Sun Lakes Aero Club members Jim Thorne and Paul Beeks manned the club’s display at the Cottonwood Palo Verde Open House on Oct. 4.
Gary Vacin
A retired U.S. Air Force officer who logged hundreds of hours flying C-130 aircraft and later flew for several airlines will be the guest speaker at the Sun Lakes Aero Club gathering on Monday, Nov. 17, at the Cottonwood Country Club Lecture Room. Festivities start with camaraderie at 6:30 p.m. followed by the presentation at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
Pete Russo enrolled in ROTC and earned his commission in 1971. He trained in Cessna 172 aircraft and recalls flying his school buddies on tours of New York City, the Hudson River, and the World Trade Center. After entering the Air Force, Russo was assigned to Vietnam where he flew 53 combat missions in C-130 aircraft. Upon returning to the U.S., he was upgraded to C-130 commander at Langley AFB, Virginia, flying two two-month rotations to Europe. Later he was transferred to McCord AFB, Washington, where he did six rotations to Panama and one to Alaska.
After several more duty stations, including one to serve in Desert Storm, he retired in 1991 and began his career with the airlines. First off was Evergreen International based in McMinnville, Ore., where he spent five years flying various versions of the B-747. Included was nursing a 747 back to health at Evergreen’s base near Marana, Ariz. He later turned the keys of this fully-functional 747 to the “keepers” of the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB near Tucson.
He later flew for Polar Air Cargo and Tower Air and eventually retired after a 13-year career with JetBlue Airways. This is the first Aero Club gathering of the year. Future speakers include historian Valerie Adams on Dec. 15, 2025; retired KLM pilot Dik Cusveller on Jan. 19, 2026; retired helicopter pilot George Abernathy on Feb. 16, 2026; and retired Rear Admiral James Schear on March 16, 2026.
For more information on the club, contact Cannon Hill at 509-539-7857, Gary Vacin at 480-298-7017, go to our Facebook page, or visit the club’s website at www.sunlakesaeroclub.org.