The Wayland Mayo Story
Biographical Notes

One of two “Geronimo” aircraft owned by the Bosworth Aerial Survey Company. (Note: A Geronimo is a highly modified Piper Apache with STOL “short field takeoff and landing capabilities”. It is probably the best plane there is for mapping, as you can fly it at 65 mph to 200 mph. A company in Seguin, Texas made the modification.)

One of the oldest and most respected companies in Florida was Bosworth Aerial Surveys. They had mapping jobs but no equipment to produce them with, and no employees who were photogrammetrists. Bosworth shipped the jobs to us in Columbus and we produced the job and returned it to them. Several times Mr. Bosworth came up in person to see how the jobs were done. One night he took me to dinner and offered me a job as Chief Photogrammetrist to come to Lake Worth, Florida and build a first order mapping company from scratch. Once again a company with limited capability but a challenge. Also I really wanted to get back to Florida.

I moved my family to West Palm Beach in 1973. Mr. Bosworth already had two Geronimo STOL aircraft , a six inch Zeiss RMKA 15/23, and the only 12 inch first order Zeiss RMKA 30/23 in private practice. Mr. Bosworth and I took a trip to Europe to see which stereo plotter to purchase. We visited the Wild factory in Switzerland, and the Zeiss factory in Germany. We also visited Luxembourg, France, and Austria. After using both machines I decided on the Wild A-10. At that time the digital mapping plotters were not available. The machine back in 73 cost $100,000. He wrote a check for it. He also purchased an E-4 Rectifying enlarger, the only one in private practice. So almost overnight Bosworth Aerial Surveys became the best equipped and most respected company in the U.S.

I became a Certified Photogrammetrist and a Professional Surveyor and Mapper registered in the state of Florida. We were invited to all the conventions and meetings where I presented a show-and-tell slide show. In 1981 I suffered a major heart attack and had to slow down a bit — that was the end of my flying career that I loved so dearly. I continued until my retirement as Chief Photogrammetrist. I stayed with this great company for almost 25 years, retiring in 1997 at age 68. Mr. Bosworth is “one in a million” and a great business man, greatly respected. My 25 years there are fondly remembered. During this latter period, I was a Certified Photogrammetrist, a Professional Surveyor and Mapper with the State of Florida, and an adjunct instructor at Palm Beach Community College.

In all photo flights with private companies I was primarily an aerial mapper. However I was also in charge of the flight and 100% responsible for it’s successful completion. My obsession with airplanes and my love for them makes my remarks seem slanted toward the airplane rather than my primary job. I cannot apologize for appearing to be more interested in the aircraft than the photography, because I guess I am.

The Republic of Korea reissued the Korean War service medal to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the war. I was very happy to receive mine. No one had ever said “thank you” before. I bought a 16 X 20 frame, separated the two letters, mounted the Korean letter on the left and the English version on the right. The letters are separated 2 inches, and the medal mounted in the middle. The background is light blue with a half inch red border. I believe everyone who has not received theirs would be well advised to apply, if not too late. It is a very attractive conversation piece.

I cannot terminate this story without saying a few words about friendship. My Mother always told me if we ended up with one good friend we were fortunate. I guess I am fortunate. Tom DeHaven was a crewmember on “Tiger Lil”. After discharge we kept in touch for a few years, then we both moved. We lost contact for 40 years. Last year, 2001, a friend called me and said he saw on the internet that someone was looking for me. It was Tom DeHaven. I called him and he was astonished to hear from me, he had called everyone in my home town and they told him I was dead. He got in his car and drove from Evansville, Indiana to West Palm Beach, Florida to see me. We spent hours looking at old photos, sharing old stories. I will never forget his effort of searching for 40 years and finally finding me. The entire 91st was comprised of men of character. All of the bomber and recon crews were exceptional men. I have a large picture of my crew on my living room wall, along with other aviation photos. I sit here every day and spend time reliving the past, gone but not forgotten.

As of this writing I have been married 44 years and have three sons and a daughter. I have led a full life, made a lot of mistakes by being at the wrong place at the wrong time, enjoyed building custom cars, drag racing, boat racing, and competitive shooting. At 73 I still shoot expert without glasses.

It has been a pleasure sharing these memories with you.

Written by Wayland Mayo, web site historian