wnbubbleboy
Veteran
Good story from the Arizona Republic.
George Richard Nungesser's earliest memory is playing with a toy airplane outside his Sacramento home. He was a boy of 5 then, who grew up to play with much larger planes.
"I've always loved flying," says Nungesser, 60, who has just retired after 18 1/2 years as a pilot for Southwest Airlines.
The first time he flew, he felt as if he were an eagle soaring. Now the eagle has landed.
Federal Aviation Administration regulations require pilots to exit the cockpit when they turn 60. Nungesser was just a few days short of his birthday when he took his last flight, from Sacramento to Phoenix. Nungesser was well-acquainted with his co-pilot and first officer on that flight - George Maxwell Nungesser, his 34-year-old son. Capt. Nungesser knew a few of the passengers, too. About 20 friends and family members joined him on his final flight, donning face masks with Nungesser's likeness along with the rest of the 137 passengers on Flight 2809. On board was Nungesser's wife, Peggy; their three other children; his father, Maxwell; and 5-week-old grandson, Andrew Maxwell, sporting a Flying Ace onesie.
"I wish I could fly longer," says Nungesser, who lives in Mesa. "But the FAA has its rules, and I abide by their rules. I'll stop flying and do other things."
Those other things include teaching courses in finance at International Bible College, affiliated with his church, Tri-City Baptist. And he and Peggy will still travel, even if he's in the passenger compartment instead of the cockpit.
George Richard and George Maxwell remember well the first time they flew together. First Officer Nungesser went over the checklist before takeoff: fuel, hydraulic systems, instrument readings, runway environment.
When he finished, he looked over at his captain and thought, "Hey, that's my dad."
His father was thinking, "I remember when I used to hold you in my arms."
"It was wonderful," the younger Nungesser says.
From 1969 to 1976, George Richard Nungesser was an Air Force pilot who flew C141 cargo planes. When he left the service, he found work flying for Saudi Arabian Airlines. He moved his family to Jeddah, including a young George Maxwell, who only remembers Saudi Arabia as "a big sandbox."
Nungesser joined Southwest in 1987. At the same time, George Maxwell Nungesser, who lives in Prescott, was falling in love with flight as much as his father had. In 1995, he graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in aeronautical technology and became a flight instructor, then flew cargo planes for such companies as UPS. In 2000, he was hired at Southwest.
After Capt. Nungesser finished his final run, coming in on the tarmac at Sky Harbor International Airport through a water arch provided by two Phoenix Fire Department trucks, he was the guest of honor at a party in the pilots lounge. He treated guests to a poem he had written and led an interactive rap song about a pilot's life.
Maxwell Nungesser, 92, who still lives on the family homestead in Placerville, Calif., had a seat in the front row. "This was quite a day for the whole family," he said. "I enjoyed it so very much."
George Richard Nungesser's earliest memory is playing with a toy airplane outside his Sacramento home. He was a boy of 5 then, who grew up to play with much larger planes.
"I've always loved flying," says Nungesser, 60, who has just retired after 18 1/2 years as a pilot for Southwest Airlines.
The first time he flew, he felt as if he were an eagle soaring. Now the eagle has landed.
Federal Aviation Administration regulations require pilots to exit the cockpit when they turn 60. Nungesser was just a few days short of his birthday when he took his last flight, from Sacramento to Phoenix. Nungesser was well-acquainted with his co-pilot and first officer on that flight - George Maxwell Nungesser, his 34-year-old son. Capt. Nungesser knew a few of the passengers, too. About 20 friends and family members joined him on his final flight, donning face masks with Nungesser's likeness along with the rest of the 137 passengers on Flight 2809. On board was Nungesser's wife, Peggy; their three other children; his father, Maxwell; and 5-week-old grandson, Andrew Maxwell, sporting a Flying Ace onesie.
"I wish I could fly longer," says Nungesser, who lives in Mesa. "But the FAA has its rules, and I abide by their rules. I'll stop flying and do other things."
Those other things include teaching courses in finance at International Bible College, affiliated with his church, Tri-City Baptist. And he and Peggy will still travel, even if he's in the passenger compartment instead of the cockpit.
George Richard and George Maxwell remember well the first time they flew together. First Officer Nungesser went over the checklist before takeoff: fuel, hydraulic systems, instrument readings, runway environment.
When he finished, he looked over at his captain and thought, "Hey, that's my dad."
His father was thinking, "I remember when I used to hold you in my arms."
"It was wonderful," the younger Nungesser says.
From 1969 to 1976, George Richard Nungesser was an Air Force pilot who flew C141 cargo planes. When he left the service, he found work flying for Saudi Arabian Airlines. He moved his family to Jeddah, including a young George Maxwell, who only remembers Saudi Arabia as "a big sandbox."
Nungesser joined Southwest in 1987. At the same time, George Maxwell Nungesser, who lives in Prescott, was falling in love with flight as much as his father had. In 1995, he graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in aeronautical technology and became a flight instructor, then flew cargo planes for such companies as UPS. In 2000, he was hired at Southwest.
After Capt. Nungesser finished his final run, coming in on the tarmac at Sky Harbor International Airport through a water arch provided by two Phoenix Fire Department trucks, he was the guest of honor at a party in the pilots lounge. He treated guests to a poem he had written and led an interactive rap song about a pilot's life.
Maxwell Nungesser, 92, who still lives on the family homestead in Placerville, Calif., had a seat in the front row. "This was quite a day for the whole family," he said. "I enjoyed it so very much."
