AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2019 - 47

he felt closer to God when he was flying-to
which Lindbergh responded, "When you're
flying, so do I."
There is a feeling of awe when looking
down on our productive Illinois farms-
orderly rows of dark green corn set with
such precision, or during harvest with the
trailing dust blowing across the field, while
those wonderful machines gobble up eight
rows at a time. You want to feel the splendor
of God's creation? Think on this: My wife,
Dorothy, and I were flying home from Iowa
near sunset. We had been visiting Ron and
Shirley Settle in Marshalltown (Ron and I
served together as weathermen at a Naval
air base). When we left, there were towering
white cumulus to the left and to the right,
with bright smooth air between. Not a ripple. It became obvious we would overtake a
giant storm ahead, so we flew slower, admiring the rain-refreshed land below, glistening
in the glow of the setting sun. And there!
Up ahead were five (count 'em!) brilliant

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rainbows spread out against a backdrop of
angry, dark, roiling clouds.
"When the Lord returns, he will step
out of a sky like this," Dorothy said. What a
sight: two white cumulus clouds bracketing
a beautiful sunset behind us, brilliant arches
of color between us and the dark sky. The
promise after the storm.
To come down to earth, life is good. I like it
here. Something new and exciting almost every
day. I will be 80 next year and the people at
the retirement center call me a spring chicken.
[Note: Bob was a volunteer bus driver, bringing people to church on Sundays.] Well, I am
trying to get an instrument rating on my pilot's
license and may never make it, but I am grateful. I can still walk.
Two years after my mother Dorothy's
passing, Dad remarried at age 86. Maurine,
a family friend of many years and 10 years
his junior, enjoyed flying with Dad too.
They flew to Michigan, Wisconsin, and a
few other short trips before Dad's doctors

Bendix/King KMA-28

said, "No more." The airplane and hangar
were sold recently.
It has been a pleasure sharing Dad's stories with other aviators who can appreciate
the perspectives of my now-100-year-old
father. His last flight in his Cessna 182
occurred at the age of 97! His sons, both
pilots, accompanied him on flights, and his
great-grandson has just earned his private
pilot certificate and is saving for commercial flight school. Dad and Maurine live
in a retirement center near family, and on
the wall is a huge photo of Dad's airplane
parked at Chicago's Meigs Field. Dad has
shared his love of flying with scores of
passengers and anyone who would talk aviation with him, so who knows how many
future pilots he has impacted?
GAYLE FRANCK of Batavia, Illinois, is a

freelance writer who works in a retirement center and was inspired to share her
father's stories.

| 47

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2019

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