25 Nov, 2009
81-Year-Old Jim Long Links Aviation Past to the Present and Future
Posted by: Beach Reporter In: california| travel
By Craig MacDonald
SUNNYVALE, CA–Over 60 years ago, Jim Long flew a plane in the Navy at Pensacola, Florida. Today, at 81, the Master Pilot Award Winner from Sunnyvale is still flying and teaching the next generation of pilots. He has flown more than 40 different kinds of planes, from F9F Panthers–the first major Navy carrier jet fighters– to Cessna, Piper and Beech aircraft. And the thrill of flight has never left him. Long still has the passion and the right stuff to be honored for his flying safety and dedication in training the next generation.
The decorated aviator also has spent more than 2,000 hours as a docent explaining military flying to visitors at the USS Hornet Aircraft Carrier, based at the former Alameda Naval Air Station in Northern California (uss-hornet.org). The Hornet is a highly decorated World War II and Vietnam combat veteran that also helped in the recovery of the Apollo 11 and 12 astronauts. Read the rest of the story!
