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In Flight USA Articles
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!
Debbie La Mere, Combat Soldier
Two Tours of Duty, Afghanistan
By Herb Foreman
Deborah manning one of the 7.62mm machine guns near the door of the Chinook. (Courtesy of Deborah Lamere)It was almost 10 years ago that I met Debbie and wrote an article for In Flight USA about her. She was a 27-year old computer wizard working for Corio in a new building at the south end of the runway at the San Carlos, California Airport. She could do computations using the computer that few people could comprehend.
The airport proved to be a magnet for Debbie. She joined the West Valley Flying Club on the field in 1998, and was soon immersed in aviation activities. By early 1999, she had her private license and began to work on her instrument ticket. Debbie was a quick learner and she loved to fly. She purchased a 1974 Cessna Cardinal – the year of her birth – and began to spend hours in the air. She learned how to change oil, clean spark plugs and assisted in the Cardinal’s annual inspection. She was a good pilot and had over 600 hours in her logbook.