Cliff Robertson, One Of Aviation's 'Great Souls' Has Gone West,
09.09.23 - 09.10.11
Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is
finished: If you're alive, it isn't.
Richard Bach
As the aviation world shudders with the memory of what occurred
barely a decade ago, we have received news of yet another loss --
this one quite personal and profound. Cliff Robertson was a man
known to many as a fine actor in everything from "Charly" to
"Spiderman" -- but, far more important to me, he was known to those
of us in the aviation world as a quiet, friendly and uncommonly
humble flyer with a heart of gold and a never-ending supply of
flying stories.
He was one of the true treasures of the aviation world and every
time we sat down to chat, it was never one of those awkward
movie-star conversations, but a simple chat between flyers. He
earned both the Academy Award and Emmy Award -- but I don't recall
him ever bringing those up. Instead, our chats were about our
mutual love of warbirds, soaring, and "There I Wuz" flying stories
(and he had some really great ones... often hysterical and poking
fun at himself in the process).
Cliff was a Commercially rated pilot with single and
multi-engine tickets, as well as an instrument rating. He had
a passion for ballooning (even after taking a swim in the Pacific
after one balloon race didn't quite meet his expectations) and was
a passionate advocate for all things aviation; earning the EAA
Eagle award, and having been inducted into the National Aviation
Hall of Fame, as well as too many other honors to count. He also
had great taste in airplanes... having owned (among other birds), a
Spitfire MK IX, a Messerschmitt ME-108, a Stampe SV4 biplane, a
Grob Astir glider (in which he earned a distance record) and a
Beech Baron 58. In particular, though, Cliff was exceedingly proud
of the work he had done as the First Chairman of the EAA Young
Eagles program.
And yes, he was a bonafied movie star... having played John F
Kennedy in the unforgettable, iconic, PT-109; and known for amazing
roles in everything from 'The Naked and The Dead' to 'Gidget', to
'Charly', to 'Spiderman.' He also took on the Hollywood
'machine' during a particularly troublesome scandal that nearly got
him blacklisted for standing up to the truth... and for that, I've
always admired him. But for some reason... in all the chats we
had, those things just didn't come up... not when he wanted to
know what was new in the flying world and just be one of our flying
buddies.
A few years ago, at one of the aviation world's enumerable
conventions, I spotted Cliff taking a breather off in a corner all
by his lonesome... his mobility, that day, being a bit more
troublesome issue than he cared to admit. I sat down with him for a
while and just shot the bull until a close friend of mine stopped
by to join us -- at first oblivious to who he was. This young lady
was charmed in no time at all by Cliff's warm manner and funny
stories... and some half way in, this gal, a bit younger than
either of us, finally figured out who she'd been chatting with and
her face lit up in mid-sentence...
"'Charly!' You're Charly! Oh
my... I loved you so much in that!"
Cliff beamed, almost blushing, plainly pleased at being
remembered for something he was justifiably proud of (a truly
inspired and touching performance from 1968... a year or so after
his new friend was born... but a classic that stands the test
of time), and our little group chatted on long enough to get kicked
out when the event folks closed the room we were talking in. It was
a delightful afternoon... and a truly cherished memory.
Afterwards, this lovely lass playfully castigated me for not
telling her who she was chatting to for so long without
recognition. 'Aw heck,' I replied... "that's Cliff, he's always
been just a flying buddy, and I think that's all he really cares
about, around here."
So; to Cliff Robertson, one of the all-time great flying
buddies... a fine aviator and an even finer friend and human
being... we wish you Godspeed and Fair Winds. God Bless you...
Samson Sky Hits the Wind Tunnel
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