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The Great Flour Bombing Campaign of 1989

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The narrator details her friendship with John Schweller, a skilled mechanic and pilot who, initially reclusive, opened his private airport and life to the aviation community after a lighthearted "flour bombing" prank.
  • Despite John's technical proficiency and equipment-rich aircraft, the narrator observed his limited real-world flying experience, particularly regarding complex weather and navigation beyond local flights.
  • Both John Schweller and another close friend, Bruce Menkel, later died in separate aviation accidents attributed to poor judgment and lack of situational awareness in challenging weather, leading to controlled flight into terrain.
  • The article serves as a poignant reflection on the profound personal grief caused by these losses, emphasizing the lasting impact of human error in aviation despite professional dedication to accident prevention.
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Illustrated by Chris Gall

It was the summer of 1989, and the Midwest was sweating through an endless stretch of hot and humid days, cloudless but wrapped in a thick layer of haze. Weather forecasts were so boringly predictable that calling for a VFR briefing was pointless; the vis would come up to three miles by midmorning and anything beyond “hot and humid with no chance of precipitation” would have been front page news. Remember those good old, pre-9/11 days when the only place you saw a TFR was on an FAA written test?

Martha Lunken

Martha Lunken is a lifelong pilot, former FAA inspector and defrocked pilot examiner. She flies a Cessna 180 and anything with a tailwheel, from Cubs to DC-3s.

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