tonycondon
Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
Got a call this morning and I have a job interview with Cessna the beginning of August! Im pretty excited about that. In fact, im really excited. Who knows if Ill end up taking the job but it'll be nice to check things out.
So far in my 6 years of aviation, no acquaintance of mine, that I can remember, has died in a flying crash. I have always been happy about that but also surprised that I've been able to get to know so many people and still have all of my friends. That changed this afternoon.
Please pray for Alice Johnson of Dallas, TX. Her husband, Dick, crashed his sailplane today while helping at the 1-26/World Class contest in Midlothian. I met Dick Johnson at the 2005 SSA convention in Arlington and had one of the most amazing aviation conversations ever. Me, Dick Johnson, and Dick VanGrunsven standing next to the Antares electric self launch sailplane which glides over 50:1 and we are talking about flying Cherokee II's like mine! Johnson remembered the design well and Van had flown one that his brother built. I also visited with Johnson last year about flight test techniques as I plan to do glide polar testing on my glider this fall. So he wasn't my best friend but he was a damn nice guy and I knew him.
Dick started flying in his teens and really got Mississippi States flight test program started as an undergrad doing flight test work on gliders. He helped design and build the RJ-5 sailplane, which was the first ship to break a 40:1 glide ratio. With it he set multiple distance records, one of which stood for 13 years. and won the National Championship in 1950,51,52, and 54. He had a long career with Texas Instruments but stayed very active in soaring most notably by flight testing various designs and publishing his reports in Soaring magazine.
The community has suffered a huge loss for sure. The memories are flowing on the rec.aviation.soaring newsgroup and as a rule he is remembered as a true gentleman, always willing to help anyone out, and a great mentor who has now flown west.
So far in my 6 years of aviation, no acquaintance of mine, that I can remember, has died in a flying crash. I have always been happy about that but also surprised that I've been able to get to know so many people and still have all of my friends. That changed this afternoon.
Please pray for Alice Johnson of Dallas, TX. Her husband, Dick, crashed his sailplane today while helping at the 1-26/World Class contest in Midlothian. I met Dick Johnson at the 2005 SSA convention in Arlington and had one of the most amazing aviation conversations ever. Me, Dick Johnson, and Dick VanGrunsven standing next to the Antares electric self launch sailplane which glides over 50:1 and we are talking about flying Cherokee II's like mine! Johnson remembered the design well and Van had flown one that his brother built. I also visited with Johnson last year about flight test techniques as I plan to do glide polar testing on my glider this fall. So he wasn't my best friend but he was a damn nice guy and I knew him.
Dick started flying in his teens and really got Mississippi States flight test program started as an undergrad doing flight test work on gliders. He helped design and build the RJ-5 sailplane, which was the first ship to break a 40:1 glide ratio. With it he set multiple distance records, one of which stood for 13 years. and won the National Championship in 1950,51,52, and 54. He had a long career with Texas Instruments but stayed very active in soaring most notably by flight testing various designs and publishing his reports in Soaring magazine.
The community has suffered a huge loss for sure. The memories are flowing on the rec.aviation.soaring newsgroup and as a rule he is remembered as a true gentleman, always willing to help anyone out, and a great mentor who has now flown west.
