We found out today that our hangar cat that was living with a Dixie Wing member in retirement passed away today...
His obit appears below....Im sure he is with Spitfire and other CAF hangar cats sitting at Lloyd Nolen's feet somewhere in the skies...
I regret to inform everyone that Captain Aileron "Claws" passed away last night. Aileron went outside last night @ 10:30 p.m for his usual nightly excursion (after spending another summer day, sleeping on various pieces of furniture in the house) and could always be counted on to be waiting at the door in the morning. This morning he wasn't, and we found him laying on the sidewalk, quite gone. He may have had a heart attack. ( he last weighed at 19 lbs.) He would play with the other cats in the house and even sleep with them. During the school year, he would travel to the back of the property to wait and walk back with the kids when they got off the bus. He never turned his nose up at a bowl of food. The easiest, most self reliant cat I have ever had. My family and I were glad we were able to take care Aileron in his "retirement years" and will miss him greatly.
(See attached file: Aileron Sunning.jpg)
Col Don
Dixie Wing CAF
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(If you never met Aileron, he was an orphan who appeared in our Hangar shortly after the construction was completed. He loved Warbirds and his new found home. During Wing meetings, Aileron would make his way through the briefing room until he found a place where he could stretch out on the floor to create an obstacle - a cat with a sense of humor. He grew somewhat frustrated with the ever increasing number of visitors to “his” hangar and the Wing found need to find new quarters for him. Col Don Massucci and Family opened their home to him and the rest is history.