Posted on 07/26/2009 8:30:44 AM PDT by U S Army EOD
I flew up to Mountain Airpark, Cleveland, GA to attend a "send off party" for Bill Allison, yesterday. Bill died doing something he loved when his Cessna 182 flew into Brass Town Ball Mountain last Friday.
He left Mountain Airpark for a flight over to Andrews, NC in IFR weather for a flight over to Andrews, NC. They started looking for him on Friday and found him on Sunday. He lacked only 100 feet of clearing the mountain. He had not taken his GPS with him.
He was basically a friend of a friend of mine. I had met him several times and he was really a super guy. He had flown for over 50 years and help found Mountain Airpark, a fly-in community. There were at least 300 people or more there. He had spent his career with the National Forest Service and those folks were a "real" group of people. These were the tanker and spotter pilots and the support personnel. A group very special.
Person after person gave testimonials, mostly flying stories or how Bill got them started and inspired them in aviation. "High Flight" was read, and it really described Bill.
Rest in peace Bill.
I’ve always felt that God has smiled upon those who die doing what they love.
One of the things that was said about him was, he told people that when they picked a career, to always pick something you enjoyed, then you would never “work” a day in your life.
What a nice honor to an honorable man.......
Cool, because I love sleeping.
LOL!
Just for the record it’s Brass town bald, not ball. it’s the highest point in Ga.
Agree with Bill .......prayers up for his family and friends troop.
Stay safe !
Alrighty, then.
well. just thought id point it out... didnt mean to take anything away from the fellow who passed away,,, may he RIP.
You might want to put this on the aviation ping list. Bill Allison meant a lot to aviation with the National Forest Service.
Aviation Ping
Agreed. Sounds like a special guy, may he RIP.
Me, when I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather.
Not screaming and making a huge fuss like the passengers in his car...
(From what it sounds like Bill Allison was like, he wouldn’t mind a little humor on this occasion...:)
-by P/O John Gillespie Magee RCAF
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, nor even eagle flew -
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
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