"My real name is Rick Blumberg, although I never used that on the on the air, as Jack Hobbs, the General Manager, wanted me to have a 'colorful' name like (WBZ's) Joe Green. So they used my initials, RB and I became the 'colorful' Red Baron. I was always billed as WRKO's Red Baron and did all the publicity shots with Dale Dorman and Bill Rossi under that name and never my own."

"I was WRKO's first pilot/traffic reporter with the morning team of Dale Dorman and Bill Rossi. We were on the air from 1975-1976. During my tenure at WRKO, Dale Dorman and I made 'Ripley's Believe it or Not' by doing the longest radio show 'in the air over Boston.' These were wild and crazy years and among the best for WRKO. It was the number 1 rated, top 40 station in Boston. I was proud to be a member of the broadcast team. Other traffic reporters at that time were.. Joe Green (WBZ), Kevin O'Keefe (WEEI) and Officer Bill (WHDH). I flew a Piper Cherokee 140 at 1,000 feet over Boston. I based the aircraft at Beverly Airport with the other traffic reporters."
"Triple 59 Uniform taking the active runway at Beverly" were the magic words that began my odyssey every weekday morning at 6:00 AM. On an early May morning in 1975, Red Baron, the newest pilot/traffic reporter, took to the skies at 1,000 feet above Boston. As a 24 year old, I considered myself one of the luckiest people alive! I fulfilled the dream of combining my two loves...flying and broadcasting for my favorite radio station, WRKO."

"I graduated with a degree in journalism and had my commercial pilot license with instrument and multi-engine ratings. A Piper Cherokee 140 was available for sale at a local airport, known as Robbins Field (in Danvers). I purchased the airplane for $8,500 and put a proposal together for Jack Hobbs, General Manager of WRKO. The RKO lawyers in New York didn't find too many flaws but insisted that I carry $3 million in liability insurance just in case I flew into the Prudential Center or the John Hancock building!"

"WRKO outfitted my aircraft with UHF radio equipment that communicated with a transceiver and antenna mounted on the Channel 7 television tower in Needham, Massachusetts. Flight checks proved that we had adequate communication from the tip of Cape Cod to the borders of New Hampshire and Maine. All tests were performed at 1,000 feet, which was the altitude fixed wing aircraft were required to fly within the TCA (terminal control area) of Logan Airport."

"I had no idea how difficult and stressful this assignment would become. It took ten minutes to get the avionics ready before starting the aircraft. My left earphone listened to air traffic control, while the right earphone listened to the WRKO newsroom for cues for the traffic reports. My left hand was on the yoke, my right hand controlled two microphones (air traffic control and the radio to WRKO) and when free, the throttle! When it was time to do a traffic report, I switched to the AM radio so that I could hear Dale Dorman or Bill Rossi throw it up to me. At this point, I was watching for other traffic reporting aircraft, flight departures from Logan and the tops of the buildings that loomed just several hundred feet below. But the most important place to look, was down at the traffic, so I could report it live!"

"Yes, there were some anxious moments, but 24 years later I am still around to tell the stories. There are two that come to mind. First, I had some bad gasoline and lost the engine over the Blue Hills. Fortunately, I landed safely at Norwood Airport. The other incident was getting caught in turbulence from a jet departure from Logan while over the Central Artery. I did a complete roll before recovering at 500 feet. It's no wonder that I would go home drenched in sweat and sleep for several hours to calm down!"

"Over the months, flying while broadcasting became second nature. But the reality of affecting so many listeners became apparent when I asked everyone to flash their lights on the Southeast Expressway. Words cannot express the instant feedback that I got. It looked like a Christmas tree during the summer! When you're alone in the aircraft, it's hard to imagine so many thousands of people tuned to your radio station."

"Beyond the job of traffic reporting, I shall never forget our public service work. Raising money for Muscular Dystrophy on the telethons, speaking at the schools, meeting with troubled teens and attending a graduation for the blind (perhaps our most loyal listeners). I even got a call at home from Tony Conigliaro, who was no longer able to play baseball, asking if I could help him get his newly-released single played on WRKO. 1975 and 1976 will always be special years in my life. I am most grateful to Jack Hobbs for giving this 24 year old his break in Boston radio."

"After leaving WRKO, After leaving WRKO, I flew briefly for the airlines and spent the last thirty years in the computer industry, most recently as a consultant. I live in Arizona and still enjoy getting in an aircraft and doing aerobatics. The only difference now, is that the rolls are under my control!  My e-mail address is theredbaron@att.net and I'd enjoy hearing from you!"

Best Regards,
Rick "Red Baron" Blumberg