Jerry Willoughby

Jerry and Dee (married in 1989) live in Vacaville, California and summer in Prince Edward Island, Canada.  Jerry is a retired Delta Captain and also retired from the Air Force Reserves.  He continues to work as an aviation consultant.  Dee is a retired teacher. We have two sons, John and Chris and two granddaughters, Paige and Jordan.

Jerry D. Willoughby — “Luffberry”

“Columbus Air Force Base was no stranger to Jerry. While flying the friendly skies of Starkville, Jerry always kept an eye on the long black strip just north of Columbus. It was apparent after surviving FIP at MSU that Jerry would do well in UPT…

Jerry didn’t come out number one but alas—he tried harder. When we depart this place for clearer skies, it is hoped that Jerry will get his wish to fly ‘the friendly skies of …'”

71-01 Yearbook, page 63.

Gregory Walts

A Retired Quality Manager with Extensive ISO/TS 16949 Experience

WORK HISTORY
Quality Consultant, (Part Time) Hitachi Cable America Inc., New Albany, Indiana. May 1, 2011 to present.

Quality Manager, Hitachi Cable Indiana, Inc., New Albany, Indiana. March 1998 to April 2011. (Retired April 30, 2011.)

Director of Operations/Quality Manager, Key Communications Service, Inc., New Albany, Indiana. August 1988 to March 1998.

Vice President and General Manager, Riverport Industries, Inc., New Albany, Indiana. March 1980 to July 1988.

Manager, Noble E. Miller and Son, Inc., Massey-Ferguson Farm Implement Dealership, Salem, Indiana. October 1979 to March 1980.

Special Agent, Prudential Insurance Company of America, Albuquerque, New Mexico. January 1979 to September 1979.

Senior Pilot, United States Air Force, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico; Hill AFB, Utah; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Columbus AFB, Mississippi. Rank: Captain. June 1969 to December 1978.

Gregory L. Walts — “Walts”

“Having spent most of his life high in the air by virtue of his six foot five inch frame, Greg came to Columbus to do it up right. With lots of moral support from his wife Wanda, ‘Watts’ strapped on a T-41 and found that he had no leg room…

To the guy whose love for acro is second only to the average man’s love for raw beef liver, lots of luck, may Wanda eventually learn to love basketball as a way of live, and rumor has it that there’s lots of leg room in a Bongo.”

71-01 Yearbook, page 60.

Raymond Franck

Since graduating from UPT in 1970, I went on to operational flying in B-57 Canberras – at Holloman, MacDill, Ubon, Kadena and Malmstrom – flying all five short-wing models at one time or other. (Still my favorite airplane.)
In 1975, was assigned remote to Iceland – where I did a year with the Navy at the Iceland Defense Force Command Center at Keflavik. In 1976, I returned to CONUS, for a tour as an economics instructor. Got some flying time in U-4s.

Raymond E. Franck, Jr. — “Chip”

“Let it be known that in the period from July 1969 to July 1970, First Lt. Chip Franck did distinguish himself in the following manner at Columbus AFB, Mississippi: Lt. Franck, fearless leader of B section, suffered extreme mental anxiety beyond the normal call of duty in trying to keep B section in line…

In a normal vertical recovery, Lt. Franck became disoriented and pulled the nose even higher, stalled the airplane and immediately started into an accelerated spin. He then employed a spin prevention which didn’t work and finally came out with a spin recovery. Upon recovering, he said to the IP, ‘Boy, you know those vertical recoveries are really hell!’ For the above stated reasons, Lt Chip Franck (whoops, make that Captain Chip Franck) is hereby granted the 71-01 ‘Fickle Finger of Fate Award.’ Whoopee!!”

71-01 Yearbook, page 12.

Jack Wood

Jack Wood (alias GL)

1971 – Co-pilot and Aircraft Commander C-123 (Bookie Bird) at Phan Rang AB, Vietnam. For a year I visited the beautiful tropical paradise of Vietnam. I landed on every short, dirt or PSP, poorly maintained runway in the country. Ask me about my five encounters, where I was within a heartbeat of death. If you want to know what flying a 123 in Vietnam was like watch the movie ‘Air America’.

John J. Wood — “Green Lantern”

“Green Lantern, occasionally known as Jack Wood, left Denver with his newly acquired wife in a cloud of smoke. Never once did her take his foot out of the carb until approaching the main gate at Columbus…

We know Jack will get what he wants out of UPT, but we wonder if the Air Force will get what it wants out of Jack. Best of luck to you, Jack, in your assignment and all your future endeavors.”

71-01 Yearbook, page 64.

Michael Guyote

Married to Marilyn during my entire USAF career and a good portion of civilian life. She passed away after 36 years of marriage (don’t know how she tolerated me for that long.) Had one daughter, Michelle, who passed away at the age of nine. Michelle is interred at my family site in Louisiana. Marilyn is interred at the USAF Academy cemetery.

Now married to Laura (the genius behind our 71-01 web blog). She was a programming goddess, but now writes SF novels. She’s working some fantasy material now for future books.

Michael F. Guyote – “Greyout”

“Mike ‘Fireball’ Guyote will be remembered by the B section ‘figmos’ as a man of many firsts at good old Colombo Air Patch. He was the first stud to arrive, the first to sign in wearing cut-offs and sandals, the first (and last) to get a SAC bumper sticker, the first to annihilate a motorcyclist… Last but not least, Mike will be remembered by the gang as the man who possesses the biggest finger in the Air Force and holds the 71-01 B ‘Blue Air Award’ for his unique ability to utter non-stop profanity.”

71-01 Yearbook, page 27.