Johnny Byrd (was: 30 Gone)

I thoughtlessly posted my earlier message (below) a few minutes ago with a somewhat obscure subject, not realizing that "30"--a contest number that for many of us evoked only one pilot's name--had been reassigned. Apologies to anyone who was inadvertently confused.

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I've been waiting for an "official" note. But absent that, I'm saddened to pass long the news that we lost another one a week or so back: Johnny Byrd, "30", left us after a long illness.

I wish I could recount the contest wins, the stories, the good times so many of us shared around the country but especially in the southeast where I met him at the first Cordele regional in 1971. His partner was flying the Standard Cirrus that time but Johnny flew it for years after that, usually at or near the top of the score card. He later piloted an LS-3, a Libelle 301 that he modified, and a Discus, that I recall, all with similar success.

Johnny used to do a handstand on the grid every day before launch, often wearing the same ratty polo shirt day after day. We all have our little routines but his seemed to work better than most. I know he had some big wins, including multiple national championships, and also ended up on the U.S. Team multiple times (including Hobbs, 1983, mentioned in this month's Soaring mag). I wish I could recall the specifics but his career spanned many decades. He was a superb pilot, a craftsman, and a worthy competitor who could always be relied upon to brighten up your day.

In the absence of specifics, I'm left with the sense that my life over many years of soaring was richer for having been in the skies for so many hours with "30".

The last time I saw him and Ann was at a Hobbs Nats about 10 years ago where he was towing. I believe he'd stopped flying gliders by then. We had dinner one night, just the three of us, and laughed and reminisced about old times, the stories, the pilots and crews and officials we'd known. Johnny had been around during the days when the single-class U.S. Nationals were fought at Marfa, TX. He built a house not far away in the Davis Mountains where he and Ann moved from Delray Beach, FL. I believe they had been back in Florida for a while after his health began to deteriorate.

One notable memory that's very personal: the generous way he and Ann reached out to my mother after my dad crashed at the Springfield 15M Nats in 1980.. They invited her down to their vacation home in the mountains of North Carolina that summer and I know they talked to her frequently on the phone for a long time thereafter. I talked to my Mom a few days ago and she continues to feel grateful. Good people.

I know it's been a long trial for Ann but if you have contact info, I suspect she'd enjoy hearing from you. It's sad when we lose a man like Johnny but we're left with a lot of great memories.

JB