Jerry Ryckman always wanted to fly.
“Pretty much since I was 5 years old,” he said.
That dream came true.
For years, Ryckman flew in the U.S. Air Force, later going on to fly for Horizon Air and eventually teaching pilots how to fly out of the FedEx world hub in Memphis, Tenn.
“I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to do what I wanted,” Ryckman said.
The government taught Ryckman to fly and the Air Force sent him around the world, from Ohio to Okinawa.
“During Vietnam I pretty much lived in Southeast Asia,” Ryckman said.
Ryckman said he spent a lot of time flying KC-135 Stratotankers, massive airplanes that are used to refuel other aircraft in mid-flight.
He also worked with EC-47s and T-29s.
Ryckman said he doesn’t fly anymore these days.
“Back when I first started flying, there wasn’t a lot of traffic or even radar coverage out here in the Southwest,” Ryckman said.
Today, Ryckman said he feels that there are so many rules and regulations about flying private aircraft that it has kind of sucked the fun out of the entire thing.
While Ryckman did work as a commercial pilot for a while, he said having to deal with the public wasn’t his thing.
Of course, many people are just fine but Ryckman said there are always people who want to complain about every little thing.
“Pretty much the only people you see flying these days are old guys, they’re the only ones who can afford it,” Ryckman said.
To read the full story, see the Wednesday, July 15, edition of The Camp Verde Journal.
