off a vehicle without the owner’s knowledge, the samaritan’s concern was getting it back to its rightful owner. Highway Patrol was alerted and the samaritan was asked to bring it to Cheyenne. Thinking their wheelchair had been Dale Roberts, Vance Lucero, Dale Castle and DJ Sandoval placing the wheelchair and rack stolen, the couple back on the RV with the help of Carl Moody called the Wyoming and a loader while Sgt. Duane Ellis looks on. Highway Patrol to report it missing. “As the wheelchair was being unloaded from the samaritan’s vehicle, the owners were calling us to report it missing,” said Sgt. Duane Ellis. “I told them they could come to Cheyenne to claim it.” Finding out the wheelchair had made it to Cheyenne Patrol headquarters; the Jacksons were relieved to hear the news. “I’m so happy that it got found,” said Jackson. Carl Moody, along with fellow workers from the Headquarters rigging shop loaded the carrier rack and wheelchair back onto the RV with the help of a WYDOT front-end loader. “We just wanted to get them (the Jacksons) loaded back up so they could get back on the road to see their 17 grandchildren,” said Ellis. The Jacksons are making their way to Florida to visit 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, three of whom they’ve not yet met. – Carlie Van Winkle
William Cheney named to Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame
Photo: WYDOT
power line inspection and taxi and charter flights. When U.S. Rep. John Wold ran for the U.S. Senate in 1970, Cheney flew him to campaign stops around the state. In 1977 he established the Cheney Flying Service using the William H. Cheney, whose aviation career encompassed private airstrip on the family ranch he grew up on in the Bates everything from conducting wildlife surveys to managing the Hole area southwest of Casper. Agencies and corporations that Guernsey Airport, will be inducted into the Wyoming Aviation contracted for his services included the Wyoming Game and Fish Hall of Fame during ceremonies Nov. 10 in Casper. Department, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, He was selected for the honor by the Hall Wyoming Department of Corrections, Ruof Fame’s board of directors with the approvral Electric Association, Glenrock Coal and al of the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission. numerous oil, gas and uranium companies. Cheney, 77, logged nearly 17,000 hours Cheney also earned his instrucof flying time during his career, most of it tors license and was the president of the at the controls of single-engine, tail-dragger Wyoming chapter of the Flying Farmers aircraft, often under extreme and unusual Association. conditions. He has flown at least 32 different He served as manager of the Guernsey aircraft, including models made by Cessna, Airport from 2008-2010, and continues to Piper, Beech, Stinson, Air Tractor, Lockheed, live in that community. Bellanca, Maule and Citabria American The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame Champion. was established in 1994, through the efFlight services he provided over the years forts of veteran Wyoming pilot R.R. “Red” include aerial spraying, transporting survey Kelso, to honor individuals who have made crews and laborers to remote job sites, conoutstanding contributions to the establishducting wildlife surveys, towing advertising ment, development and advancement of banners, predator control, livestock locating, aviation in Wyoming. transporting patients and prison inmates, – Dave Kingham Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame inductee William Cheney.
November 2012
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Photo: Carlie Van Winkle
A bright but chilly day last month found Tom and Phyllis Jackson searching for a missing wheelchair along a busy Wyoming interstate highway. The Jacksons, of Vancouver, Wash., had been towing their recreational vehicle eastbound on I-80 past Laramie when a fellow traveler signaled them that something was awry. Tom and Phyllis pulled over near milepost 315, just short of the Grand Avenue Interchange, and discovered that indeed, a carrier rack mounted on the back of the RV had malfunctioned, resulting in the rack, which holds their wheelchair, dragging along the pavement. The Jacksons detached the rack, complete with wheelchair, and left it along the roadside before heading back into Laramie to locate someone to retrieve the items and repair the rack. A Laramie tow company driver went looking for the wheelchair around the The wheelchair escaped area that the couple reported it to be. The driver found the skid marks from damage after the rack’s malfunction on I-80. the dragged carrier, but there was no carrier and no wheelchair. Much to the Jackson’s dismay, this had all happened within an hour of dropping it off on the shoulder of the interstate. Jackson quipped, “When the wrecker got out on the highway, guess what wasn’t there – the wheelchair.” As it turned out, while the Jacksons were in Laramie making calls to find needed services, a good samaritan had picked up wheelchair. Thinking that the wheelchair and carrier had fallen
Photo: Carlie Van Winkle
Wheelchair goes missing on highway