On December 15th, 2012, my boss and friend Steve Hall–a legend in the ferry flying world–took his last flight after a long battle with cancer.
As his obituary tells it, Steve “began delivering planes internationally 45 years ago in Wichita. He moved his family to Tampa in the early 80’s and started his own ferry business, Wings of Eagles, named from the scripture in Isaiah 40:31. During those years, Steve delivered planes and touched the lives of people all over the world across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia and South America.”
Steve’s company is featured on The Weather Channel’s reality show Plane Xtreme.
Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to Steve’s memorial service in Tampa. Our mutual friend Alex Haynes had also missed the service. I’m sure Steve would have approved, as we were both stuck in far flung spots surrounded by airplanes.
Feeling a need to sit down and reflect on Steve’s career and his contribution to aviation, Alex and I met up in Seattle and hoisted a beer in Steve’s name. While the stories can and did continue long past this brief recording, the words got less coherent as the beers added up.
Alex and I parted that night with an agreement to gather more stories about Steve’s remarkable career. For now, this brief retrospective will have to suffice.
Farewell, Steve. I imagine you’re back at the controls, flying some impossibly small craft over some impossible distance … and loving every minute of the journey.
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Steve Hall will be missed… Steve was wonderful Pilot, Mentor, Friend, and Really Helped Me In My Ferry Business When I was in Need Of Help From a Veteran of the Industry he was always willing to help anyone. He will be Missed a Big Loss to the Aircraft Ferry Industry. May the ones he helped along the way and gave knowledge to pass it along to others.
I delivered a 182 from Cleveland, Ohio that was bound for South Africa to him not even three weeks before he died. I’d never met him before then, but I had seen Plane Xtreme because I watch anything aviation-related. He was still working his tail off when I met him, and he and his wife were nice enough to take me to the hotel where I would spend the night waiting for my airline flight back home. The next morning, bright and early, they picked me up and dropped me off at KTPA, and I got to spend about an hour listening to some of his experiences on the drive there. They certainly didn’t have to go to all that trouble, but they took it upon themselves to get the job done without even being asked. Although I spent less than two hours with him, it still makes me sad to see that he’s gone west, and even sadder to know that there were so many stories he had left that didn’t have a chance to get told before he went.
I was a ramp attendant at Bangor Maine from 1987 to 1999, I met Steve Hall on my first day on the job. Steve stood out as a very friendly guy. I was always glad to see him arrive because he would always share stories of his travels and adventures in transporting light aircraft. He offered to take me along on an Atlantic crossing in a C208B Caravan many times and I never dared to go, later I wished I had. When I left my airport job Steve was one of the last customers I took care of and he genuinely wished me well in my new job as a USAF Boom. Steve was a great guy, I am very sorry to learn that Steve had passed away. I’ve known many ferry pilots and many of whom were lost on a ferry flight. I’m somewhat comforted knowing that Steve didn’t go that way because he beat the odds of his chosen profession. He didn’t do that through luck, he was very smart and professional. Good bye Steve, may god bless you and keep you.
Bangor Aviation Services, Bangor Maine.