I just wanted to let all my friends at Cutter Aviation know that I am retiring from professional flying. Appropriately, I finished my last flight, arriving at Cutter in an Eclipse the night of February 2, 2019.

I have been a licensed pilot for 64 years and have flown in the military and as a professional pilot for 59 years, and now it’s time that I spend a little more time with my wife of 59 years. It’s been a “great ride,” because I love flying, and because of all the great people I have known and worked with in aviation.

In particular, I want you and all the employees at Cutter to know how much I appreciate your professionalism and friendship. Please pass on my personal thanks for their making my time in aviation in Albuquerque most enjoyable. As the saying goes, they have made “the worst day of flying better than the best day of real work.”

While I’m retiring from professional flying, I will not be gone. You will still see me around the airport in my Mooney!

We had the pleasure of visiting your COS facility yesterday. We were were meeting pilot, Paul Qualls, who was transporting a very special dog from Raton, NM to Colorado Springs, CO as a volunteer with Pilots N Paws. Paul's transport, Callahan, was on his way to Freedom Service Dogs in Englewood, CO where he will learn to become a service dog. Freedom Service Dogs rescues dogs from shelters in the region and trains them to have a new job and become an invaluable friend tou our clients - at absolutely no cost to the client. Many of our clients are veterans, active-duty military and children who require a specially trained companion.

I was meeting Mr. Qualls to complete the transport. As a volunteer, I have the humble task of sourcing, evaluating and helping transport these dogs for the future life; either at Freedom or through the Prison Trained K-9 Companion Program. In many cases I have my two children with me and we have never been treated better than we were yesterday. The crew at your facility were welcoming, appropriately inquisitive and gave us the VIP treatment. Eddy even gave us a ride in the pilot's van to the tarmac so my children could watch Mr. Qualls land with his daughter, Melia and Callahan in the back. My 6 year old son mentally devoured everything Eddy said and is still talking about the experience. We were so very impressed that they treated us with so much kindness and were truly interested in making our visit a pleasant one while performing our worthwhile task.

Please forward our thanks to your crew there for making our time at your facility a bright spot in our day.

Sending only good wishes,