BILL HAYS 1946 - 1981 PILOT PHX DEN HIS BROTHER JOHN HAYS WAS A STATION AGENT. I went thru the Air Corps cadet program, convinced them early on that I was no fighter pilot, so was assigned to the Air Transport Command..ferried airplanes, flew the Hump, went to MATS world airline school, then instructed there until the war was over.. had an airline transport rating when I got out of the service, compliments of the taxpayers, and was hired as a Captain by Frontier. No 8 on seniority list of pilots.. -Bill Hays (11/20/09) W E HAYS Pilot seniority date of 12/3/46 on the 9/1/72 FL/ALPA seniority list. He is not on the 9/1/81 list. -Jake Lamkins (11/20/09) Some of you may know that we've sold our house and are moving to Belen, NM.. gotta stay away from this machine til we get settled in, so pls don't send any e-mails til you hear from me..getting behind..movers sched come June 8th. Thanks, Bill Hays (5/31/10) W. E. HAYS PHX captain Per Nov 1955 FL Roster ---------------------------- W. E. HAYS Notation says Bill PHX captain DOB 6/4/21 DOH 12/3/46 Per Feb 1960 FL Roster ---------------------------- W. E. HAYS DOB 6/4/21 Pilot seniority date of 12/3/46, #6 Per Sep 1970 pilots seniority list ---------------------------- He is not listed in the Dec 1970 employees roster. Do not know why. -Jake Lamkins (6/13/11) Bill, are you receiving Jake Lamkins "Frontier Alumni Newsletter?" Jake has done an amazing job of keeping us together and informed. ExFAL@yahoo.com Send Jake a Ten-Spot $ to cover the mailing. I am bettin' on you making 100+ -Billy Walker (9/14/12) Yes, Billy "command is a lonely thing" Walker", 91 in June and going on a 100. I suppose no one has taken over publishing the FARPA news letter..Any more of us "gone west"? Best wishes to you and yours -Bill Hays (9/14/12) Hi Bill, Good hearing from you. I hope all is well. You were voted the most likely to out-live us all. Are you still running? Warm regards, -Billy Walker (9/14/12) FAL HAYS, WILLIAM E ALPA # 0079848 DOB 06/04/21 DOH 01/01/45 (error?) RT 06/04/81 per FL ALPA Roster. -Jake Lamkins (9/14/12) Jake: One of my regrets, is that I didn't keep a flight log..paid Ellie Bastar or Joe for that..I had several near misses with other aircraft that would have ben a total disaster..would like to see if through you, I could contact those crew members whose names I don't know -Bill Hays (4/25/15) Hi Bill, Great hearing from you and I hope you are well. I'll be glad to try helping you contact crew members. Attached is a 1961 article that will bring some memories back for you. Jake (4/25/15) Bill retired in the top 4 or 5 of our seniority. I'm not sure what number but he was always senior. He was such at great guy to fly with junior birdmen, such as myself, it was a rare trip with him. I enjoyed flying with Bill who was a real mentor. He loved teaching! ...and he was good at it. Bill is 95 and still runs (not jog)! He moved to Belen, NM in 2010. He just called me outta the blue and I spoke with him an hour. DELIGHTFUL! I will now figure a way to get by to see him. I should see if he'll act as executor of my estate given he'll likely outlive all of us! Bill's brother was the PHX station agent for years. He ended up dying from a brain issue of some sort. -Billy Walker (11/28/16) Billy Walker was looking for him soI emailed: Hi Bill, Haven't heard from you in awhile and thought I'd check in with you. Email me, ol' friend. -Jake Lamkins (10/19/19) cc: Billy Walker (10/19/19) Hey Billy, My email to Bill Hays came back. Have you heard anything on him. -Jake Lamkins (10/19/19) I tried calling — no answer — no VM capability — I too had a bounced e-mail. Last time I spoke with Bill (a year or two) he was living S of ABQ. He was still sharp & active. -Billy Walker (10/19/19) I googled his name and did not find an obit or much info. He would be 98 years old now. -Jake Lamkins (10/19/19) Jake, have you any information on Captain Bill Hayes? Last time I heard from Bill he had moved to New Mexico! -Billy Walker (5/16/22) No, Billy, I have nothing new. I googled him again and could not find anything about him. He would be almost 101 years old - DOB 06/04/21 per the ALPA Roster. -Jake Lamkins (5/18/22) I tried calling Bill’s # again. A fellow answered but didn’t know Bill Hays. I’m sure the number was correct. My fears that Bill may have Gone West remain! -Billy Walker (5/20/22) Hi Jake, I'm the son of Bill Hays who was a captain with Frontier Airlines, fortunately retiring before the company went under. I found your great website when searching for more information on Dal Taylor, also a captain with Frontier and a stunt pilot, who was my parents best man. I took care of my dad 24/7 for almost three years until he died of heart failure on October 7, 2021 at 100 years old. He was a transport pilot during WWII and received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service flying The Hump from India to China in a C46. Are you still adding obits to your website? If so, it would be an honor to have my father added to the history of Frontier. Best regards, -Steven Hays (1/26/23) Hello Steven, It's great to hear from you, in spite of the sad news about Bill. Several of us have been wondering about him the past few years and I did some web searches trying to find him. I will certainly add him to our memorial webpages where Dal Taylor already has one: http://FAL-1.tripod.com/ObitsPilots.html He will be our sixth centenarian. Email me any items you would like on the page. Especially an obituary, some photos of him in his Frontier uniform or his WWII days. Wasn't Bill's brother a station agent at Frontier? I've cc'd pilot Billy Walker who was recently asking about your dad. Looking forward to hearing from you again. Use this eddress - ExFAL@yahoo.com - for me. -Jake Lamkins (1/26/23) Bill is #4 on the Oldest FLolks Gone West List. Our Centenarians Tommy Matsumoto, DEN lead inspector, 8/17/2015, age 101 1/8/1914 - 8/17/2015 101 yrs, 7 mos, 9 days ----------------- George Ceshker, FTW ACF GSW DAL DFW pilot, 1/22/2017, age 101 10/7/1915 - 1/22/2017 101 yrs, 3 mos, 15 days ----------------- Les Harper, FTW ACF GSW DAL DFW pilot, 9/13/2016, age 100 4/6/1916 - 9/13/2016 100 yrs, 5 mos, 7 days ----------------- Bill Hays, PHX DEN pilot, 10/7/2021, age 100 6/4/1921 - 10/7/2021 100 yrs, 4 mos, 3 days ----------------- Lee Gregory, DEN lead aircraft mechanic, 8/19/2013, age 100 6/23/1913 - 8/19/2013 100 yrs, 1 mo, 27 days Good to hear from you as well. I will work on gathering photos, etc to send. It will likely be a couple of weeks. I really appreciate you adding my dad to your website to help him be remembered. My uncle John was indeed a station agent. Thanks so much for all the work you've put into your website! -Steve Hays (1/26/23) W E HAYS Pilots seniority date of 12/3/46, #6 DOB 6/4/21 Per the Sep 1970 pilots seniority list. ---------------------------- W E HAYS DEN captain Sick Leave/ Med leave 9/19/78 Seniority #2 Per the Mar 1979 pilots domicle list. ---------------------------- Bill was the #1 pilot on the seniority list from 5/5/81 when Ev Aden retired until Bill retired the next month on 6/4/81. -Jake Lamkins (1/26/23) Hello Jake, I can send everything on my dad tomorrow. Photos as jpg files good? I'm including a photo with his obituary so will save that as a PDF file. Sound ok? Thanks, -Steve Hays (1/30/23) Yes, sounds great! -Jake Lamkins (1/30/23) Hello Jake, I've attached the obituary for my father and nine photos: Please feel free to use any or all of these photos as you see fit. Let me know if you have any questions or need anything else from me. Thank you for adding my father to the obituary page. I have felt like his passing was too quiet but knowing that he will be honored for the man he was through the pages you have created means a lot to me. Best regards, -Steve Hays Kid of Bill's GREAT stuff, Steve! Love the Monarch DC-3 pic. I've started work on his website at https://FAL-1.tripod.com/Bill_Hays.html Should be done in a few days. Can you verify he is the one on the back left end in the attached photo? It's from a 1967 trip to Japan and I have conflicting IDs on it. Small world - I sold Grits when I was a kid too. Also, I need more info on Bill's brother, John. When did he work for Frontier, where, what position(s), still alive, etc. If he's flown west, I'll add him to my memorial webpage queue. Thanks. -Jake Lamkins (2/1/23) Steven, my condolences on the passing of your father! You can expect quite a few remembrances from people like me who had the great fortune to share your Dad’s flight deck. Bill Hays was an absolutely great fellow. He was more than a flight instructor, he was a very giving teacher. I learned a lot flying with him! We stayed in touch regularly (even after he moved to NM). When he stopped communicating I tried to follow up but was unsuccessful. Bill was a good man who lived a good life. Living to age 100 is something too! T’nite at Happy Hour Cheryl & I will toast your Dad & be thankful we knew him. -Billy Walker (2/1/23) That is my dad on left in back. I've got a cool Grit recruitment sign I'll send a photo of. Uncle John has passed on but I don't know much about him. I'll see what I can find out though. -Steve Hays (2/1/23) Hello Billy, It's good to know that you stayed in touch with my dad through the years and that you thought highly of him. I know he really did enjoy sharing his knowledge. He was indeed a good man which made it easier to care for him during his last few years. He was so sincerely appreciative of what I did for him. I might not have been able to hang in there as long as I did had it been anyone else. His sense of humor helped too. In the summer before he passed, he had to go to the ER. When they were ready to release him I told him I was going to take him home so would be in his own bed for the night. His response, "But I didn't get to see any pretty nurses!" I then knew he'd be ok. I'll enjoy reading any remembrances about him and learning more about the man he was. Really good to know he's found a place to be remembered among all the other great folks he worked with and around! -Steve Hays (2/1/23) Thanks muchly for your note! I know you will always cherish the wonderful memories you created with your Dad! -Billy Walker (2/1/23) FLacebook FLIGHT WEST POSTED BILL HAYS 1946 - 1981 PILOT PHX DEN http://FAL-1.tripod.com/Bill_Hays.html Bill is our fifth centenarian to fly west and is #4 on the longest lived list. Post your remembrances of him. -Jake Lamkins (2/2/23) Jake Lamkins Hi Steve, Thanks for all the info. I think I have it all together. Take a look at https://FAL-1.tripod.com/Bill_Hays.html and see what you think. Steve Hays Jake, Fantastic memorial for my dad so he can be remembered for the pretty amazing man he was and the long and full life he lived! Thank you for all the time and energy you've invested in creating a monument of sorts for all the great folks who worked at Frontier. Karen Berry RIP sir Trish Swanson-Hawk Prayers for his family and many, many friends. Carolyn Lutz RIP Captain Lanette Duncan Tears Phil Stallings RIP Captain Bill. Vern Lahman RIP Cherylann Morgan Godspeed Captain. (2/2/23) Jan Lefler I remember him well. RIP Captain Bill. Bonnie Dahl I flew a lot with Bill. He was always great to fly with. God Bless you Captain Hays! Fred Watson R.I.P Captain (2/3/23)