Gary Austin Fly Safe

[clangjr]

There were two peoples posts who I opened every time I get on here REGARDLESS of their topic: Jack Cook, and Gary Austin.

Gary ALWAYS said what was on his mind, and for that I respect and admire him.

A vast resource and knowledge base has left us. RIP Gary.

[Hal B]

I miss a day on the WIX due to a family event, and I come back to this

We have all lost more than we can know and the WIX will NEVER be the same.

God speed Gary, and blue skies!

[the330thbg]

OMG

I just found this POST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never even met him. But I will never forget him!

What will WIX be, without Gary???

Last edited by the330thbg on Tue Oct 27, 2009 10:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

[danaraylene]

I met Gary 17 years ago; I was 18 and one of few women seeking a career in Aircraft Maintenance at the time. Gary took me under his precious wing and gave me a lifetime of knowledge. I became very close to him and never lost contact after his move from Memphis. He was a dear friend, someone I will always love. My heart is so heavy with this news. There will never be another person like Gary; his heart, his smile, his beautiful blue eyes, or his talent. I hate that he made the decision he did, as he left so many sad hearts in his wake.

Gary is the only person I trusted enough to fly with. My fear of flying has kept me from the skies. But With Gary, I felt safe and secure. The last time I saw Gary, he took me on a "River Run" in the T-6. It is a flight I will always remember; the last I took with him. His big bear hugs and wide smile is what I will miss the most. I have no idea what life without Gary will be like, but I will cherish every memory of him.

The tears will not stop. Gary, I love you so much and will miss you more than you will ever know. I pray that God will have mercy on your soul and that you will forever fly in his kingdom, until I meet you there.

Dana

[B-25 C]

I only new Gary from here. I lost a friend I had never met yet it feels like I lost a brother. My deepest respect and sympathies to all. Fly on Gary Austin fly on.

Very sad news. Condolences to all of Gary's family and friends.

He will be greatly missed on these forums.

[Stephanie]

A friend just informed me of this tragic news. I am at a complete loss for what to say. Gary was one of the kindest souls I can think of. I unfortunately never got to meet him in person, but here on WIX, e-mail, phone, etc., he just... he was so wonderful. Always right there to lend an ear or offer great advice. My thoughts go out to his family and friends and the rest of the warbird community. He will be missed so much, by so many people. It makes me so sad to think that just a few days ago I saw his name in my phone and thought, "I should e-mail Gary" and I never did. Makes me realize how close we need to keep our friends because in the blink of an eye these amazing people can be gone. I will always remember him as being one of the hardest working, kindest people I know. I join all of you in your mourning for Gary. Aviation has lost a real gem.

[maradamx3]

Deepest thoughts and condolences to Gary, his family, and friends!

I was never fortunate enough to meet him, but the one trip I made to CAF HQ, I missed him by about 5 minutes. I regret that. I will fondly read the 'Ol 927 threads where Gary Austin will live forever. Thank you!

Tommy

[bdk]

I think we should take consolation in the fact that Gary's participation in the WIX was not only beneficial to us, but was beneficial to him. Gary's final decision, if what has been related is factual, was his own decision based upon what was going on in his head. He didn't just make this decision that day, he had probably been fighting this for years and finally succumbed. I'm no expert on psychology, but I know his participation on WIX must have extended his life, perhaps for years. You should all thank yourselves for that. Gary knew he was wanted, and to a rational person he had a great deal to live for. Just the number of appreciative postings in the "Ol 927" thread, his goofing around with the "Stratolina" project, and the hot rod truck he was working on showed this. Some of the postings in this thread show that he had a bunch of offers and deals in work, so clearly he left many things unfinished.

There is nothing more we could have done that would have changed Gary's decision. Nonetheless, he will be missed.

RIP Gary.

This isn't strictly a problem Gary had either, and is probably more widespread than most imagine, even on the WIX. Let's also remember our old friend Mick now, who also succumbed to a similar demon, leaving behind a wife and young child:

[Bluedharma]

I just spoke with Bill Greenwood about what had happened.

He wanted to say, “I am deeply saddened by the loss of someone we all respected.” –Bill Greenwood

[Old Shep]

All:

There is a tribute on the CAF webpage about Gary. More will be forthcoming.

I ate lunch with him Weds and we discussed many many things, one being his gift as a writer. He said he was working on a "sorta-book, sorta-magazine series of articles" about his flying life, and he would send me the beginning sections. I will post them later today or tomorrow: you will enjoy them.

The CAF folks here in Midland are deeply deeply saddened.

Old Shep

[PantherJKH]

Unfortunately the post by lusc10 is accurate for those that had questioned. The dogs will be taken care of, Mr. Ezell is going to get them as had been requested by Gary. I think that is really all that should be said at this time, as I don't really have the heart to say more. I just hope Gary can see how many cared now and smile. It is far too often that we display how much we care for someone when it is too late. Hopefully, in addition to the memories, we can all remember to show those we love or care about how we feel more often. RIP Gary.

[Second Air Force]

bdk--PM sent.

Bill, you're absolutely right about Gary's talent as an author. He sent us a copy of his early draft of a chapter or two, and I think it would be great if you'd see fit to post his work.

Scott

[F3A-1]

They just don't get any better than Gary Austin. If a person is ever compared to him in any way, it should be taken as an honor. The accolades would take a paragraph, or maybe a couple of pages! It would be an injustice for me to even begin.

My thoughts, and prayers are with his friends and family.

Regards,
Lex Cralley

[John Beyl]

In the 16 hours since I learned of Gary’s I’ve tried to come up with something prophetic to say. The appropriate words still escape me, possibly because there are none in the English language powerful enough appropriately convey those feelings.

I first met Gary at Airsho in either ’04 or ’05. He took the time out of that hectic show weekend to guide me through the B-29 and show me all the cool innovations he was incorporating into it. To say I was impressed with him and his work is a complete understatement. Throughout the weekend we spoke at length about rebuilding the P-51C, the work he was doing on FiFi and his excitement about the plans they had for the B-24. We corresponded regularly after that weekend encouraging each other as we both faced challenges in our respective projects.

I was new to the CAF then and still not sure about my desire to become fully immersed in it. Like many others, I had heard a lot of negative things about the organization. Meeting Gary and spending time with him showed me what good things the CAF was capable of. A person didn’t need to be a good judge of character to see he was the genuine article. What I didn’t completely realize then but became aware of as he rebuilt and documented the transformation of the B-24 was that he, Gary Austin, was the best ambassador the CAF has probably ever had. More than that, his love for these old airplanes made him an outstanding role model for the entire warbird community.

Gary will forever be marked in my memory as one of the good guys who gave enough of a d@mn to make a difference in as many lives as he could. How true that statement really is occurred to me only after reading through this thread and realizing how many lives he had touched in very significant and tangible ways. As I type this I asked myself, if I died tomorrow, would my loss have that great of an impact on as many people? If the answer to that question is no, then I haven’t done enough yet and need to get busy. The best way to honor guys like Gary is to follow their lead, that way they’re never truly gone.

We will all miss Gary just as we miss Don Hinz, Gerry Beck and all others who gone are now but gave freely of themselves. We are all better people because they were once among us. It’s natural to feel sad that they are gone now, however it’s more important to be glad we had them, if even for a short time.

God Speed Gary…we’ll see you on the flip side,

John

Last edited by John Beyl on Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:09 am, edited 1 time in total.