Fremont County Radio Control Club: As promised....Bill Worthen enjoying a flight....

I was a very fortunate man to be able to witness this great event and I am truly sorry that I was unable to get ahold of everyone ahead of time to join us though however, since it was all done at the very last minute.

Nick Bellino called me last Saturday, April 27th, 2013 in the late afternoon, and asked if I would try to contact Bill Worthen to see about scheduling a flight for him in Nick's RV-8 airplane that afternoon. I got ahold of Bill right away at his home on the telephone, and was able to set it up to have his dear wife Joan drive him out to the Fremont County Airport where Nick hangars his planes at, and then I called Nick right back to let him know that they would be on their way to the airport shortly.Nick and myself both arrived at the hangar roughly the same time and got his RV-8 out to prep for the flight. In the meantime while assisting Nick with his plane, I saw that Cloyce Mann was across the way at the RC club flying, so I called to let him know about Bill's upcoming flight. He loaded up and headed right over to the hangar to enjoy the time with all of us, and in the meantime Rhett Sharp returned a phone call from earlier that morning when I had called to talk to him about another matter, so I told him what we were about to do, and to see about joining us on a last minute spur of the moment kind of a schedule, and both he and John Dison arrived at the field not long after Nick and Bill were taxiing back in from his flight.

Nick was visiting with Bill and told Bill to let him know where they were going to go for the flight and Bill got that all-too-well known mischievous gleam in his eyes and told Nick "How's about St. Louis?".We all got a great big chuckle out of that one and then of course Bill decides that he'd like to go fly around by the Pueblo Reservoir, which Nick then let Bill know that that was doable, and it would take them about 8 minutes of flight time to arrive over the reservoir after take-off. That kind of puts air travel in a different perspective now doesn't it?

Helping Bill into the plane was Nick, Cloyce and myself, and all of us helping to get things situated for Bill. As they taxiied out for the flight, Joan, Cloyce and myself could listen in on Nicks air traffic receiver radio in the hangar for any air traffic around the area of the airport, and we also got to listen in as Nick and another local pilot were flying around over the lake, in their own planes, while they discussed the fishing prospects down below them on the water with each other over their radios.

Prior to everyone else's arrival I had mentioned to Nick that Bill spoke often of how much he truly enjoyed going up flying with Nick in the past, and also how he fondly recalled how thrilled he was to enjoy the low altitude and high speed pass just off of the runway at the airport, so during this flight after they flew back from the Pueblo and Pueblo West area, Nick came barreling down the airfield area full throttle, low and fast down the field for Bill to enjoy. Especially for me that was a great thing to be able to see them doing that too.

Bill was grinning ear to ear with a HUGE smile and shaky legs after taxiing back to the hangar and climbing out of the plane, and we all got to visit with him and Joan for a good while afterwards.

Once Bill and Joan left to head back home to rest up some, John Dison got to go up flying with Nick that same evening also. Nick put that sport plane through it's paces in a very nice and quick manner with John on board, and I could almost see the giant smile on John's face while they were several thousand feet up zooming around the sky from my vantage point on the ground at the hangar.

I want to take this time to sincerely thank Nick Bellino, on behalf of all of the other Fremont County Radio Control Club members in giving Bill Worthen Sr. that wonderful flight, that he was able to enjoy so very much.

As I had promised several days earlier, here are some pictures for everyone to enjoy viewing of that most wonderful day that I truly enjoyed being a small part of, and I will cherish this fun time forever.