DON WIDMAN
1959 - 1984
PILOT
DEN


Gone West:
Don Widman  July 23rd unknown cause  no details
Duane Hingst  July 27th cancer  Services this Wednesday 0900 local at
Lietz-Fraze Mortuary in Lake Havasu City, Arizona   funeral 1000 local time
With regret,
-Ace Avakian
(7/29/00)

I read with interest the Fall '09 edition of the Frontier News 
featuring "The End of an Era", the last FL scheduled CV580 flight.
It may be of interest that this was not the last scheduled flight of the former FL CV-580s or by former FL pilots. 
When the FL CV- 580s were phased out of operation and sold, 
Sierra Pacific Airlines of Tucson, Arizona bought, I believe, five of the aircraft. 
They were used on charter work carrying college basketball teams in the winter months and assigned to the 
U. S. Forest Department for the summer months moving crews fighting forest fires all across the 49 states.
In September of 1989 Sierra Pacific Airlines had a contract with Northwest Airlink, 
the commuter arm of Northwest Airlines to provide additional aircraft and crews to fly scheduled trips for them. 
The CV-580s were put back in scheduled service, albeit using NWA flight numbers.
I had taken an earlier offered leave from Continental Airlines 
and had taken a job flying Grumman Mallards for a small airline based in St. Croix, USVI. 
The flying was mostly water to water. 
All was well until Hurricane Hugo came through and destroyed the entire operation and aircrafts. 
Upon my return to Denver, former FL Captain, Don Widman, 
who was now Chief Pilot for Sierra Pacific Airlines contacted me about flying for them as a CV-580 Captain. 
So, after nine years away, I found myself back in the left seat of CV-580 N73301 in scheduled airline service. 
Terry King, former FL Check Airman was also a SPA CV-580 captain. 
Former FL pilot, Karl Bancroft was a SPA Flight Dispatcher.
-Terry Jackson, FL 1966 to the end
(11/22/09)

D B WIDMAN
DEN co-pilot
DOB 8/11/27
DOH 2/23/59
per the Feb 1960 FL Roster.
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D B WIDMAN
DEN B737 captain
per the May 1983 pilot domicile list.
He is not on the May 1984 list.
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D B WIDMAN
Pilot seniority date of 2/9/59
per the Sep 1981 pilot seniority list.
Do not know why there is a DOH and pilot seniority date difference.
He is not on the Sep 1985 list.
Looks like he retired about 1984.
-Jake Lamkins
(1/16/16)

FLacebook - FL Club
FLight West: Don Widman
DEN pilot Don Widman's memorial webpage has been upgraded:
http://FAL-1.tripod.com/Don_Widman.html
Still need a photo and obituary for Don.
-Jake Lamkins
(1/17/16)

I loved Don Widman - what a gentleman!!
-Pat Williams-harter 
(1/17/16)

You are 100% correct, Pat! 
Don was a very Special Man!
-Shari Salsbury
(1/17/16)