By Pat Johnson, EAA 59601
Sometime in the 1950s, Bill Bradford arrived in Helena, Montana, bringing with him a degree in aerospace engineering and an interest in homebuilt planes. He started Bradford Machine Works and it was a busy concern when he recruited Clayton Wilhelm, EAA 45123, in the late 1960s to help him begin an EAA chapter. As his business grew, Bill dropped out of the chapter and Clayton continued to the present day, leading the original informal group, recruiting, and supporting members, and eventually becoming an EAA Technical Counselor.
Eventually, the original group became formalized as EAA Chapter 344 and selected Mountain Dodgers as their name. Although Helena has a finite number of homebuilders, membership has remained constant over the years. Currently, about one quarter of the membership are building aircraft.
Before Clayton got his first airplane in 1981, he had access to fly many aircraft including a Stinson, a Cessna 172, a Cessna 150, an Aeronca Chief, and a Maule. Over his career he has flown 20 different aircraft types ranging from a Piper J-3 to a Beech A36. From the time he earned his certificate, he consistently gave airplane rides, giving more than 350 first airplane rides and taking more than 1,000 people total for rides years before EAA Young Eagles program began. When EAA started the Young Eagles program in 1992, Clayton began providing flights for young people through that program.
His first airplane was an Ercoupe which he took to Oshkosh six times with a different passenger each year. Clayton encouraged at least six others to attend Oshkosh, including Mike Ferguson and Jeanne MacPherson, leaders in Montana aviation. Due to his support and encouragement, at least eight people earned pilot certificates.
Clayton built two homebuilt airplanes and has done the first flights and the entire test flying for the Phase I flight tests. Clayton’s wife, Donna, gifted him with his first airplane plans for a BD-4. He later decided that this was not the right airplane for him and instead built a Van’s RV-4. He is still flying his most recent homebuilt, a Van’s RV-6A.
Clayton worked for the Montana Army National Guard as a helicopter mechanic and for Montana Aeronautics maintaining their aircraft and the airway beacons. Once retired from work, he became an EAA Technical Counselor serving as an experienced airplane builder and mechanic volunteering to help EAA members make the right equipment choices to prepare for FAA inspection.
A life-long learner, Clayton is constantly studying articles on EAA, AOPA, and other websites as well as striving to find new mechanical skills. He is always seeking ways to help others and often says he wishes he could do more.
Clayton was recently recognized with the FAA Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award for 50 years of safely maintaining aircraft. With this award, he is the sixth person in Montana to receive both the FAA Master Mechanic and the FAA Master Pilot awards.
Clayton’s wife, Donna, has supported him and Chapter 344 over the past 50 years as the chapter has experienced many growing pains, survived, and now has active members eager to resume activities once the pandemic passes. One highlight over the chapter’s half-century was EAA’s replica Spirit of St. Louis visiting in 1977. When the wheel on the Spirit broke, Clayton assisted with repairs.
The chapter has annually awarded a $500 Charlie Taylor/Rosie the Riveter scholarship to a second-year student in the Aviation Maintenance program at the Helena College in Helena, Montana. Applications are submitted every fall and a winner is selected each January. Members provide Young Eagles flights to students aged 8 to 17 to kindle interest in aviation. These flights usually occur in May, July, and August in the absence of a pandemic. Chapter 344 hosts a free barbeque for members and community members in June when it is safe to do so. For more info, visit EAA Chapter 344’s website.