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01 Dec

In Honor of Captain Billy


William (Bill) Moyle

Bill was known to many people under various names. To some he was “Captain Billy”. He was also known as “Captain Bill”, “Captain Moyle”, “Texas Bill”, “Head Wrench”, “Nomad”, and even “Old Fart”

He was, of course, also “Dad” and “Grandpa”.

Bill passed away on Veterans Day due to a very brief fight with cancer.

Bill Grew up in Danbury where he attended Henry Abbot Technical School. He later lived in New Milford, moved to California and eventually found himself in Waxahachie, Texas to retire near his Daughter Laura and her family.

Bill was a Weapons Load Crew Chief in Vietnam. After the Air Force, he was a teacher at Henry Abbot Technical School in the Electrical department. Later in life, while in California, he helped design the C-17 electrical system at McDonnell Douglas, and became a flight simulator instructor on the MD-80. He eventually flew the DC-8 and 727 for MGM Grand Air and became a 727 Captain for Champion Air.

In his down time, he and his children campaigned a bracket car in the Craftsman, and later Summit bracket racing series in California, and Texas. He became known as “Captain Billy”, author of two children’s books about “Tommy The Texan”, a T-6 Texan.

Bill is survived by his son David, daughter Laura, his 4 grandchildren; Liam, Lauren, Brendolyn, and Aiden; and his brother Bob who resides in Danbury Ct, the town featured in his books.

Captain Billy was a big supporter of children’s hospitals like St Jude’s, and animal shelters & organizations like the ASPCA. If you feel led to, please make a donation in his name to your favorite.

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25 Jan

Captain Billy The Airport Kid

No sooner than the light over Tommy’s canopy had clicked off that morning, the small door opened and in walked Captain Billy and Bobby Z. It was turning out to be a pleasant day here in Tommy’s hangar, Tommy thought to himself. Captain Billy and Bobby Z had stopped by for no particular reason, and had decided to do a quick cleaning, sorting and sweeping of the hangar.

They were just finishing up. The smell of fresh coffee and warm cake donuts filled the hangar. The seashell chairs were placed just ahead of Tommy’s left wing. Two for Billy and Bobby Z, and two more for the inevitable guests that would most likely arrive. The sun was shining in through the big hangar doors on this warm summer morning. One thing led to another, as “hangar flying” does, and Bobby Z asked Billy how he got started in flying.

Tommy listened as Captain Billy sat back in his blue chair and began to recall, “It’s a long story my brother” started Billy, “As a matter of fact, it started right behind us here at that old hangar.” He went on to say how, as a 14-year-old, he had come here with a classmate on their bikes, back when the airport looked a lot different in some areas than it did today.

Billy continued to describe about how they had started by sweeping out that big hangar. The hangar was from back before World War II. It was a rectangular building built out of cinder block walls about 4 feet high. The walls were topped with steel-framed frosted glass with some sort of wire imbedded in it. It let the light in without being totally see through. There were 4 big doors on rails that, when open, slid along the inside wall. They, too, had the frosted glass windows. The roof was made of wood trusses and was curved at the top. On the front, at the top were the words “Danbury School of Aeronautics” painted in red on the white corrugated metal. Hanging off the front was a large lighted “TEXACO” sign.

Billy reminisced, “This is where I took my first lesson, in a faded yellow and red Aeronca Champion. A steel tube, wood and fabric two-seat trainer from the 1940s. You sat in tandem, one in front of the other. No electrical system, and you started it by hand-propping the 65 horsepower, 4-cylinder engine. My dad had surprised me by working out a deal with a friend of his, Ed, who was a local fireman and an aviation instructor. Ed was a tall man who, when seated in the front, blocked the view from the back seat.” Billy shared memories of having to fly looking out the side and watching the position of the wing tips in relation to the horizon. If they were parallel and equal distance, he was level. If one was higher than the other, he was turning. If the angle changed, he was either climbing or descending. “It was a challenge for a young aviator,” he added.

Tommy listened as Billy explained how he and his friend Joey spent every day that summer working there, washing and fueling airplanes. They even got to taxi one occasionally, when the student left the airplane at the fuel island after a lesson. Back then, the fuel tank and fuel island were right next to the hangar. They even taught Billy and Joey how to hand-prop the Aeronca. All this at 14, going on 15 in September. You could never do those things today with the regulations, laws and insurance. “We were told to stop by the manager just before the end of summer due to the changes,” Billy explained, “but we were still ‘Ramp Rats’.”

It was a summer that Billy said he would never forget. “I learned a lot about aviation, and I remember the “hangar flying” the adults did while sitting along the open hangar door in the red and white Seashell chairs. In fact,” he went on, “that’s why there are seashell chairs at Tommy’s hangar, and why that specific type of light is over Tommy’s canopy.” It reminded Billy of the lights in the old big hangar.

Billy explained that the very row of hangars that Tommy lives in was there when he worked here as a youth. Tommy’s hangar area was part of a competing aviation school, sales and charter company called Tiburzi Airways. The daughter of the owner went on to fly for the airlines.

As Billy pointed out toward the airport, he mentioned how back then, the airport had no control tower, just a UNICOM frequency of 122.8 and that the radios were in the FBOs (Fixed Base Operators). There were only a couple of FBOs. There was Danbury School of Aeronautics, the Piper Aircraft Dealer, Tiburzi Airways, The Cessna Aircraft Dealer, and later came Connecticut Air Service and Bluebird Aviation. At the other end was the Beechcraft dealer, Sadler’s Aircraft, and a small avionics shop. The BIG hangar on the northeast corner was the old Doman Helicopter Company hangar.

He explained how there were limited taxiways back then. You back taxied on the runway or, in the taildraggers, the grass along the side of the runway. “In the Aeronca’s we landed and sometimes took off in the grass areas. It saved the tires and brakes,” Billy explained.

Captain Billy went on to tell Bobby Z about one of his first adventures. He was cleaning the windshield on a red and white Piper Tri-Pacer when the pilot came out to pre-flight. As they chatted, the pilot asked Billy if he wanted to go for a ride up to Albany, New York and back. Now, that was a silly question. Billy ran off to ask his boss for the day if he could go, and of course Billy, his boss, said yes. It would be his first flight out of the Danbury area. His first “cross country!” Now, these were the days before cell phones, texting and even answering machines, so Billy tried to call home but there was no answer. The pilot assured him that they would be back before 4 pm, so he would get back before his dad picked him up at 5. So, off they went, flying West, then following the Hudson River up to Albany so the pilot could pick up a part. Well, lunch was involved, as well as a delay getting the part. This was Captain Billy’s first experience with the punctuality of aviation. To this day he can be heard quoting a friend’s saying, “Time to spare, Go by Air.” Things always seem to be on a delay.

Anyway, it was a good day. He learned how to navigate with the NARCO “Super Homer” by tracking the Albany and Wilton Radio beams by following a small needle on the Navigation Radio. But he was late. “Did I mention that I had never met the pilot before? Anyway, I digress,” Billy added. When he got back, there were his mom and dad. They were frantic, at least mom was, that they had arrived and when they asked where Billy was, his boss calmly said that he had flown to Albany and should be back any minute.

Well, the ride home was far from quiet. He sat in the back of the car as mom went on and on about the dangers and responsibility and, and, and… See, his mom hated the thought of him flying, always did, and that was a huge obstacle to his perusing an aviation career. It never happened again. He turned down many chances to fly after that.

But, there was that day, as he put it, “the day I almost got killed.” He had gone up for a short flight over the lake with a gentleman he knew. It was an hour flight, so he just went. They went up in a Piper Colt and were coming back from the flight. As they were entering the pattern, in a right hand turn to enter downwind, and as the left wing on the Colt lifted for the turn, there, filling the small side window was a white Cessna 195, coming from their left and down into the pattern.

“He never saw us. We banked hard right and after a few words over the Unicom, reentered the pattern. After landing, the pilot drove down to Sadler’s to have a discussion.”
“We had entered the pattern correctly,” Billy stated, “the Cessna had cut a corner. I almost wound up a stain on the hill on the downwind leg to runway 26.”

“One last memory,” Billy added, “and one you may or may not believe. I was working one Saturday and was summoned to the office. I was given some plastic polish, some new clean towels, and was tasked to go and clean all the windows on Aeronca Champ N31677. A 65-horsepower model. I was told to do a real good job because Charles Lindbergh was going to take his granddaughter flying to see ‘the fair from the air.’ It was fair season, fall in Connecticut. I hesitated and thought maybe I was being suckered, you know, like the bucket of ‘Prop Wash,’ or the ‘left-handed crescent wrench.’ I was assured that I was not, even though I was still not sure. But I got to go out, sit in the Champ and clean windows, and watch airplanes as they gave rides for the Great Danbury State Fair that was in operation just off the approach end of runway 17.”

“Well, as I was just about finished a very large, very black Chrysler Limo pulled up, and who should step out but Charles A. Lindbergh and a young girl. Stan had gone out to meet him and escorted him out to 677, as I untied the aircraft. After he had seated his granddaughter, he got in, and with one swing of the propeller from Stan, the engine purred like I had never heard it before. With a thumbs up, he then taxied out in one smooth fluid motion. Then we all watched as ‘The Lone Eagle’ took to the skies over Danbury Airport and The Danbury Fair. We watched him land in the grass, taxi in and be escorted to his car. I had gotten to clean the windows on a plane flown by Charles A. Lindbergh.”

“There are a lot of memories here at the old flying field, Bobby Z,” he went on. “Before my 4 years of military service from 1966-70, I took some lessons in a Piper Colt from Danbury School of Aeronautics. After my return, I used the GI bill to secure my ratings both at Connecticut Air Service, which occupied the big hangar that was on the northeast corner. It has since burned down. I finished up at Danbury Airways, the old Danbury School location behind us, where I worked as an instructor and Cessna Citation ground instructor.”

He explained how he went on to work teaching the MD-80 for the McDonnell Douglas Company in Long Beach California, where he and Bobby Z had met, and then on to fly for 16 plus years for the airlines on Douglas DC-8s and as Captain on the Boeing 727.

“So, now you see the path I took to get where I am today. Back in the same airport, the same old T Hangars where it all started so many years ago. Looking at the same hills that surround what is Danbury Airport.”

With that, Captain Billy took a sip of his coffee, a bite of old-fashioned donut, and with a wink to Tommy, gazed off into the blue sky to the East of Tommy’s Hangar. Then, as he eased back in his blue seashell chair, he became, “The Airport Kid” once more. It had been a good day.

10 Dec

Merry Christmas From Captain Billy and Tommy

Christmas
The light over Tommy’s canopy clicked off and all was quiet inside of Tommy’s Hangar. Exceptionally quiet, Tommy thought, like all the world was under a blanket. Then, he remembered that when Captain Billy had left the other day, he mentioned that it was supposed to snow this weekend. He mentioned how a snowfall was like a soft white blanket that covered everything. IT MUST HAVE SNOWED!

Just as Tommy was wondering what the world outside must look like, he heard a different sound than he was used to. A low rumbling sound of a vehicle and a soft crushing sound. Then he heard the sound of two doors opening and closing, and suddenly the hangar doors slid open. Tommy was greeted by Captain Billy and his younger brother, Bob. Their ages were four years apart, but looked like twins. It was Bob’s grey truck he had heard as the tires rolled over the soft snow. A cold breeze entered the hangar as they unloaded the pickup with many large boxes.

Tommy was treated to his first sight of the airport with everything covered in a soft white snowfall. It sparkled as the rising sun’s rays warmed the hangar and seemed to bounce off the snow like it did off Tommy’s propeller as it spun.

“Morning Tommy! Ready to get this place all decorated for the holidays?” said Billy, as he closed the hangar doors, shook off the cold and stomped on the floor to get the snow off his work boots. “I brought my brother along to help with the tree and the overhead lights.”
The next few hours were spent with the joyful sound of Christmas music on the radio, and the smell of coffee and fresh pastries. The brothers worked, while telling stories of past Christmases as children and laughing about old times. Billy had written some of these stories down a few years ago, inspired by his friend, Lisa, called “Childhood Christmas Memories.”

Soon, the box for the tree was discarded, and the tree was up and lit with beautiful multi-colored lights. “It’s all lit up like a Christmas tree,” Bob said, as the two laughed together. Ornaments followed, along with strings of lights all around the top of the wall of the hangar. The final touch was a large four-foot wreath that was placed on the outside where the two large doors met.

With the doors closed, Billy clicked on the thermostat and the hangar started to warm up. They had let the sunshine in to warm the interior. It was fun to decorate while looking at the freshly fallen snow. Billy and Bob sat, chatted, and had coffee together and spent the morning with Tommy. When lunch time came, the two finished cleaning up, and Bob headed out the small door.

“Well Tommy, we are off to Marcus Dairy for lunch and some Christmas shopping downtown,” Billy said, as he set the thermostat and turned the lights off over the work benches. “I’ll be back in a few days, so enjoy the decorations.”
The door closed, then Tommy heard the truck doors open and close and the sound of tires crunching the snow as they drove away. Billy had left the radio on low and Christmas music filled the hangar. That night, as the sun was setting, the light over Tommy’s canopy came on with a click. With the tree lights and the lights that ringed the hangar, Christmas had come to Tommy’s Hangar.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

30 Aug

Just a Little Trip Around the Pattern

from Tommy’s point of view

Danbury Airport - Danbury Connecticut

The light over Tommy’s canopy clicked off and Tommy was brought to the quiet and calm of Tommy’s Hangar. It was quiet outside, just an occasional car passing on Miry Brook Road that ran behind the hangar and a few birds chirping on the roof.

Captain Billy had left a few days ago but said that he would be back to take Tommy for a spin around the pattern. He wanted to give Tommy some exercise and he needed to do his three takeoffs and landings to keep his currency up. Just Tommy and Billy having some fun flying. Sounded good to him. He waited as patiently as he could. It had been a while since he had been outside.

Just then the silence was broken by the sound of a Corvette coming around the corner and heading up the ramp. It seemed to rumble as it idled up to the hangar. Captain Billy was here.

The small door of the hangar opened and there was Billy in his flight suit carrying his helmet bag.

“Morning Tommy, sorry it took so long but we were working on the book and time got away from us,” he said. Captain Billy and his daughter Laura were putting the final touches on his children’s series of books about he and Tommy.

“Well, lets get these doors open and you pre-flighted so we can go flying. Your fuel tanks are half full, so we have plenty for three trips around the patch. I’ll just do a walk-around and check the oil here in the hangar and we can be on our way.”

Soon Tommy was rolled outside, Captain Billy was on board going thru the Before Start Check List. Today was a cloudy day, no sun so far and from the looks of the clouds there would not be.

Billy sensed Tommy’s concern and said, “I checked the local weather. The base of the clouds is around 3500 feet and no sign of rain this morning. At our pattern altitude of 1500 feet, we should be well clear of any clouds. It is a good morning to get this done.”

With that said, switches on, Tommy felt the electricity flow, fuel pump engaged and soon, “Clear Prop” from Billy as the prop spun and the big radial came to life with a puff and a ROAR!

With the brakes released the taxi to runway 08 had begun. It was a short taxi and soon they were in Position for takeoff. “Before Takeoff Checklist complete,” Billy said. Flaps set, lined up and power advanced, Tommy started to roll down the runway.

As the big propeller pulled Tommy down the runway, he could feel Billy dancing on the rudder as the power tried to pull him to the left.

(When a taildragger aircraft is in a nose high attitude, the propeller blade on the right has a greater pitch to bite the air and so tries to turn the aircraft to the left, it’s called “P-Factor.”)

As the speed increased, Tommy could feel the wind over the vertical and horizontal tail increase so his controls, rudder, and elevator became more useful in controlling him. He could feel the tail start to rise as the air pressure flowing under the horizontal surface was greater that the weight of the tail. Also, Tommy was now in a level attitude, so P-Factor was less.

At the same time, he sensed the wind flowing over and under his wings. The airfoil design of the wing caused the wind over his wings to move faster then the wind under them, causing a lower pressure on top than on the bottom.

As the forward speed increased, Tommy felt the wind increase over the ailerons as Billy used the control stick to keep the wings level and the rudder now kept him straight.

Tommy then felt the elevators move in the air slipstream as Billy pulled back on the control stick ever so gently, raising the elevators. With that the tail moved downward, Tommy seemed to pivot around his center of gravity, or CG, the wing angle increased, more right rudder to keep him straight, The air pressure was greater under the wing than over it and Tommy was airborne once more.

Tommy heard Billy call, “Gear Up” and he sensed his landing gear retract into their place in the wing. With this decrease in drag Tommy could feel the speed start to increase.

Next, he heard “Flaps Up” and felt a change in the pitch as Billy compensated with the movement of the trim tab on the elevator. With all the drag eliminated, Tommy was now accelerating to his cruise climb speed of 110 mph, and Billy set the throttle and propeller controls for climb power.

Captain Billy moved the control stick continuously in small smooth movements, forward and back, left and right, to keep the attitude and speed at 110 mph. The rudder keeping him on heading. They climbed up to 1200 feet, and Tommy felt the ailerons move.

(In flight an aircraft has a center of gravity that it will balance on. Any control movement will cause the aircraft to pivot about that point. See “Flight, A Balancing Act” which can be found here in Tommy’s Hangar)

The traffic pattern at Danbury Airport is a left-handed rectangle. All turns in the pattern are to the left. Tommy now felt the aileron on his left wing move up into the slipstream, as the right one moved down. He felt a slight loss of lift on the left wing and some drag, causing his wing to move downward and the aircraft to yaw to the left ever so slightly from the drag. With the downward movement of the right aileron, there was an increase in the airfoil, causing a lifting of the right wing. Tommy felt the movement of the left rudder pedal and then movement of the rudder to the left, as he began what is called a coordinated turn. Once the angle of bank was reached, in this case 15 degrees, he felt the ailerons move back to center. He then maintained that bank angle until just before reaching the Crosswind Leg of the pattern on a heading of 350 degrees.

Tommy felt Billy’s hand on the control stick reversing that process -now the aileron on the right wing moved up and the one on the left move down, causing the same results as before, only in the opposite direction. Tommy wings were now level as Billy brought the aileron controls back to neutral, but with the elevator still in a positive pitch climbing to 1500 feet.

Upon reaching 1500 feet, Tommy felt Billy pull the throttle back to a cruise RPM of 2000 as the big radial reduced its throaty sound. As he felt the elevator move downward to neutral, Tommy was now level at 1500 feet and with an airspeed of 120 miles per hour as Billy said, “After Takeoff Checklist complete.”

As soon as there was a 45-degree angle from the trailing edge of his left wing to the end of the runway they had just taken off from, he felt the control stick move the ailerons and the rudder move to start another 90 degree left turn. This put Tommy on the downwind leg flying 180 degrees from the takeoff heading of 080. He was now flying a heading of 260 degrees.

Tommy’s wing was in an almost level attitude. All aircraft wings must have a slight positive angle when the aircraft is flying level. It is called the “Angle of Incidence” and it provides the wing a positive lift. Upon reaching a point on the downwind leg almost at mid field, Tommy heard Billy call for “Before Landing Checklist flaps ten.” With the movement of the flaps downward came a pitch change, as the wing airfoil changed shape, corrected by Billy through the elevator trim tab holding Tommy at level flight.

Just abeam the end of the runway, Tommy heard Billy call, “Gear Down,” as he felt the landing gear lower from its place in the wing. This caused some drag, slowing Tommy with a slight pitch change. Billy then adjusted the Propeller and Throttle controls for landing. Tommy felt the elevators move downward slightly as well, as he began a descent toward the turn to the base leg at an altitude of 1200 feet and slowed to 100 miles per hour.

Tommy saw that he was again at 45 degrees to the end of the runway. Billy moved the control stick to the left causing the ailerons to move again and start a coordinated turn to a heading of 170 degrees. Off to his left, Tommy saw the end of the landing runway with its white markings and the number 08, which stood for a heading of 080.

Billy called “Flaps twenty,” another pitch change controlled through the elevator trim located next to the throttle quadrant on the left side of the cockpit. All this time Billy constantly moved the controls to keep Tommy stabilized in a shallow descent at what was now 100 miles per hour.

Just prior to reaching that imaginary line drawn from the runway centerline of runway 08, “Flaps Land, Landing Checklist complete,” was the call from Billy, as he moved the control stick to start a turn to the final approach leg. With the Propeller control now set to Increase RPM, he adjusted the throttle to maintain 90 miles per hour as they descended toward the runway.

The ground was moving fast now under Tommy, as Billy looked down the runway to get the proper attitude for landing. With a spot picked out just past the numbers 08, over the fence at 65 miles per hour, with Billy constantly making small corrections. The pitch attitude was changed as the elevator was raised to put Tommy in a landing attitude and flare slightly nose high. The throttle reduced as Tommy slowed and sensed a loss of lift on his wings and he settled onto the runway with a chirp, chirp from his main wheels. With the throttle reduced to idle, the tail became heavier than the pressure on the tail holding it up, and the tailwheel chirped as it also settled onto the asphalt.

Billy continued to dance on the rudders as they slowed to the speed of a slow walk. Turning right off of the runway, Billy brought Tommy to a full stop and preformed an after landing check, brought the flaps up, called “After Landing Checklist complete” and finally said to Tommy, “Nice job my friend in flight, just two more like that and I will be tailwheel landing current again.”

With a call to the tower, which had just announced it was open at 7am, the two taxied back to runway 08 for two more little trips around the pattern. It was a good day to fly.

After two more pattern flights, Billy taxied Tommy back to the hangar and decided to give Tommy a bath. Afterward, he was pushed back in the hangar, Billy placed the chocks and towel-dried Tommy. Then, the white cotton bedsheet covers were placed on Tommy’s wings and tail. The clouds remained, as did Billy, who entered the flight data in his and Tommy’s logbooks as the radio played some 80’s Rock and Roll, and the two old friends spent the day together. Billy settled into his blue seashell chair, as they watched the day, the airplanes, and the clouds, go by.

Blue Skys and Tailwinds
Captain Billy

20 Aug

Two new Team Members join Tommy the Texan’s Crew


Starting with book two, “A Return to Blue Skies.” We find two new members of the crew. Two of captain Billy’s friends from his days flying the Boeing 727 have joined Tommy’s Team.

Lois, an ex-Navy maintenance troop who worked on the Navy’s Top Gun F-14 Tom Cat has brought her North American SNJ to fly with Tommy. Sunshine, as she is known to Billy due to her smile, has a bright yellow Navy SNJ, a Navy version of the T-6, with the name “Sunshine” on the side of the cowling.

Tracie also worked with Billy at the airline as a supervisor and Flight Attendant. She flies her own Air Force Blue T-6 with the name “Tracie’s T” on the cowling. Tracie will join the team as they fly to places in up coming books.

Both Tracie and Lois will be joining Billy and Tommy, Doug, Bobby Z and JAC as they continue their shared love of flight and visits to events around the country. They share the challenge of Formation Flying in Book 2 and will join the team at Oshkosh Air Venture and the Reno Air Races in up coming adventures.

Be on the lookout for Tommy, Tracie’s T and Sunshine merchandise from Cafepress in the coming months.

08 Jul

Captain Billy Invited to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVentureCaptain Billy is proud to announce that he has been invited to be a featured author during the 2018 EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin later this month!
He is honored to participate in this prestigious event and will be signing copies of his book, “The Adventures of Tommy the Texan and Captain Billy, Back to the Beginning,” at the authors corner.

Be sure to watch for Captain Billy’s 5-part discussion on “Flight, A Balancing Act” where he will discuss the aircraft controls and weight and balance and how they affect flight. Part one will be on “Tommy’s Hangar” starting on Tuesday July the 24th with a new part each following day while Captain Billy is at AirVenture.

 
 
His schedule is as follows:

  • Tuesday 07/24 @ 1:15 Live interview on the Airshow Public Address System
  • Wednesday 07/25 @ 10:00-11:00 at the EAA Museum
  • Thursday 07/26 @ 11:00-12:00 at the EAA Wearhouse
  • Friday 07/27 @ 09:45-10:45 at the EAA Wearhouse
  • Saturday 07/28 @ 09:45-10:45 at the Sky Shoppe

Come by and say Hi! Have your picture taken with Captain Billy, purchase an autographed copy of his book and get a free sticker and bookmark.

Blue Skys and Tailwinds

14 Dec

Merry Christmas!

Christmas

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS
from ‘TOMMY’s HANGAR’

At this time of year, the crew here at Tommy’s Hangar, Captain Billy, David and Laura, want to wish all of you a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

2017 has been a busy year here at the Hangar what with the roll-out of our first book in the series as well as planning for the second one.

The Hangar is all decked out for the season. The tree is up and trimmed, thanks to the Elf’s Liam and Bren, with Billy’s homemade airplane ornaments and those that have a special meaning to him. Lights are strung outside the hangar, and Captain Billy’s Lionel and Marx trains are running around the tree. The light over Tommy has also been changed to one that when turned on resembles falling snow giving the surrounding walls the appearance of a soft winter snowfall. All forms of Christmas music have replaced the normal sound of Classics and Rock and Roll.

We have spent the end of the year attending events such as the ‘Wings over Dallas’ air show as well as planning for 2018. We have a book signing event at the local book store as well as planning for attending the authors corner at the EAA ‘Air Venture’ 2018 in Oshkosh WI in July.

Tommy’s crew, Doug, JAC and Bobby Z are busy getting Tommy ready for the upcoming year. There is an ‘Annual Inspection’ to accomplish as well as upgrades to his Avionics and adding new equipment along with the cleaning and polishing to keep him and Captain Billy safe in the upcoming year.

We here at ‘Tommy’s Hangar’ would like to thank all of you who have followed Captain Billy and Tommy this year and hope to continue to hear from you in the year to come.

Blue Skys and Tailwinds,
Captain Billy

02 Dec

Captain Billy in the Danbury News Times

Captain Billy was recently featured in the Danbury News Times. The book takes place in Danbury Connecticut where Author William “Captain Billy” Moyle grew up and lived for for the first few decades of his life and where he still has family.

From The Article

Captain Billy Danbury News Times

DANBURY — When William Moyle was a child, his father took him to Danbury Airport on Sundays, where they would sit on the top of his ‘51 Chevrolet and watch the airplanes land. It was then Moyle fell in love with the “magic” of flying.

As a teen, he and his friend biked to the airport to watch the planes. Sometimes they got a chance to fuel or clean them, and eventually they learned to fly.

So when Moyle, now 70 and a retired airline pilot, came up with the idea for a children’s book about a T-6 Texan plane, he decided to set part of the story at Danbury Airport.

“It’s kind of my mecca,” Moyle said. “It’s where everything started for me and I got all these stories and dreams and where my dreams came true.”

More>

15 Aug

The Heart Remembers

I was off. Off on a trip to Dallas TX from Santa Ana, Orange Co. CA. for business and some pleasure, a Training Session. I had managed to skip this, no, AVOID it for some three years but they finally caught up with me. I had stalled for some time but the “unchecked box” in my records finally gave me away. When I was told I simply HAD to go to Dallas for this course, I looked for a time when it was going to be convenient for me. That way I could see my Daughter, her husband, and my two grandkids while I was “filling the square.”
As fate would have it they were holding a session during the last week of March, first week of April. Great, I would be there for my grandson Liam’s birthday, as well as miss the Audit/Inspection back at the center. There really was a God, and he seemed to like me. So, here I am, getting ready to board a Big Silver Bird, well, not really that big, and fly off into the ——–to tell the truth it was high noon and the sun was overhead.

A little “Background Music:” I had flown for an airline for seventeen years, stopped three years before. Therefore, the last thing I wanted to do is pack another “Black Bag,” face TSA, and fly somewhere. But, here I was in 24D, climbing out of California, watching the coast go by as we made a standard rate climbing left turn to put an “E” in the compass. I settled in, earphones on, “Smooth” music in my ears, “reached down between my legs, eased the seat back,” headrest up, and, fell asleep.

I was awakened by the beverage cart, so I decided that this might be the opportune time to consume my gourmet meal that I had prepared. So, lowering my tray, I carefully removed my baloney and Swiss on a soft roll from my carry on. When I had finished my meal I took my book, “West with the Night” by Beryl Markham, a lady friend had suggested it since I was captivated with both Africa and Flying. It’s a fabulous book. Her writing makes superb reading.
Suddenly, for what seemed only minutes, I sensed the throttles of our “Silver Chariot” being retarded as the pitch of the aircraft changed. We were descending into Texas. Up until now I had not glanced out the window since I saw the coast of Newport Beach slide by.

Then, it happened. I closed my eyes and mentally flew the descent into DFW. I had flown this arrival many, many times. I was transported back in the left seat of my beloved Boeing 727. I had flown as her Capt for some ten years. My mind put me back; back in my comfort zone. I saw the Texas countryside slide beneath my left window and under the nose of the “72.” We descended first through the 20’s, then leveling off at 14,000 feet for the final vector for the approach.

I opened my eyes to glance outside for a visual check. From the view I sensed that we were being cleared for the “Visual backed up by the ILS” for RWY 13R. Once again, I closed my eyes as my hands tuned in the frequencies and set the inbound course on the HSI (Horizontal Situation Indicator); a type of wiz bang compass. My mind put me back into the cockpit flying the approach I had flown so many times coming in from Las Vegas or Denver when I had flown for Champion Air.
Mentally, I went through the motions all the way down final. Power settings, flap settings, gear down, flaps 30, power to 3500 pounds per hour per engine, and the final pitch change just before the 4 main tires contacted the concrete. Throttles to idle, spoilers extended, reverse on 1,2 and 3, not full, no need. I transitioned from flight to ground, hand from the control yoke to the tiller, a kind of steering wheel, as I slowed and took the left hand high speed turnoff.

The “Welcome to Dallas” broke the trance. I was back in 24D.

I had not missed flying for almost three years. I had taken four trips since then but none were to a familiar aerodrome. This flight had been truly different, truly MAGIC. I really did miss flying. I missed my old companion the 727. We had spent many years together, good weather and bad, day trips flying “East into the rising Sun” and nights flying “West with the Night.” Yes, there is a God, and today he reminded me that, The Heart Remembers.

Blue Skys and Tailwinds,
Captain Billy

10 Aug

My Friend Henry

I had just returned to Las Vegas after a short time flying out of Kennedy Airport in New York. I was walking up to the gate where my aircraft was to depart and noticed this man standing at the podium at the gate.

He was busily typing on the keyboard and looking over the paperwork on the desk. He was a tall and slender man, and as I sauntered up to the podium he looked up from his duties and with a smile and warm good morning I introduced myself. He then stepped away from the podium, put out his hand and with a smile I will never forget said, ”Good Morning Captain, my name is Henry and I’ll be your gate agent this morning.” With a firm handshake, we became instant friends.

Henry had this way about him. He always seemed happy and willing to do whatever it took to get the job at hand completed. We hit it off instantly. We started some small talk and soon found out that we were both Ex Air Force. I had served four years and he had retired from the service. Hence our instant connection. We had both been Sergeants, non-commissioned officers, and had the same military work ethic. That also accounted for his demeanor, the way he carried himself and the way he treated everyone that he came in contact with. His white shirt was always pressed and he wore his name tag proudly over his left breast pocket.

Over the years there was never an unkind word between us. I was always pleased to see that he was in charge of my flights. I considered him the Captain till the door was closed. He would always check with the crews, both front and back, to make sure we had what we needed. He would come into the cockpit and always make sure that all was well. He cared, he genuinely cared, not only for the crew but the passengers.

I still remember him coming into the cockpit. Sometimes he would sit on the jump seat behind me and watch as we went thru our routine. When the time came, he would ask if we were ready and if it was okay to board. It was always a pleasure to have him aboard.

Over the years we established a bond. We were more than just employees doing our jobs. We were like brothers who could talk to each other about anything. Whenever I got there early and the plane was empty I would make coffee and make sure that he had some. We shared laughs and sorrows over coffee while sitting in the plane. Sometimes the time got away from us. Oh Well.

I had the pleasure to have been introduced to his charming wife. They had a relationship that I truly envied. Whenever you saw them together you instantly knew of the love and respect that they shared. It was an honor to have known them both.

I left the flying community in 2006. I was offered a position that took me away from Las Vegas and those that I knew. We lost touch until this thing called “Facebook” came along and I reconnected with Henrys wife Marcia. I was sad to hear that Henry had passed and was now watching down on all of us. He is still taking care of us as he always had.

I will never forget the man with the smile and handshake that instantly set you at ease. He was a true friend and one of those that you just can never forget. He was a part of my flying career and I don’t know if he knew it, but part of my dream of flight. He is a bright thread in the tapestry that makes up the life that is mine, and I am sure many others whose lives he has touched.

You are missed my friend, by me and countless others whose lives you touched. You set an example for others to follow and aspire too. Henry, I am proud to have called you friend, Thank You. You made everyday I saw you a little brighter and a little better. God Bless Captain.

Blue Skys and Tailwinds,
Captain Billy