One of the Greatest Generation Takes a Victory Lap
Published on March 2023
My nearly-sainted wife and I made two long flights in one day last week. We were wheels-up before sunrise and dashed south to the FBO operated by the Florida Institute of Technology in breezy Melbourne, FL, arriving in time for lunch. Late in the same storm-filled afternoon, we reversed the trip and returned home. Almost seven hours on the Hobbs in one day; that’s a lot of stick-time for old Mr. Garmin. The reason for this extraordinary effort? My friend and co-pilot of many years, Dick Walter, was turning 100 years old. Now Dick was never a normal pilot: he flew 87 missions “over the Hump” during World War II, and that story alone will water your eyes. But the most amazing part of the tale is that he flunked every test of aeronautical proficiency.
