I Learned About Flying From That: The Flight I Will Never Forget

Dick Russ

Saturday, February 04, 2012 at 12:03 AM ET

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** To see more of Barry Ross' aviation art, go to
barryrossart.com.**

Key Takeaways:

A young pilot's cross-country flight in a borrowed TriPacer leads to challenges including adverse weather and a friend's forced landing.
While attempting to retrieve the TriPacer, the pilot's own Taylorcraft suffers an oil and fuel emergency, forcing him to make a damaging landing on a mountain firebreak.
Stranded, the pilot receives extraordinary assistance from Robert McCulloch, the developer of Lake Havasu City, who orchestrates his rescue, the plane's temporary repair and takeoff, and even provides luxury transportation home.
McCulloch's unexpected generosity culminates in him having the damaged airplane fully repaired at his own expense and arranging the pilot's return travel to retrieve it.

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(February 2012) This story is not only about an aviation experience, but it is also about a man who went out of his way to help a young pilot he didn’t even know. It is also a story about meeting some really great people in this country.

It all happened back in 1964 when I was living in Simi Valley, California, where I was a test engineer working on the Saturn S-II project at Rocketdyne’s Santa Susana rocket test facility in the Santa Susana Mountains. My wife (now ex) and two children were on the return portion of a cross-country trip in a TriPacer I had borrowed. We were heading home from Wiley Post Airport (KPWA) after attending my sister-in-law’s wedding in Oklahoma City.