My friend Jesse...

[birdguy 3,943]

Some of you old timers might remember Jesse Callahan from the old Hangar Talk forum at Flightsim.com.  That's where I met him.

Our first face to face meeting was at a Confederate Air Force Air Show in Midland Texas many years ago.  He was a member and sponsored me for a membership.  Midland was about half way between our homes; mine in Roswell NM and his in Jasper Texas.  We have been guests in each others homes.  He and I both let our memberships lapse when the group bowed to pressure and changed the name from Confederate to Commemorative.

We were both avid flight simmers.  He tested my sceneries when I was still doing them for FS2004.  He beta tested my Hamilton Air Force Base scenery.  

Jesse turned 96 today and is still going strong although he dropped out of simulators because his tired old eyes just couldn't handle it anymore.

He started flying Mustangs in World War 2.  After the war he flew C-97s between Travis AFB in California and Tachikawa AFB near Tokyo. Later he was stationed at Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona and on week-ends would drive up to the Grand Canyon and fly a Ford Trimotor sight seeing plane over the canyon.

I don't know how many types he's flown over the years.  But he never transitioned into jets.  Like myself, we relish the snap-crackle-pops of radial recips starting up.

Jesse stands a mere 5 feet tall but is quite a feisty fellow.  

Jesse's wife Lue died a few years ago.  But last year, at the age of 95, Jesse remarried.

At 85 I'm just a kid to Jesse.  He's got me by 11 years.

Happy Birthday Jesse...and many, many more!

Noel

 

Edited January 31, 2019 by birdguy

[THibben 16]

Very nice story.

 

Tom

[n4gix 4,947]

Happy Birthday Jesse!

[W2DR 1,860]

Thanks so much for this Noel. Back in the "old days" of flight simming Jesse and I swapped stories for years. I've often wondered if he was still around and how he was getting along. Some of his experiences while flying his Little Friend were among of the best I've ever heard.  Do you have an address? He's one of my heros. Happy Birthday Jesse.............Doug

Edited February 2, 2019 by W2DR
edditted becuase i cant spel................

[birdguy 3,943]

PM me Doug and I'll give you his e-mail address.  Be aware he doesn't regularly respond.  I get one from him every once in a while.

Noel

[W2DR 1,860]

Done...........