jimmythek
Member
Died of natural causes in Minneapolis, Minnesota January 13, 2022 at age 97.
Bo Koloc flew Hellcats and Avengers aboard the Cabot (CVL-28) and Bataan (CVL-29) in WW2 and Korea before becoming a flight instructor at Whiting Field. When the T-34B entered service he wrote the primary syllabus and made training films flying a canopy-less T-34 with a movie camera mounted in the front seat. Following that, he became helo qualified and joined HS-9 in Quonset Point supporting ASW in the SH-34.
During the devastating Minnesota floods of 1965, Cdr. Koloc flew numerous lifesaving missions, earning a second Air Medal and the Sikorski Winged-S award. One late-night rescue involved dropping the horse collar to several hunters clinging to trees in the swollen Snake River after their canoes capsized in freezing water, illuminated only by headlights from shore.
Rather than move the family when his tour was up at NAS Twin Cities, Cdr. Koloc volunteered for Operation Deep Freeze and returned again to Quonset Point, joining VX-6 to McMurdo in 1966-67. He mapped the Ice with USAARPs and supported moon landing research with Wernher von Braun’s team. 74°11′S 111°24′W was named Koloc Point in recognition of his contributions there.
Bo was a gifted and fearless airman. One night in 1969 his C-54 caught fire over Phoenix with 22 Marines aboard. Fully loaded for cross-country and with wing ablaze, he made an emergency short-field landing at unlit Falcon Field. His career was loaded with examples of adversity he overcame with creative problem-solving and nerves of steel. Thus is the hand dealt to tailhookers everywhere.
Cdr. Koloc closed NAS Twin Cities as the XO. After retirement, he flew for the Mosquito Control District and did fishing fly-ins until relocating to Jacksonville, FL.
https://www.morrisnilsen.com/obituary/bohumil-koloc/
Bo Koloc flew Hellcats and Avengers aboard the Cabot (CVL-28) and Bataan (CVL-29) in WW2 and Korea before becoming a flight instructor at Whiting Field. When the T-34B entered service he wrote the primary syllabus and made training films flying a canopy-less T-34 with a movie camera mounted in the front seat. Following that, he became helo qualified and joined HS-9 in Quonset Point supporting ASW in the SH-34.
During the devastating Minnesota floods of 1965, Cdr. Koloc flew numerous lifesaving missions, earning a second Air Medal and the Sikorski Winged-S award. One late-night rescue involved dropping the horse collar to several hunters clinging to trees in the swollen Snake River after their canoes capsized in freezing water, illuminated only by headlights from shore.
Rather than move the family when his tour was up at NAS Twin Cities, Cdr. Koloc volunteered for Operation Deep Freeze and returned again to Quonset Point, joining VX-6 to McMurdo in 1966-67. He mapped the Ice with USAARPs and supported moon landing research with Wernher von Braun’s team. 74°11′S 111°24′W was named Koloc Point in recognition of his contributions there.
Bo was a gifted and fearless airman. One night in 1969 his C-54 caught fire over Phoenix with 22 Marines aboard. Fully loaded for cross-country and with wing ablaze, he made an emergency short-field landing at unlit Falcon Field. His career was loaded with examples of adversity he overcame with creative problem-solving and nerves of steel. Thus is the hand dealt to tailhookers everywhere.
Cdr. Koloc closed NAS Twin Cities as the XO. After retirement, he flew for the Mosquito Control District and did fishing fly-ins until relocating to Jacksonville, FL.
https://www.morrisnilsen.com/obituary/bohumil-koloc/
