In the spring of 1970, I learned to fly. It was March and the winds blew most afternoons. My flight instructor, Marv Knipp, and former B-58 Hustler pilot and Air Force major, took me from ground school through my commercial ticket with instrument rating. I took most of my training in 82Q, a mustard colored Beechcraft Musketeer, a low wing trainer with fixed gear and prop. It had enough instrumentation and Marv called it his instrument ship.
Because I had been in the Navy for four years, I qualified for the G.I. Bill and that meant I could learn to fly on Uncle Sam IF I got my private pilot license first. Clarice and I scrimped and saved up enough and I enrolled at the Wathan Flying Service program in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As soon as I finished my private, I was cleared to have the G.I. Bill fund 90% of my commercial and instrument curriculum costs which included books, and classroom tuition.
Marv taught me crosswind landings on the days when there was a lot of wind down the active runway. He would get permission from the tower and we would practice touch and goes on the north south taxiway. These were beneficial hours as I became proficient so a crosswind landing was not much different to me than with the wind on the nose. From later experiences, I was to find there are not a lot of good crosswind private pilots around. To be a good pilot, you have to know how to use your feet to control the rudders, not your hands to milk the ailerons!
Marv also flew the power lines for regular inspection and bad weather damage. He called me once and we flew the power lines for normal inspection; I was his observer and when we were flying between line locations, I got to log that time. Pretty soon, he called a lot and we flew all over the State of Iowa. He called one morning after tornados had roared through the night before. We flew north of CR and these huge poles were pulled out of the ground with the electric lines a snarl. Marv radioed information back to CR and when we returned, Marv briefed the executives who took a twin out to the damaged area. Repair crews were on the scene quickly once they knew the extent of the damage.
My military aviation training as a RADAR intercept crewman, and learning to fly with Marv and Bobby Head (earlier) made me comfortable enough to get my flight instructor rating. I passed the written exams and began building time to take my flight instructor check ride. During this time I joined the Civil Air Patrol. I used the CAP airplane to fly our family to Clarice’s parents in Ida Grove, up to Sioux Falls and over near Chicago, and down to Texas to be with friends. I took friends for rides and let them take the controls. The French and British CAP visited and I took them for rides as part of the hands-across-the-sea program.
I also got to take my dad flying. We tooled around Cedar Rapids for an hour. On a family outing to Ida Grove. I took Clarice’s dad up. He owned a J3 Cub when he was younger; he kept it on his farm. We flew over his land and checked out the neighbor’s land too. It was a treat for me to be able to connect with my relatives like that.
About this time, I was hired by a small computer company in Cedar Rapids. They eventually had three airplanes and three command pilots. I flew second pilot when we took customers to see our operations in the field. Closer to home, I made equipment deliveries to small towns across Iowa as well as taking some company folks on short trips to towns with small, grass strips. I rented an airplane to make these flights. My job changed a little and I started training clients on computer equipment, usually 20 to 30 people at a time. We would load up the Cessna 402 and head for Los Angeles, Portland, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and other cities across the U.S. I had about 650 hours by then and I began to think about getting a full time flying job. I tried to find a small operator who might take me on as a flight instructor and fly freight and passengers as well. I sent out a lot of letters but no one wanted a low time pilot. I tried some addresses in Alaska, and Canada. None of my requests for employment were answered. I went up to northern Michigan and took some float training to see if I wanted to go the float flying route. It was fun but the operator up there said, ‘we got a lot of pilots but not enough business.’
About this time, I was trying to figure how I could get my multi-engine rating. The G.I. Bill money was almost gone and I had to decide if I was going to continue toward my check ride as a flight instructor. This way I could teach flying while getting a multi-engine rating. Fate stepped in and I got a letter from Steve Furman asking if I would like to come to work for ARAMCO. I had just graduated from college and sent party celebration invitations to friends I was still in contact with. Steve got one of those invitations and responded with the job offer.
I received another job offer from a local company to be a flight dispatcher at this time, and after a few days I decided the lure of Dhahran was strong enough to influence my decision. I chose ARAMCO and in January 1982 I flew to Dhahran.