William Ford - Flight Express 714
 

I knew Will while I was working at Safewing Aviation and he worked at Flight Express in CPS. He and I had about six months where our schedules overlapped and we both hung out together in St. Louis. On December 4th, 2002 I came in and they told me he had gone down.

He left behind a wife and baby in Los Angeles that he loved dearly, and he jumped home nearly every weekend to see them. Great guy, funny guy. Loved airplanes.

Check hauling was super dangerous. I felt that he and the other freight dogs lost never got much recognition. Smooth air on your final flight west, my friend. Wish I'd have had more time to get to know you better.

I worked for Flight Express in '98, right after they opened the MKC runs. I was EXR-720 out to Witchita, Dodge City and Liberal in Kansas. You're right, it was ridiculously dangerous, a fact only obvious to me in retrospect. Thinking back on the 5 months I did that run, I had 2 alternators fail, 3 emergency gear extends, and one emergency return to field after takeoff for smoke in the cockpit. And once, I was the only non-turbine single engine plane in line for takeoff in a snowstorm at ICT. Any of those flights could have killed me, so I too grieve the loss of your friend. There but for the Grace of God go I.

Will was a great guy, we were roommates in cps and he always seemed to be in a good mood and could not wait to get on with an outfit back in California to be with his family.