister Fokker,
JG80 + Hell's Ace's +

Happy Birthday Kauko, may you have many more too.
Regards,
Kev Gregory
Royal Air Force
C-130J Project Team
Atlanta GA, Marietta USA.

Happy Birthday from sunny Buffalo, New York
Neil-k, No. 6 Sqn. RAF Duxford Wing

Happy Birthday from Fort Worth, Texas!
Gunr
Fort Worth, TX

Have a great Birthday!
Rob"Backer"Stubbs
New York
United States

Happy birthday from Texas Professor Aho, and a big SALUTE for your service and dedication.
Helix- - The Haze - 100th F/BG

Happy birthday sir !
From Beaverton, Oregon USA
Captain Kurt Livermore

Happiest of birthday's sir! May you and your wife enjoy many more!
Jeremy "wrench" Crise
Indiana, USA

Congratulations from ole Germany too.
Have a wonderfull Birthday, Sir.
Ralf "raffel" Haupt
Frankfurt, Germany

Happy birthday to ya from
Lemsko, Hamburg, Germany

HAPPY BIRTH DAY!! And Very Very Many More From the Great Old USA New Orleanse, Louisiana
-horse

Warmest birthday greetings from Texas
thank you for your support.
Etexas

Happy Birthday professor and a snappy
May you enjoy many more.
Skylar
Dayton Ohio USA

Happy Birthday Mr. Aho and best wishes for many more to follow!
From the great Northwest in America - !
Sasquatch

Happy 80th Birthday Mr. Aho! from Vancouver, BC, Canada.
A crisp to a WWII Veteran. Thank you for your continuing support of our hobby!
Fbat - The Pale Riders

Happy Birthday, Sir!
From Kansas City, home of the finest Barbeque in the world!! !!
+jagd+

The warmest, and best happy B-day to ya Sir. from Templeton, MA, USA! May you have many more birthdays that are just as good if not better.
Sincerly,
Steve Runnels

Hyvää syntymäpäivä!
soovib Eesti poiss Kanadast
granit

Happy Birthday from Northfield, Minnesota!
Mury

Warmest regards and best wishes on your birthday Mr. Aho.
John "Tora" Connell
Yokkaichi
Japan

Happy Birthday
May you have many more!!! Best wishes from SoCal.
Regards,
olddog, Riverside, CA USA

Happy 80th birthday sir from: Nashville,Tennessee USA!!!
=fear= "F.N.G"

Congratulations from Recife, Brazil.
Regards,
marcao

Best wishes on your 80th Birthday Professor Aho!!
May you enjoy many more!
from Ohio, USA
Mike Purton

Happy Birthday, Sir!
From the Netherlands.
*salute!*
Jan Weniega

Congratulations from Columbus, Ohio, USA on your 80th birthday. May you have many more.
Michael "Tahoe" Grube

A Warm happy 80 th birthday from Portugal! !
pilas-

Congratulations from Stockholm, Sweden
hurra hurra hurra hurra !!!
=save=



HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! hehe and many more :)
from Rebel
Erial, NJ - USA

Happy birthday from italy ! Wish u the best!
Borghese

Happy Birthday Mr. Aho - I hope you have 80 more birthdays!
Salute!
Johnny

Happy Birthday
Brandon
San Diego, California USA
 
A big Happy Birthday from the USA!
Hopeing for many more for you and yours!
Unpilot

Everything we do here is to honor what you and others did in real life.
Salute!
Thomas D.
USA

happy birthday!!
i hope you have many more
Lillogg, usa

Happy Birthday, and I applaud you for your faith and effort in the field of flight simulation.
-Drusus
Michigan, USA

Professor Aho,

Your contributions to the free peoples of the world is deserving of the utmost respect and gratitude from every nation. On behalf of myself and many of my collegues, THANK YOU and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
~R.
Capt., U.S.A.F.

Happy Birthday from Canada
Wiggum
S! From NYC.
Thank you.
 Marklius, USA

Happy Birthday!! Later, have many more happy bdays!
From Killax,
Miami, Florida, USA

Happy Birthday!
-Jinky Von Richthofen,
Lansing, Michigan, USA

happy birthday, keep the sun to your back and may you never meet you shadow..
Russ
Ohio, USA

Happy Brithday!
Keogh

Hyvää syntymäpäivää toivottaa >LEIJONAT< -laivue!
Bushwack
Kanttori
STUNTT
Kjp
FinBlitz
SkyHigh
Garpy
JoppeX
Jazzt
Coulomb
SereWiz
Torak
Bizman
MrRiplEy
Keksa
Tsingis
mipoikel

and Happy Birthday, Professor Aho. Both your wartime bravery and engineering prowess make you someone I would love to meet someday.
Austin Gosling
Munich, Germany

Hyvää syntymäpäivää, Prof Aho
Boldog születés napot, Prof Aho
RBug
Pécs, Hungary

Happy Birthday Mr Aho
Saintaw

Happy Birthday, Professor Aho!
I think you will be interested to know that one of my student is a 82 year old WW2 pilot. I'm a flight instructor, and Mister Robert Wood, a British Wellington pilot, is still flying and shooting IFR approaches at 82 year old.
Long life to WW2 pilots, and thank you again for the time you always dedicate to fullfill our curiosity about your experience.
Olivier "Frenchy" Raunier.
Melbourne, FL

Hyvää syntymäpäivää!!
Toivottaa Joonas Konttinen, Kone-teekkari Lappeenrannasta, jonka kanssa vaihdoitte ajatuksia viime talvena Blitz 2002-tapahtumassa.

Happy Birthday Professor!
Gloves

With respect and admiration.
Happy birthday!
danish


Hyvää syntymäpäivää, Prof Aho
Xjazz

Feliz cumpleaños Sr. Aho!
Kisters
Argentina

Happy Birthday to you sir! I hope you have many more.
Randy Rogers......USA

Happy Birthday Sir.
Frodo
Missouri,USA

to a hero of the ages! and HAPPY BIRTHDAY kameraden .
may your presence in this age reflect on the past!
Reply w/Quote
theNewB
Canada

Greetings, congratulations and thanks
A happy birthday wish to you, sir, from the United States of America. You, and your generation carry the greatest degree of respect in my heart.
Thank you for all that you have accomplished!
Gods blessings to you and your family...
JFN "BBMAW"

Congratulations and a Very Happy Birthday sir.
snafu
Hall End, North Warwickshire, England

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Congratulations on your 80th!
May you enjoy many more years to come.
RailRd
Richfield Mn USA

Happy 80th!
Happy 80th birthday, Professor Aho, and wishes of many more to come.
Manuel "Cognac" Santos
Brazilian, writing from Toronto, Ontario

Happy Birthday Mr Aho!
Best wishes
Jim Walsh/palef - Wellington, New Zealand.

Mr. Aho
Happy Birthday from California.
midnight Target

SISSU!
Happy Birthday. Drink some FPMO for me at the celebration.
Mike/wulfie

Happy Birthday and I hope you have many more.
I look up to someone with such knowledge and willing to share it with others.
I hope you have many more birthdays and many more happy days with your wife and family.
A big salute to you and all you flew with.

It matters not who you fought with it matters what you fought for.
Thank you Prof. Aho for sharing your knowledge with me and others.
Josh "Hawklore" T
Flordia,USA

As some may have read in these forums I also have a 'resource' in New Zealand, Spitfire pilot Alan Peart. I realise now what wonderful stories these pilots have to tell, their bravery and luck seem very simple and glorious from our historical perspective but at the time it must have been sheer hell. None of us would want to go through what they did, and in no small way, thanks to their actions, I hope none of us ever will...
Happy Birthday Mr Aho... and many more of them!
faminz
Wellington, New Zealand

Offline palef

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Re: My thanks for remembering a WW2 pilot's 80th birthday
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2002, 06:58:50 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Grendel
My thanks for remembering a WW2 pilot's 80th birthday

 
Sorry it's taken this long to thank you but... I suck.
 

 


You most definitely do NOT suck.

Good work and thanks for letting us know how it all went.

Merry Christmas

palef
Retired

Offline eskimo2

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My thanks for remembering a WW2 pilot's 80th birthday
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2002, 07:21:50 PM »
I love talking to those old guys (at least the English speaking one's that I can understand).

I'm actually fortunate enough to live with a 83 year old P-39 pilot.

He always has great stories.

eskimo

Offline Grendel

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My thanks for remembering a WW2 pilot's 80th birthday
« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2002, 07:24:17 AM »
Eskimo,

ok he has great stories - but are you saving them? Writing them up? You should! I'll be happy to publish collections of his stories and memoirs in our history site if you just can put them together into text :)

Offline eskimo2

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My thanks for remembering a WW2 pilot's 80th birthday
« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2002, 12:39:47 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Grendel
Eskimo,

ok he has great stories - but are you saving them? Writing them up? You should! I'll be happy to publish collections of his stories and memoirs in our history site if you just can put them together into text :)


I really should.

eskimo