Volunteer Pilots Hall of Fame

A Promise Followed Through...

The most emotional conversation I ever had with Captain John was one he brought up about a week before he passed away. The conversation was about the future of 49Bravo. It was tough because he talked of a time when he would no longer be here.

First, he told me that 49Bravo would go to his wife, Mrs. Barbara, as part of her security. He then talked about what he envisioned and hoped for. He hoped I might find a way for 49Bravo and me to continue what he and I had done together for many years. He offered many thoughts and suggestions, knowing that finances would be my biggest obstacle.

The more I listened, the more my emotions tried to get the best of me.

After a pause, I responded, but not actually to his thoughts. I let him know what a joy our many years together side by side had been for me and that I would forever cherish our friendship that developed from the very start. I told him my heart was content, even if I never flew again, and that I was so proud of the time we shared. I thanked him for making me a better pilot by mentoring me in so many different ways. Then, I let him know I loved him.

After another considerable pause and with much thought, I made him a promise. The promise was I would try, try my best, to figure out a way forward to use 49Bravo. If I did find a way, I would continue for as long as possible, knowing that time would be decided by finances. I also told him that when that time arrived, I would figure out the right path forward for 49Bravo's future.

I could tell without any doubt my response made him happy and was what he wanted to hear. I knew this from the big smile (a smile he was famous for) that he had all over his face!

After this, we never discussed 49Bravo again! 

I did not take this lightly. I knew within my heart that I could keep my promise because all I needed to do was try, and try I did!

I am so proud to say it all worked out. I purchased 49Bravo from John's wife, Mrs. Barbara. She gave me her blessings, knowing I would carry on John's legacy. I completed the first Angel Flight after Johns's passing on June 9th, 2022. I did know from the beginning there would come that time when finances would alert me about the need to stop.

For the next two-plus years, 49Bravo and I safely completed forty Angel Flight Missions, transporting people in need (adults and children) all over the Mid-Mtlantic region from small mountain-top Airstrips to large class B Airports. As with John and I, passengers became like family. Their strength and courage, along with the big smiles and hugs we received during their difficult times, always made John and I feel we were the ones being helped!

49Bravo and I also flew over forty "Share the Passion" flights during this time. These flights were for anyone interested in taking a flight over our beautiful valley, allowing me to share the passion that Captain John and I shared together. John loved doing this, so in his honor, I gave them the name of "Share the Passion."

After the 2nd year, and to no surprise, I could see the alerts of cost soon becoming a problem. So, I turned my thoughts towards the best way forward, knowing 49Bravo would need to be sold. I had given much thought to when this time would come. I knew without a doubt selling 49Bravo to a stranger who would fly her away would be the last thing I would ever consider! It would never be about getting the best price, it would be about doing what was right and in a way that would still continue Captain John's legacy.

I had hoped her new owner could be a local pilot at our airport who knew Captain John and his passion—also, someone with the desire to do charitable flying. Also, I hoped for 49Bravo to remain at Luray, preferably in her hangar, a place I consider very special.

Realizing a new owner may eventually paint her, my hope for this would be for a decal put on her, honoring Captain John.

Not too much to hope for, right?

I also had a personal goal that I hoped to achieve before needing to sell, and that was to see 49Bravo safely complete her 500th Angel Flight Mission. In August last year, my last few missions brought her total to 502, passing my hoped-for goal!

So, in November of last year, it all worked out! I sold 49Bravo to a good friend, Christian Goebal. Christian is a local pilot and has been an instructor for many years. He helped me through getting my pilot's license many years ago and then my instrument rating after I met Captain John.

He knew and admired Captain John, thinking highly of his passion for helping others. He also wanted to one day use his love of flying to help others in the same way. He is keeping 49Bravo in her hanger, and when he decides to paint, a decal will be applied to honor Captain John!

This transition of 49Bravo turned out to be everything I hoped for and even more! With the special deal Christian and I decided upon, he put me on his insurance, and I still have flying rights, just paying for fuel as I go! That means I can still do both Angel Flights and Share the Passion flights just as before, but without the major expense of owning an airplane!

On top of this, Christian is currently having 49Bravo's panel upgraded! This was something that John and I had hoped to do, but the cost made it prohibitive.

To top it all off, Christian is now an official pilot for Mercy Medical Angels/Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic! I am looking forward to our first Angel Flight Mission together!

I feel so blessed for how this all worked out and to have followed through with the promise I made to John. I am grateful to Christian for understanding my thoughts on what I hoped for in selling 49Bravo, and I am elated for still being able to fly her. And I am beyond happy that Captain John's Legacy will continue!

When 49Bravo's panel upgrade is complete (around the end of April), she will be back in the air! Christian will give her many new adventures, and I will continue to fly as much as my home obligations permit.

Today, March 3rd, makes three years since Captain John took his final flight with his new set of wings. I feel, deep within my heart, that he may have had a hand in all of this. I can see him now with that great big smile on his face!

Thank you for reading this story, which is so close to my heart.



Have a great day!

Nevin 

John Billings: From our Communications Specialist

When I was asked to write a memorial article about John Billings, I initially wasn’t sure what direction to take it in. After all, I’ve already written two articles about him, one of which was published in the December 2019 issue of AOPA Magazine and one for the 50th anniversary of Mercy Medical Angels in 2022. What could I write that hadn’t been written before? Turns out, my overthinking was making things more difficult than they needed to be. John Billings was a different kind of angel - the kind who doesn’t show up in blinding light and fanfare, but in a quieter way that still shows immense strength. And with that in mind, I knew exactly how to write about him. 

I first met John Billings at an event in May of 2018. I sat with him, his friend and “flying partner” Nevin Showman (I learned to never call them “co-pilots”) and some of the family members. John Billings was a true gentleman, with the energy of someone many years younger. He said to me of his love of flying with Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic: “Every hour in the air makes up for an hour on the ground.” After that, he added with a smile, “I get paid in hugs.” I felt like I was talking with an earth-bound angel, one who made up for his lost wings by becoming a pilot. 

As the event continued, John Billings received a series of special awards: sharing Pilot of the Year with Nevin Showman, a challenge coin from the Air Force Chief of Staff, and a special letter from Frank Borman, an Apollo 8 astronaut and former airline executive (which I had designed into a keepsake). He also received a historically accurate “blue uniform,” complete with the ribbons, medals, and insignia that John Billings earned from his time serving our country as a bomber pilot in WWII. This was the surprise of a lifetime! 

I remember how his jaw dropped into an open-mouthed grin, when he saw the blue uniform unveiled. I remember how he stood up from his chair and walked over to it, gently lifting the sleeve as if to check if this was real. I remember him needing a little help to put the jacket on, but he eventually got it. John Billings then talked a little about how he first came to love flying - his father took him for an airplane ride when he was three – and how far that early experience took him. This only seemed to confirm my theory that he was actually an angel. 

The next year, I sat with John Billings once again. He was a year older, moving a little slower due to health issues, but he hadn’t lost his sense of humor. He joked, “this is the VIP table.” That’s a tough claim to make when you have the former squadron leader of the U.S. Air Force’s aerobatic team (known to the public as the Thunderbirds) and other aviation experts present. After a while, I went up to the podium to sing the national anthem. When I looked out at the crowd, I saw something that almost brought tears to my eyes. John Billings still stood up and took his hat off for the national anthem, despite his declining mobility. He wasn’t going to let the limitations of his body get in the way of his limitless spirit. 

Fast forward to 2021. I hadn’t seen John Billings for two years straight due to the pandemic. Then, I received a video link in my work email. It was John Billings receiving the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. He was 98 now, and because of his rapidly declining health, couldn’t safely man the controls of an airplane anymore. But he said he would still be in the cockpit for as long as he could. That was true to him. 

The year after, in 2022, I received news that John Billings had passed away. He had been flying for most of his life. At long last, he traded in his pilot wings for a set of angel wings. Part of me was sad. I was going to deeply miss the earth-bound angel of Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic. But another part of me was glad. Now, up in the bright eternal sky, John Billings could fly as much as he wanted. 

More about John Billings’ life and legacy: 

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/december/pilot/pilots-john-billings 

https://www.mercymedical.org/john-billings-still-in-the-air 

https://www.mercymedical.org/a-promise-followed-through-a-letter-from-nevin-showman