10/03/2023
It's with a very heavy heart that we make this post. Lovettsville Vintage Aerodrome - VA61 lost one of its most ardent supporters last Sunday...
Richard McSpadden was in the right seat of a Cessna 177 Cardinal that suffered an apparent engine failure moments after takeoff from Lake Placid, NY. Both the Pilot in Command and Richard were lost.
For those who knew Richard personally and his background, this is practically inconceivable and very difficult to reconcile...
Richard was one of the most skilled and competent pilots I have ever had the honor of knowing. From his background in the USAF as an F-15 pilot, and Commander and lead pilot of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, to flying his beloved J3 Super-Cub in and out of our little grass strip, if it had wings, Richard could make it dance! Watching him fly, you could tell he was one of those pilots that "truly gets it"!
His encouragement and support of the Aerodrome was invaluable. He was one of the first to visit after I purchased the airfield over 10 years ago and had been our most regular visitor ever since. His enthusiasm for grass-roots aviation was infectious, hugely motivating, and was instrumental in organizing our first Fly-In a few years ago and expanding the event the last two years.
I'm sure many of us who knew Richard are struggling to come to grips with how something like this could happen to such an experienced and skilled pilot. Personally, I struggled with this a couple of years ago when we lost Dale "Snort" Snodgrass (the Navy's high-time F-14 pilot and airshow demo pilot), who I had the unique privilege of flying with in his Super Decathlon. His loss, also a takeoff accident, hit me equally hard.
A few things come to mind:
1) The age-old adage "Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect."
2) By no means implying that was the case here... I also believe in the "Kobayashi Maru" or the no-win situation. A look at the terrain under a northwest takeoff out of Lake Placid and it is clear to me that engine failure with a single-engine airplane would be extremely dicey at best.
3) "Everything can kill you, so choose something fun". In today's risk adverse society, is it any wonder so many seem to be suffering from depression? Having a life worth living, that's fun and exciting, requires a level of managed risk... and it's still riskier getting in a car these days with everyone on their phones than getting in an airplane!
4) Still, it takes time to get over a loss like this and move on. The last couple of days I briefly though of selling the airfield and even retiring early from my airline career. Then, among other things, I realized this is the last thing Richard would want! This will be particularly hard for Richard's family and his son who is just starting his flying career. Growing up with a father who raced cars, as well as losing my best friend a few months before high school graduation, I'm no stranger to sudden, tragic loss... still, I have no great words of advice. For me, harsh as it may seem, Viper's advice to Maverick after the loss of Goose in the original "Top Gun" is about as good as it gets… but it doesn’t happen overnight, and everyone’s timeline is different.
Richard, we will miss you dearly! Blue skies and tailwinds my friend…
