Our Elder Statesman

The Lebanon Reporter has this story on our own CFIG Bob Gillan.

After graduating high school, he attended Indiana Central College in Indianapolis, getting his degree in education and embarking on a 44-year career that was interrupted by World War II. The military used his teaching ability and love of flying to instruct other pilots, including a stint at Bunker Hill Naval Air Station (now Grissom Air Base). Later, he helped scientists study hurricanes by flying into the eye and monitoring conditions [All these years I've been listening to Bob's stories and I didn't know about the hurricanes! -ed]. . . Since the mid-1980s, Gillan helped the Central Indiana Soaring Society by giving more than 3,400 free glider lessons at Terry (now Indianapolis Executive) and Alexandria airports. He said many students who have come through his classes have gone on to careers as pilots.

Bob signed me off for my glider checkride - and if you've been around CISS more than a year or two, his signature is probably in your log book too.