Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Gh0stFT on June 30, 2005, 05:54:41 PM
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Wal-Mart heir John Walton (58) died Monday when his ultralight aircraft crashed after taking off from an airport in Jackson, Wyoming.
He was ranked No. 7 on the Forbes magazine list of the 400 wealthiest Americans in 2004, with a fortune estimated at $20 billion.
Well we all know flying is never 100% safe, but we still do it,
because we love it.
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Pay day for the young-uns...big time.
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20billion..and you wonder why he was in a ultralight with that kinda money...but i guess like us all..he must get board with life and do somthing daring
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To really enjoy flying, it should not have to be a death defying feat.
Flying an Ultralite is definately a death defying feat.
Money & Common Sense are often mutually exclusive.
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Flags are flying at half staff throught China.
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I'd kill to be able to fly ultralights in Jackson.
{This is not an admission of guilt, nor is it admissable in any court of law. Any reseblence to the actual killer is purely coincidental.} [/COLOR]
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The beauty of it is Wyoming doesn't get to collect a cent of tax from his passing.
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I know too much about wind to even consider getting into an underpowered stringbag... the mere thought makes my blood run cold.
If it don't weigh at least 1,000 pounds dry and have and engine with about 150hp or more.. I ain't gettin innit.
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He was a Vietnam veteran, serving in the U.S. Army Green Berets as a medic. He was awarded the Silver Star for saving the lives of several members of his unit while under enemy fire, according to the company...
http://todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=17527
Didn't know he was in the Army..
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Here's the type of plane:
http://www.cgsaviation.com/singlearrow.htm
(http://www.cgsaviation.com/images/ssarrowOct04.jpg)
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Hell, that's almost an airplane. I had in mind some doofus lil contraption with an electric fan on it.
Still.. it's marginal.. with the 65hp 4 stroke engine.. maybe. Still too light for my blood temperature. Would like to know more of the circumstances.. takeoff weight, engine, etc.
Goofly lil things got enuff power ta take yah into trouble, no sweat. Rarely got enuff punch & muscle to get yah out.
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Well, he was a cropduster. Probably knew how to fly low pretty well.
From an online Forbes piece (that also details the action for which he was awarded the Star; a bunch about his interest in K-12 education too.):
John set out on his own and started a crop-dusting business in Texas and Arizona. Crop-dusting may sound like an innocent enough occupation, but it's actually sort of an excuse to fly daredevil tricks in a single-engine aircraft all day. (It's also kind of like doing bombing runs over and over.) You swoop down way low over Farmer Brown's alfalfa field—nearly touching the leafy green for half a mile or so—and then pull up, up, up to clear the wires at the end of the field. And then repeat.
Crop-dusting was a fine way for John to reacclimate himself to civilian life, but there are only so many years a man can do that.
Mr. Walton. You weren't just another ****less rich boy.
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Kinda makes the point.
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Originally posted by Gaylord
Flags are flying at half staff throught China.
:rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :aok
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A lil respect for the passing of a Green Beret combat medic with a silver star wouldn't be outta line.
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They may be spelled ultralight but they are pronounced ultrafright!
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Just a quick comment,
The Walton family are not the typical useless bluebloods who inherit Daddy's portfolio, or marry heiresses, or end up splitting their time between divorce court, rehab clinics, the country club, and the halls of congress.
Sam Walton grew up during the depression in a family that was neither dirt poor nor wealthy and made his fortune the hard way, earning it first in retail, then via service as an officer in the US Army. He married well, but did not live on his wife's money - he bought a struggling store and turned it around, sold it and then started - one by one - his own chain of stores. He worked hard, and insisted that his kids learn the value of service and work as well.
I have no doubt, that in time, the corrupting influence of great wealth and leisure will destroy their family as well, but for the most part, if any wealthy heir deserves to be branded with "rich wastrel bites the dust" it isn't yet one of Sam's kids. Especially given that this one seems to have experiences and interests not too terribly different from many of the members of this BB.
[CAVEAT: The above should not be construed as a blanket endorsement of everything Walmart has ever done. I'm not a huge fan of the Walmart retail philosophy of importing cheap Chinese goods and then reselling them at a marked profit, but lets face it, most of the world (with the exception of Western Europe) can manufacture retail goods more cheaply than the USA. Successful Businesses are run on a for profit basis and only organizations that depend on taxes to continue can get away with operating at a loss indefinitely.]
- SEAGOON
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Sounds to me like the man had a chance to enjoy himself. He earned it and it was his choice. There are others who would let money go to their heads in far far worse ways and really waste their lives. He did something with his, cut him some slack with the second guessing bit.
and RIP
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Originally posted by Toad
Mr. Walton. You weren't just another ****less rich boy.
Now THIS is funny. The word I actually typed is defined in any good dictionary as;
****less \***-lis\, adjective:
1. Ineffective; having no real worth or purpose.
2. Worthless; irresponsible; generally incompetent and ineffectual.
It is spelled F-E-C-K-L-E-S-S.
I'd say the language filter has been wrenched down pretty tight. ;)
OK by me.... just sayin'. Didn't want anyone thinking I was disrespecting Mr. Walton. Be nice if we had more rich guys like him.
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I knew nothing about him before today.. hardly a day goes by where I don't learn something new or interesting on this BBS.
No matter how it's spelled. ;)
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Originally posted by Hangtime
I knew nothing about him before today.. hardly a day goes by where I don't learn something new or interesting on this BBS.
No matter how it's spelled. ;)
Just imagine if we loosened the chokehold...
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Originally posted by rpm
Just imagine if we loosened the chokehold...
LOL!