The Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force held a two-day fly-in on the weekend of November 8, 2003 at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. I attended the event on Saturday, which turned out to be a warm, sunny day with scattered high clouds. The fly-in included various Warbirds and military displays along with paid flights on the P-51 Mustang, Ho! Hun, and the Arizona Wing’s pride and joy, the W.W.II B-17 bomber, Sentimental Journey.

While admiring the parked Warbirds, I came across an interesting replica of a W.W.I biplane owned by Doggie Kline. Doggie lives in Rimrock, AZ, which is about 11 miles south of Sedona, AZ and 25 miles south of Flagstaff, AZ. Doggie flies his replica 1917 S.E.5a biplane from Rimrock to the Sedona Airport several times a week for coffee and breakfast with his "hanger" buddies.

Manufactured by the Royal Aircraft Factory (RAF), the S.E.5a was a British biplane fighter of the First World War that had much better overall performance than its noted counterpart, the Sopwith Camel. Together with the Camel, the S.E.5a was instrumental in regaining Allied air superiority in the summer of 1917 and maintaining it for the rest of the war.

Nevertheless, early Saturday morning Doggie flew his S.E.5a from Rimrock to the CAF’s fly-in at Falcon Field, which is about 125 miles southeast of Rimrock. I had the pleasure of meeting Doggie late Saturday afternoon when he was preparing to fly back to Rimrock before dark. He only planned to attend the two-day fly-in on Saturday.

Before I spoke a word to Doggie, intuition hinted that Doggie was a unique individual. It wasn’t only his demeanor, or his handle bar mustache or his W.W.I military uniform, complete with laced knee-high brown leather boots that drew my attention. Nor was it the fact that Doggie piloted a W.W.I biplane. Instead, it was his propensity for storytelling and acting out that really caught my interest.

While preflighting his plane before departure, Doggie blurted out to anyone within earshot:

“I want to drive my pickup truck home instead of flying.”
He then said, “I never failed a flying test, but I failed my auto driving test twice.”
He then went on to say, “On second thought, maybe it would be safer if I flew home.”

What a character!

By today’s standards, Doggie flew the old fashion way --- by the seat of his pants. His S.E.5a cockpit isn’t outfitted with the latest gauges, computerized displays or satellite-based GPS units. Instead, it is sparsely appointed with compass, altimeter, airspeed indicator, rpm, oil pressure and oil temp gauges.

Doggie navigated by what is called pilotage. Although considered primitive by today’s standards, pilotage was used by the earliest cross-country pilots, including Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, to find their way from town to town by following roads and looking for landmarks from the air. That’s why Doggie departed Falcon Field early, with plenty of time to fly home before dark --- he needed to see landmarks for navigation. Doggie told me that his S.E.5a cruises at a speedy 95 mph, and he typically flies at a soaring altitude of 800’-1000’ AGL (above ground level).

Greatly missed will be the legendary S.E.5a pilot, Doggie Kline, whose wake-up replica machine gun bursts have been a feature for years at EAA fly-ins. Forest “Doggie” Kline passed away from a stroke on October 27, 2004. He was 83 years young.

On April 24, 2005, the replica RAF S.E.5a W.W.I fighter plane, which was once flown to air shows and events all over the west and Midwest by Forest "Doggie" Kline, was donated in ceremony by Doggie's family and friends to the Arizona Wing of the Commemorate Air Force. If you are interested in seeing Doggie’s replica S.E.5a biplane and a tribute to him, just stop by the CAF Arizona Wing Aircraft Museum at Falcon Field, Mesa, Arizona. For information call 480-924-1940 or checkout their website at [ www.azcaf.org ].

Following are the photos I captured of Doggie, his beloved W.W.I S.E.5a biplane and his flying buddy, Roy McCaldin, that memorable Saturday afternoon.