Jay Quetnick: Ninety-Two-Year-Old Pilot Renews Medical Certificate To Begin His 75th Year In The Left Seat
By Herb Foreman
Jay Quetnick at the Sky Kitchen Cafe in San Carlos, Calif. (Courtesy of Herb Foreman)I wrote my first article regarding Jay’s career in the air in 1993. He was a sprightly pilot at 70 years of age with 54 years in his logbooks. His first solo was in the wonderful J-3 Cub at the Palo Alto (Calif.) Airport in 1939. Jay was a student at Stanford University and had taken advantage of the Civilian Pilot Training Program and the ROTC. Upon his graduation in 1941, he became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, as well. The renewal of his medical will celebrate the beginning of his 75th year in the left seat. Amazing!
Before he began his lifetime in the air, Jay was inducted into the Army in Dec. 1942 and served in some of the bloodiest battles fought in World War II at Casa Blanca, Sicily and Anzio. After separation from the service in 1946, Jay remained in the Reserve and is presently a retired Lieutenant Colonel.
Jay Quetnick at the Sky Kitchen Cafe in San Carlos, Calif. (Courtesy of Herb Foreman)In 1946, he established his own construction business and used many of the planes he has owned to further his business interests. He has owned a Swift, Bonanza, two Cessna 310s, a Cessna 411 and most recently a Cessna 421-B. His 421 was badly damaged in Mexico when the front wheel fell into a soft spot on the runway when he began his taxi for take off. He had high hopes of replacing it with a turbo prop or small jet but settled for a 1981 421-C that has a number of benefits not included in the B model.
California native Jay was born in San Francisco on Jan. 17, 1921 and has two daughters, Lita and Sandra, from his first wife, Tina, who passed away after their 45th anniversary. Both of the girls became pilots. Today, the girls take care of Jay’s real estate investments he acquired through the years. Lita is still flying and is very competent in the 421-C.
After five years as a widower, Jay married Helen Simonson, a former American Airlines flight attendant. Jay feels exercise to be an important part of his life and walks to keep fit while also playing a little tennis. He talks about his canine companion, an English Springer Spaniel that is now five years old and who keeps him jumping.
Jay sold his construction business to a NASDAQ company and spends his time flying and talking about flying with pilots at the San Carlos Airport’s Sky Kitchen Café (on the San Francisco Peninsula). He still checks in at his office, however, to make sure his interests are carefully taken care of. He speaks of his 74 years in the left seat with pride and hopes for a few more good years. He has played a major part in what is now called the “Greatest Generation” of the 20th century.
