Thanks Captain Nelson - The Ooooooonly Way To Fly

I was rummaging through some old documents looking for something the other day and ran across my Western Airlines "First Flighter" certificate.

I remember this day. It was the day I decided that I wanted to be a pilot. The big, noisy Western Airlines 727-200 was parked at Terminal 1 at Sky Harbor (gone since 1990, RIP). Captain Ron Nelson invited me to sit in the cockpit and watch them do the pre-flight. He also invited me up for a short time during the flight to LAX. I was hooked. I still have the real metal wings. Captain Nelson probably ended up at Delta and is probably retired by now. I wish he knew how much influence his kindness had on me that day back in 1981. Thanks Captain Nelson.

Western Airlines - The Ooooooooooonly Way To Fly!