Dik Cusveller, retired KLM Boeing 747 captain, (left) was the guest speaker at the Sun Lakes Aero Club gathering on Jan. 19. He is shown here with Cannon Hill, Aero Club president.
Gary Vacin
“There are easier ways to kill yourself.” That’s what Dik Cusveller’s father said to him when the youngster told him he wanted to fly airplanes.
Cusveller related this tale during his presentation to the Sun Lakes Aero Club gathering on Jan. 19 at Cottonwood Country Club. The Canadian resident briefed his audience on his flying career, which took him from getting his private pilot license at age 18 to his retirement in 2025 after logging thousands of hours as an airline pilot in a wide variety of aircraft.
His career started in the northern part of Alberta, flying a Cessna 206 through the commuter airlines to the regionals, flying Dash 8s on the East Coast. He later went to Europe, flying KLM Boeing 747s, and then back to Canada, flying with WestJet Airlines. In addition to thousands of passengers, he said his payload also included cargo and a number of animals, including an elephant.
Cusveller also talked about the tragic accident in 1977 involving a Pan American 747 and a KLM 747 that collided on a runway in Tenerife. The worst accident in aviation history, the collision took the lives of 583 persons, with only 61 survivors.
Cusveller’s presentation was the third in a series presented at Sun Lakes Aero Club gatherings. The sessions will conclude with talks by Jim Schear, retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, on March 16 and Fred Buckwalter on April 20 relating activities in preparation for the Artemis II Moon mission.
For more information on the Aero Club, contact Cannon Hill at 509-539-7857 or Gary Vacin at 480-298-7017 or visit the club’s website at www.sunlakesaeroclub.org.