~ IN MEMORY ~
PNA/WAL Capt. Lorin L. Wilkinson
December 2, 1929 ~ January 15,
2015
Word has been received with the
passing of retired Western pilot Captain Lorin LaVern Wilkinson, age 85.
Captain Wilkinson joined Pacific Northern Airlines 01-19-1953 and retired with Western Airlines. Widowed with the passing of his first wife
Gail 'Dolly' in 1995 and his second wife Mary in 2004, Captain Wilkinson is
survived by his sons Daniel and Donald. To sign the online guestbook please
visit http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Lorin-Wilkinson&lc=7560&pid=173903379&mid=6285700&locale=en_US
Personal condolences may be sent to
the family in care of son Don by email at 2Netsend@Gmail.com Don is also
available by phone... 360-455-8683 or cell
253-670-0772.
Captain
Wilkinson had most recently resided in Olympia WA. Services for Captain
Wilkinson will be held January 31st in Tumwater WA.
Thank
you,
~
Carol for the PCN
Life
story.......................................
Captain Lorin L. Wilkinson,
QB-35352-OLM (Demitted from TUL & SEA)
Captain Wilkinson was born on 2
December 1929 in Ogden, Utah to parents LaVern Wilkinson and Martha E. Grosnick.
He filed his final flight plan and Flew West into the sunset on 15 January
2015.
His early years were spent in Utah, Texas, Missouri and finally California where he got his first airplane ride on the morning of 7 December 1941 in a Waco cabin biplane at the Atlantic and Telegraph airfield in Los Angeles. He was 12 years old. Flying was curtailed on the west coast during the war so he devoured every bit of aviation literature available and spent time building identification models for the war effort.
His flying career began in July 1945 when he was the first kid on Vail Field in East Los Angeles looking for work around airplanes. He logged his first 30 minutes in a J-3 Cub, NC 24806. Flying time was sparse and spotty until he met Gerry A. Casey (QB-23897) a furloughed TWA pilot who was restoring a TG3-A sailplane in Gardena; CA. Gerry put him to work on the glider and took him to the 14th National Sailplane competition in Wichita Falls, Texas. Gerry suggested Lorin join the military for his flight training.
After enlisting in the Navy V-5 Cadet Flight Training program in September 1947, finishing boot camp at Great Lakes, and awaiting assignment to Pensacola, the program was cancelled as the Navy had enough peace time aviators. Instead, he was sent to Memphis, TN to Advanced Aviation Electronics School where he became an Aviation Electronics Technician, Radar and E.C.M. Operator and aerial gunner. He was then sent to Whidbey Island WA and served in VP-29 (PB4Y-2’s) and VP- 812 (P2V-2/3’s).
Gerry Casey had become an Air Safety Agent with the C.A.A. at Boeing Field and resumed tutoring Lorin as a pilot. In June of 1949 Lorin sold his 1933 Chevy and his saxophone to buy a 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champion and flying began in earnest, receiving his Private Pilot Certificate on 3 September 1949 and, ten months later, his Commercial Certificate and Flight Instructor Rating. The Examiner was Bob Jones, (QB # n/a). Lorin was discharged from the Navy on 1 September 1951 and went to Olympia, WA where he earned his Instrument Certificate and a Multi-engine Rating then proceeded to Los Angeles where he was employed at Compton Air College as a Flight Instructor for Airplanes and Instruments.
In December 1952 he was hired by Western Air Lines as a DC-3 Co-pilot and went on the line 19 January 1953 in Denver Colorado. That spring he married Gail Ann (Dolly) Danduran a marriage that lasted 43 years and produced two sons, Daniel L. and Donald L. Wilkinson.
In April 1955 Lorin transferred to Los Angeles and checked out in the Convair 240 and the Douglas DC-4. In June 1956 checked out in the DC6B and in February 1960 the Lockheed L-188. In September 1960 was type rated in the DC-6/7 and received his ATP certificate. Type rated on the Lockheed L-188 in March 1962, the Boeing 720-B in August 1963 and the Boeing 727 on April 10 1974. Type rated in the Douglas DC-10 in July 1979.
Captain Wilkinson took early voluntary retirement from Western Air Lines on 1 September 1985 at age 55 then moved to a home and hangar on the Flying “B” Airfield in Yelm, WA where he owned and flew a number of light aircraft and began building a number of homebuilt, experimental aircraft. After his first wife passed away in the fall of 1995, he met and married a WW-II WASP, Mary R. Jones, in Tulsa, OK in February 2000. He built a new home and hangar on Sky Haven Airpark in Collinsville, OK. Lorin became a QB in the Tulsa Hangar in 2001. His new wife, Mary, died in the fall of 2004.
Captain Wilkinson returned to Olympia, WA where he was instrumental in forming a new QB Hangar (OLM-201). He served this hangar as Beam Man, Alternate Key Man and Governor.
In addition to the QB’s he was a member of the National Biplane Assn., Founder and President of the Hatz Biplane Assn., A.L.P.A., E.A.A., Midwest Antique Aircraft Club, W.A.L. Silver Chiefs, Delta Golden Wings, OX-5 Aviation Pioneers and on 20 February 2010 received the Wright Brothers Memorial Master Pilot Award from the F.A.A.
Along with his 23,000+ hour professional flying habit, Lorin was a man of many avocations including rancher, competition sailor, builder of award winning aircraft, house builder, wood worker par excellence and an accomplished BS-er with funny and acerbic comments that delighted many an aviator and drove home a point to others who had screwed the pooch.
Captain Wilkinson never lost his love and wonder of flying and continued flying into his early eighties. He would often say, “it’s been one helluva great ride and I wouldn’t change a thing!”
His early years were spent in Utah, Texas, Missouri and finally California where he got his first airplane ride on the morning of 7 December 1941 in a Waco cabin biplane at the Atlantic and Telegraph airfield in Los Angeles. He was 12 years old. Flying was curtailed on the west coast during the war so he devoured every bit of aviation literature available and spent time building identification models for the war effort.
His flying career began in July 1945 when he was the first kid on Vail Field in East Los Angeles looking for work around airplanes. He logged his first 30 minutes in a J-3 Cub, NC 24806. Flying time was sparse and spotty until he met Gerry A. Casey (QB-23897) a furloughed TWA pilot who was restoring a TG3-A sailplane in Gardena; CA. Gerry put him to work on the glider and took him to the 14th National Sailplane competition in Wichita Falls, Texas. Gerry suggested Lorin join the military for his flight training.
After enlisting in the Navy V-5 Cadet Flight Training program in September 1947, finishing boot camp at Great Lakes, and awaiting assignment to Pensacola, the program was cancelled as the Navy had enough peace time aviators. Instead, he was sent to Memphis, TN to Advanced Aviation Electronics School where he became an Aviation Electronics Technician, Radar and E.C.M. Operator and aerial gunner. He was then sent to Whidbey Island WA and served in VP-29 (PB4Y-2’s) and VP- 812 (P2V-2/3’s).
Gerry Casey had become an Air Safety Agent with the C.A.A. at Boeing Field and resumed tutoring Lorin as a pilot. In June of 1949 Lorin sold his 1933 Chevy and his saxophone to buy a 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champion and flying began in earnest, receiving his Private Pilot Certificate on 3 September 1949 and, ten months later, his Commercial Certificate and Flight Instructor Rating. The Examiner was Bob Jones, (QB # n/a). Lorin was discharged from the Navy on 1 September 1951 and went to Olympia, WA where he earned his Instrument Certificate and a Multi-engine Rating then proceeded to Los Angeles where he was employed at Compton Air College as a Flight Instructor for Airplanes and Instruments.
In December 1952 he was hired by Western Air Lines as a DC-3 Co-pilot and went on the line 19 January 1953 in Denver Colorado. That spring he married Gail Ann (Dolly) Danduran a marriage that lasted 43 years and produced two sons, Daniel L. and Donald L. Wilkinson.
In April 1955 Lorin transferred to Los Angeles and checked out in the Convair 240 and the Douglas DC-4. In June 1956 checked out in the DC6B and in February 1960 the Lockheed L-188. In September 1960 was type rated in the DC-6/7 and received his ATP certificate. Type rated on the Lockheed L-188 in March 1962, the Boeing 720-B in August 1963 and the Boeing 727 on April 10 1974. Type rated in the Douglas DC-10 in July 1979.
Captain Wilkinson took early voluntary retirement from Western Air Lines on 1 September 1985 at age 55 then moved to a home and hangar on the Flying “B” Airfield in Yelm, WA where he owned and flew a number of light aircraft and began building a number of homebuilt, experimental aircraft. After his first wife passed away in the fall of 1995, he met and married a WW-II WASP, Mary R. Jones, in Tulsa, OK in February 2000. He built a new home and hangar on Sky Haven Airpark in Collinsville, OK. Lorin became a QB in the Tulsa Hangar in 2001. His new wife, Mary, died in the fall of 2004.
Captain Wilkinson returned to Olympia, WA where he was instrumental in forming a new QB Hangar (OLM-201). He served this hangar as Beam Man, Alternate Key Man and Governor.
In addition to the QB’s he was a member of the National Biplane Assn., Founder and President of the Hatz Biplane Assn., A.L.P.A., E.A.A., Midwest Antique Aircraft Club, W.A.L. Silver Chiefs, Delta Golden Wings, OX-5 Aviation Pioneers and on 20 February 2010 received the Wright Brothers Memorial Master Pilot Award from the F.A.A.
Along with his 23,000+ hour professional flying habit, Lorin was a man of many avocations including rancher, competition sailor, builder of award winning aircraft, house builder, wood worker par excellence and an accomplished BS-er with funny and acerbic comments that delighted many an aviator and drove home a point to others who had screwed the pooch.
Captain Wilkinson never lost his love and wonder of flying and continued flying into his early eighties. He would often say, “it’s been one helluva great ride and I wouldn’t change a thing!”
Hello All,
Please excuse my doing an "email blast" from my dad's address book. Many of you I do not know and some may not be personal friends but I wanted to get the word out about his funeral service. It will be held on Saturday, January 31st @ 11a. The location is:
Mills & Mills Funeral Home
5725 Littlerock Road SW
Tumwater, WA 98512
360-357-7743
Here is a link to map it, you can enter your address & it will provide a route & travel time:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/5725+Littlerock+Rd+SW,+Tumwater,+WA+98512/@46.996835,-122.92338,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x5491740577d4b469:0x932d58e92b364e76
I do not monitor this email address very often, but have been very touched by the outpouring of love & condolences for my dad. It is amazing to me how many lives he has touched, even globally, with his generous nature & desire to be there for others. Pop's did say that, though greatly appreciated, he did not want an abundance of friends sending flowers for the service. And just like any airplane driver who lived in the left seat, he provided me with a number of checklists to follow after his passing. One of his regrets was that the funeral home did not serve alcohol as he wanted to provide an open bar to go along with the Irish wake that he wanted to be remembered for.
I can be reached on his house phone: 360-455-8683 or my cell phone: 253-670-0772. My email address is 2Netsend@Gmail.com It is quite possible that I have not reached everyone that would want to be notified, so if you could pass the word along it would be wonderful. When Pop's told me that he had made provisions for 40 at the reception for his service I responded that it would not even begin to cover the amount of friends that will want to attend. I suggested that he consider renting a larger reception hall, to which he laughed & said he didn't even think that all the snacks for 40 afterwards would get eaten so I should have a box with me to bring the rest home. It was part of his nature to be humble in ways like this as many of you will remember. But he embraced you all as only he could.
Thank you again for making him so rich as only dear friends can.
Regards,
Don
Please excuse my doing an "email blast" from my dad's address book. Many of you I do not know and some may not be personal friends but I wanted to get the word out about his funeral service. It will be held on Saturday, January 31st @ 11a. The location is:
Mills & Mills Funeral Home
5725 Littlerock Road SW
Tumwater, WA 98512
360-357-7743
Here is a link to map it, you can enter your address & it will provide a route & travel time:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/5725+Littlerock+Rd+SW,+Tumwater,+WA+98512/@46.996835,-122.92338,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x5491740577d4b469:0x932d58e92b364e76
I do not monitor this email address very often, but have been very touched by the outpouring of love & condolences for my dad. It is amazing to me how many lives he has touched, even globally, with his generous nature & desire to be there for others. Pop's did say that, though greatly appreciated, he did not want an abundance of friends sending flowers for the service. And just like any airplane driver who lived in the left seat, he provided me with a number of checklists to follow after his passing. One of his regrets was that the funeral home did not serve alcohol as he wanted to provide an open bar to go along with the Irish wake that he wanted to be remembered for.
I can be reached on his house phone: 360-455-8683 or my cell phone: 253-670-0772. My email address is 2Netsend@Gmail.com It is quite possible that I have not reached everyone that would want to be notified, so if you could pass the word along it would be wonderful. When Pop's told me that he had made provisions for 40 at the reception for his service I responded that it would not even begin to cover the amount of friends that will want to attend. I suggested that he consider renting a larger reception hall, to which he laughed & said he didn't even think that all the snacks for 40 afterwards would get eaten so I should have a box with me to bring the rest home. It was part of his nature to be humble in ways like this as many of you will remember. But he embraced you all as only he could.
Thank you again for making him so rich as only dear friends can.
Regards,
Don
Hello Carol,
I am writing you from my father’s computer to pass along some very sad news. Pops passed on last evening, he is finally beyond the terrible suffering that he had been going through these last few years. He requested that I send along his biography & photo in hopes that you would notify the necessary departments at Delta Airlines.
I am writing you from my father’s computer to pass along some very sad news. Pops passed on last evening, he is finally beyond the terrible suffering that he had been going through these last few years. He requested that I send along his biography & photo in hopes that you would notify the necessary departments at Delta Airlines.
Though I will not be monitoring this email very frequently, you can
contact me on his house line or here:
2Netsend@Gmail.com
Thank you very much,
Don Wilkinson
Thank you very much,
Don Wilkinson
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