Richard Bach Crash

dlednicer · Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:14 am

Saturday morning I noticed a story in the Seattle Times that there had a been a crash of a small plane on San Juan Island and I was startled when I saw the pilots' name: Richard Bach, the author of "Stranger to the Ground", "Nothing by Chance" and "Johnathan Livingston Seagull". As a kid, I read all of these books and they really fired my imagination. Even more startling is that the accident happened along a road I regularly drive along. He is now in Harborview Hospital in Seattle with serious injuries. Wishing him the best...

Here is the complete story: http://www.sanjuanislander.com/islan...ine-crashes-off-san-juan-valley-rd

The Detroit-Parks P-2A he flew in "Nothing by Chance":

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Photo © David Lednicer

prosa · Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:22 am

A dent in his head? That doesn't sound good.

brooklynchris13 · Mon Sep 03, 2012 5:54 am

For those aviation fans who might want to check out some other Bach works, I would highly recomend "a Gift of Wings", which is a collection of his early aviation related columns. Excellent anthology with some truly beautiful writing that captures wonderfully the experience of flight. He has survived a few other "incidents" including, according to the book, a P51 Crash. Best wishes to him for a quick and full recovery.

flyingturtle · Mon Sep 03, 2012 9:59 am

After hearing of his crash, I wish him a speedy recovery. I'll read "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" in the next weeks for sure.

Quoting dlednicer (Thread starter):
Here is the complete story: http://www.sanjuanislander.com/islan...ey-rd

The last image is quite telling. Are there two airfields located side by side, or did Richard Bach try to land at the wrong field?

Looking at Google maps, there are indeed many private airstrips...

Are these airstrips under FAA control? I.e., do the owners have to clear obstacles like that power line, or is it their own responsibility to avoid these when flying? Provided there is enough room, can everybody open his own air field?

Seeing that X where Richard Bach crashed, would that mean that one shouldn't approach from that end?

David

dlednicer · Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:06 pm

Quoting flyingturtle (Reply 3):
Are these airstrips under FAA control? I.e., do the owners have to clear obstacles like that power line, or is it their own responsibility to avoid these when flying? Provided there is enough room, can everybody open his own air field?

The power lines along San Juan Valley road were always (20+ years) buried opposite the strip that is off the east (right) edge of your picture. About 7-8 years ago, they added reflectors to the power lines west of this and then about three years ago, these power lines were also buried, but obviously not as far west as the strip he crashed on. I miss the reflectors - they would twinkle as you drove by at night.

By interesting coincidence, the late Ernest K. Gann's farm is about half a mile to the west of this. Dodie, his wife, recently donated the farm to the San Juan Preservation Trust.

[Edited 2012-09-03 06:10:17]

dlednicer · Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:05 pm

I looked some more at the picture of the site flyingturtle posted and realized that the photo is facing south, not north. This strip is further to the west than I thought. Its amazing - there are four grass strips along San Juan Valley road that I have driven past for 20 years and never noticed.

canoecarrier · Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:19 pm

Quoting dlednicer (Thread starter):
As a kid, I read all of these books and they really fired my imagination.

As a Seattleite I wondered who this person was, it was all over the news here. I think it must be a generational thing, just by saying you read his book might mean you're at least 10 years older than me. Don't take that wrong, please. I haven't read his books, but I did go to wiki and read his biography. He's obviously a big fan of aviation. The plot of his most popular book seems a little strange though.

That said, he was a military aviator and huge fan of flying I wish him a speedy recovery.

Quoting dlednicer (Thread starter):
The Detroit-Parks P-2A he flew in "Nothing by Chance":

Was that really the plane? The local news had a picture (not that they are always correct) of him in a light-seaplane.

flyingturtle · Mon Sep 03, 2012 8:25 pm

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 6):
The plot of his most popular book seems a little strange though.

...it's about a seagull that is a real pilot, striving for perfection in every flight he does. Other seagulls just fly to hunt for food...

David

dlednicer · Mon Sep 03, 2012 11:09 pm

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 6):
As a Seattleite I wondered who this person was, it was all over the news here. I think it must be a generational thing, just by saying you read his book might mean you're at least 10 years older than me.

Here is an interesting way to put it: I have a vivid memory of the day JFK was assassinated.

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 6):
Was that really the plane? The local news had a picture (not that they are always correct) of him in a light-seaplane.

He flew the Parks in a barnstorming tour of the midwest in the 1960s. In the accident he was flying a Progressive Aerodyne Searey, registered N346PE.

ElpinDAB · Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:21 am

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 6):
I think it must be a generational thing

Good authors transcend the generations. I'm younger than your listed age bracket, but I have heard of him and read one of his works, "Illusions", an easy, yet entertaining and interesting read. I need to read more of his stuff now.

I'm hoping for a seamless recovery.

canoecarrier · Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:48 am

Quoting ElpinDAB (Reply 9):
Good authors transcend the generations. I'm younger than your listed age bracket, but I have heard of him and read one of his works, "Illusions", an easy, yet entertaining and interesting read. I need to read more of his stuff now.

I don't want this to come across as I think he's a bad author. I haven't read his books, so I won't say it is a good or bad book. I was only commenting on the plot of Jonathan Livingston Seagull I read on his bio. It's possible that self-help, spiritual books aren't as popular anymore with our or my generation. I have to give him credit though, at 127 pages it must be an easy read, it was on the NYT best seller list for 38 weeks. I'll give the film adaptation a shot if it's on Netflix even though the author sued over it being so bad.

Interesting that the San Juan Islands attract a lot of people like Mr. Bach. They do have a thriving literary/artist community.

Quoting ElpinDAB (Reply 9):
I'm hoping for a seamless recovery.

As do I.

OldAeroGuy · Tue Sep 04, 2012 1:37 am

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 10):
I don't want this to come across as I think he's a bad author. I haven't read his books, so I won't say it is a good or bad book. I was only commenting on the plot of Jonathan Livingston Seagull I read on his bio. It's possible that self-help, spiritual books aren't as popular anymore with our or my generation.

For something not so mystical, try "Stranger to the Ground".

OldAeroGuy · Tue Sep 04, 2012 1:57 am

[quote=canoecarrier,reply=10]Interesting that the San Juan Islands attract a lot of people like Mr. Bach. They do have a thriving literary/artist community.[/quote

It's an interesting place. On Lopez Island, where I live, this weekend was the Artist's Studio Tour consisting of 44 artists and 29 studios. Not bad for a year round population of 2500.

There a lot of retirees, well represented by ex-teachers and ex-Boeing engineers, categories my wife and I fall into. Of course, she's also an artist.

ElpinDAB · Tue Sep 04, 2012 5:27 am

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 10):
I don't want this to come across as I think he's a bad author. I haven't read his books, so I won't say it is a good or bad book. I was only commenting on the plot of Jonathan Livingston Seagull I read on his bio. It's possible that self-help, spiritual books aren't as popular anymore with our or my generation. I have to give him credit though, at 127 pages it must be an easy read, it was on the NYT best seller list for 38 weeks. I'll give the film adaptation a shot if it's on Netflix even though the author sued over it being so bad.

I never implied that you thought this, although your paragraph has given me reason to believe that you are cynical and skeptical towards Bach's works. To place Bach's works in the "self help" category would be a crime against Mr. Dewey himself. And that is not where they belong. Perhaps like an anachronistic Power Ranger in the age of Twitter?

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 10):
I'll give the film adaptation a shot if it's on Netflix even though the author sued over it being so bad.

I'll give the full-length Hanson Mmm-bop animated feature a go too. I'm sure it will be good.

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 10):
Interesting that the San Juan Islands attract a lot of people like Mr. Bach. They do have a thriving literary/artist community.

Your passive aggressive views reveal all in the first few minutes. Actually, don't mind me, I'm passive-aggressive myself. But, your view is definitely from a 3rd party. You have never been a member and noticed the beauty. I'm surprised with your claimed background of Alaskan bush flying.

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 10):
It's possible that self-help, spiritual books aren't as popular anymore with our or my generation.

Perhaps you have been watching #toomuchKaitiePerryandMileyCyrusandLadyGagapopculturepopculture?

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 10):
don't want this to come across as I think he's a bad author.

You didn't, and neither did I until your reply. But, I thank you since I was able to speak my mind.

canoecarrier · Tue Sep 04, 2012 4:36 pm

Quoting ElpinDAB (Reply 13):
I never implied that you thought this, although your paragraph has given me reason to believe that you are cynical and skeptical towards Bach's works. To place Bach's works in the "self help" category would be a crime against Mr. Dewey himself. And that is not where they belong. Perhaps like an anachronistic Power Ranger in the age of Twitter?

There are several sites that describe his book Jonathan Livingston Seagull as a "spiritual" or "self help" book. I think you need to calm down, I already said I didn't read his works.

Quoting ElpinDAB (Reply 13):
You have never been a member and noticed the beauty.

Besides, this isn't really about his literary work, it's about a plane crash.

Quoting OldAeroGuy (Reply 12):
It's an interesting place. On Lopez Island, where I live, this weekend was the Artist's Studio Tour consisting of 44 artists and 29 studios. Not bad for a year round population of 2500.

There a lot of retirees, well represented by ex-teachers and ex-Boeing engineers, categories my wife and I fall into. Of course, she's also an artist.

I get up to Orcas or Lopez Is. around once every other year. It's a great place to relax. I can see why someone like a retired or semi-retired person would enjoy the area. He's quite lucky though he wasn't injured worse. Getting down to Harborview probably took a little while for advanced medical care. An article yesterday said his condition is improving, but he's got a broken shoulder and a head injury.

dlednicer · Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:16 am

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 14):
Getting down to Harborview probably took a little while for advanced medical care.

They took him out on an Airlift Northwest helicopter. I don't know if he had it, but I pay $79 a year for the AirCare program. Under this plan, if Airlift Northwest is requested by a medical facility or an emergency response team to fly a critically ill or injured patient to appropriate medical care, the portion of the Airlift Northwest bill that isn’t covered by insurance or Medicare is paid through the membership. Also, Airlift Northwest bases a helicopter at the Friday Harbor airport all summer for faster response.

cargolex · Wed Sep 05, 2012 2:21 am

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 6):
As a Seattleite I wondered who this person was, it was all over the news here. I think it must be a generational thing, just by saying you read his book might mean you're at least 10 years older than me

I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull as a kid, and that was probably in the late eighties/early nineties. Somebody also gave me Illusions around that time too. So as somebody who's too old to have ever cared about Power Rangers but too young to have enjoyed Studio 54, it's not as foreign to our generation as it might at first seem.

Quoting canoecarrier (Reply 14):

There are several sites that describe his book Jonathan Livingston Seagull as a "spiritual" or "self help" book.

It could be interpreted that way, but that's a function of two things 1. the plot involves changes in how one views the world around you, and 2. it came out, like Illusions in the 1970s - arguably the zenith of pop-culture new-age spirituality stuff like EST and Linda Goodman's astrology books. I think that because these books have some existential themes and came out at that time, they get lumped into that group.

Now uh, back to our regularly scheduled programming:

I'm really sorry to hear about this crash, but at least he's alive. Hopefully he'll recover soon.

Quoting flyingturtle (Reply 3):
Are these airstrips under FAA control? I.e., do the owners have to clear obstacles like that power line, or is it their own responsibility to avoid these when flying? Provided there is enough room, can everybody open his own air field?

I've wondered about this for awhile, as there are several remote grass strips I've come across in the last couple of years. What sort of oversight is there for private air fields like this?

Quoting dlednicer (Reply 15):
I don't know if he had it, but I pay $79 a year for the AirCare program. Under this plan, if Airlift Northwest is requested by a medical facility or an emergency response team to fly a critically ill or injured patient to appropriate medical care, the portion of the Airlift Northwest bill that isn’t covered by insurance or Medicare is paid through the membership

Out of curiosity, is that a program for aviators or just a general program? Airlift Northwest seems to serve the entire area into southern Alaska quite well, but probably isn't a well known outfit outside of aviation circles.

dlednicer · Wed Sep 05, 2012 2:29 am

Quoting cargolex (Reply 16):
Out of curiosity, is that a program for aviators or just a general program? Airlift Northwest seems to serve the entire area into southern Alaska quite well, but probably isn't a well known outfit outside of aviation circles.

According to the website (http://www.uwmedicine.org/Patient-Care/Locations/Airlift-Northwest/Pages/AirCare.aspx) AirCare is open to "...residents in communities in South East Alaska and Washington..."

flyingturtle · Wed Sep 05, 2012 2:54 pm

Quoting dlednicer (Reply 15):
I don't know if he had it, but I pay $79 a year for the AirCare program. Under this plan, if Airlift Northwest is requested by a medical facility or an emergency response team to fly a critically ill or injured patient to appropriate medical care, the portion of the Airlift Northwest bill that isn’t covered by insurance or Medicare is paid through the membership.

I'm happy to hear that in the U.S., there are also such programmes. The Swiss Air Rescue Guard offers the same, for $31 a year. For that fee, they also repatriate sick and injured patients to Switzerland, either using regular flights, or if intensive care is needed, using one of their three Canadair CL604 Challenger.

In mountaineering, hiking or other outdoor circles, not being a member of the Air Rescue is frowned upon...

David

dlednicer · Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:50 pm

Quoting flyingturtle (Reply 18):
I'm happy to hear that in the U.S., there are also such programmes.

Before our first trip to the Tibetan Plateau, I went to see a doctor here in Seattle who specializes in high-altitude medicine. One thing he urged us to do was buy membership in a medevac program. He recommended the Diver's Assistance Network. Included in membership is medevac insurance coverage. Considering some of the places we've been on the plateau and the altitudes we've been at (on one trip we were at 12k'+ for a week) its reassuring to have this coverage.

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canoecarrier · Wed Sep 05, 2012 11:51 pm

Quoting dlednicer (Reply 15):
They took him out on an Airlift Northwest helicopter. I don't know if he had it, but I pay $79 a year for the AirCare program.

Quoting dlednicer (Reply 17):
According to the website (http://www.uwmedicine.org/Patient-Care/Locations/Airlift-Northwest/Pages/AirCare.aspx) AirCare is open to "...residents in communities in South East Alaska and Washington..."

I had not heard that program was available here in WA, I purchase it for my mother every year, who lives in a small Alaskan town not far from Valdez. It's money well spent for anyone living in an island community here IMO. I personally know several of their flight nurses.

Quoting cargolex (Reply 16):
I think that because these books have some existential themes and came out at that time, they get lumped into that group.

This is the last time I'll bring it up, because only one person seems to misunderstand me. I am not commenting on the authors writing skills. It's obvious that he wrote some very popular literary works. Not being familiar with his works I looked at his bio and some of sites that sell his books. That's how they describe his books, which is my only contact with his work.

I wish him a quick and speedy recovery and I hope he doesn't read this thread and think poorly of us. If he's a true Pacific Northwesterner now he is just as passive aggressive as I am. It's our way.

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