LOU SIMMONS 1961 - 1971 PILOT MKC DEN I was leafing through the Obituary page today and although I can't supply any specific date info, on many of the pilot's listed there is no info at all. My memory is far from perfect but I thought I'd pass along what I remember about some of these guys. Lou Simmons: Lou was killed while giving flight instruction to a FAL pilot's son in a light airplane out east of DEN. The airplane went in hard but I don't remember ever hearing what the probable cause might have been. -H.A. "Frosty" Frost (11/26/99) That was super of Frosty to have gone through the names to recall some tidbits about some of the fellows who have Flown West. I will add a couple of comments to those pilots Frosty listed that I recall something special about. On the (unfortunately) long list, I will try to do that another time. "This was a stall - spin accident near Longmont north of Denver. The student was Walt Gilliam's son. Walt is retired in Del Norte, Colorado." -Billy Walker (11/26/99) Wonder if you happened to know a friend of mine who flew for Central Airlines, his name was Louis Simmons and he was from Muskogee OK. He was killed in a light plane crash near Denver while instructing. We hung out at the local airport when we were in high school and he later instructed in B-25's and A-26's. He went with Central and was stationed in KC then transferred to Denver. -Bill Buck (12/16/99) I didn't know Lou personally but he is listed on our Frontier Obituary Page. I don't have much info about him. Maybe you could add something. Attached is what I presently have. -Jake Lamkins (12/16/99) The info on Lou about the crash is about all I know too. I had a neightbor who was with the FAA that promised he would get me the accident investigation report as soon as it was available but he didn't deliver. I also tried to look it up on the FAA website but I didn't have enough details to complete the search. Lou had owned several planes; a Swift, a Staggerwing, several sailplanes and some other stuff. He taught me how to do barrel rolls in the Swift so I wouldn't have been surprised that he was teaching spins but he was such a good pilot I wonder why he didn't get out of the last one. He and another friend once got a PT-19 into and out of an inverted flat spin one time when we were high school kids in OK. All those kids are gone now... -Bill Buck (12/16/99) AIRLINE PILOT, EVERGREEN YOUTH DIE IN PLANE CRASH Louis O. Simmons, 37, Adams County, and Mark S. Gilliam, 17, of Evergreen, were killed Saturday when their Cessna 150 crashed near Bennett A light plane flying out of Sky Ranch Airport crashed in a wheat field north of Bennett Saturday, killing two persons on board. Adams County Coroner Jack St. Germain identified the victims as Louis O. Simmons, 37, of 1616 E. 78th Ave., Adams County, a pilot for Frontier Airlines, and Mark S. Gilliam, 17, of Evergreen. Simmons carried an instructor's license and apparently was giving a flying lesson to Gilliam, who was in the pilot's seat. Tom Van Buskirk, line manager at Sky Ranch Airport, said the yellow Cessna 150 had dual controls and Simmons could easily have taken control in the event of an emergency. The plane was owned by Jerry Hagen of 1340 Pontiac St. and had apparently been rented for the day. Hagen, also a pilot for Frontier Airlines, could not be reached for comment. The cause of the crash remains a mystery. The plane appeared to have flown straight into the ground. According to Buskirk, it took off from Sky Ranch at 7:56 a.m. with "completely full tanks." The crash occurred around 10 a.m. when there would still have been "plenty of fuel" in the tanks. A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board investigating the accident said the cause was "an apparent stall, circumstances unknown". The weather probably was not a factor. "You couldn't have picked a more beautiful day," said Buskirk. The wreckage was found shortly after 10 a.m. by Fred W. Meyers of Bennett who saw it in the wheat field. Meyers notified the Colorado State Patrol. Officers arrived at the scene about noon. The plane was completely demolished, but there was no fire. Rocky Mountain News, Sunday, Sept. 26, 1971 (From Ken Schultz 3/30/00) I had dreamed of being a stewardess since I was sixteen years old and I started flying with Central Airlines prior to my nineteenth birthday February 9th, 1964 until I married Allen Larson in 1968. During this time, Allen worked for Kansas City Flying Service, who serviced Central's DC-3s and Convairs, while studying for his A&P; afterwards, he returned home to Boulder, CO. The late F/O Lou Simmons and Allen shared the common interest of flying sail planes (gliders) and when Lou flew into Denver, Allen would pick us up when I was fortunate to be the F/A. -Deanna Burleigh Larson (2/7/04) Unable to find in the SSDI. -Jake Lamkins (7/6/04) On Jul 13, 2013, at 7:10 AM, Randall Sohn wrote: Was just now browsoing the internet this am for an my old partner on the Swift and Staggerwing and found the website about Lou.-Randy Sohn (7/13/13) I have good memories of Lou and had forgotten you and he were close. I didn't remember you and he as airplane partners. Walt Gilliam: Gone West as of this last May. He was 87. GREAT Guy! -Billy Walker (7/13/13) Thanks for the email. The info that Lou was from MKO helped me locate his grave. Also, I had forgotten that Lou's student was pilot Walt Gilliam's son. What a tragedy! I'll update their memorial webpages. Still need a photo and obituary for Lou. -Jake Lamkins (7/13/13) Guess you knew that Lou and I were close chums. He was in 55e in cadets and i was 55n, instructed together at Reese in B-25s for a long time and had those two airplanes together. Great guy, went to his funeral -Randy Sohn (NC/RC/NW) (7/13/13) I don't have much on Lou so send anything that could be used on his webpage. A photo would be a big help. -Jake Lamkins (7/13/13) L. O. SIMMONS Pilot seniority date of 8/23/61 per the 10/28/67 FL/ALPA Seniority List. FAL L O SIMMONS ALPA# 0213884 DOB 11/20/33 DOH 01/01/61 DE 09/25/71 per the FL/ALPA Roster. -Jake Lamkins (7/16/13) Posted at FLacebook and the FL Club: MKC DEN pilot Lou Simmons' memorial webpage has been upgraded. http://FAL-1.tripod.com/Lou_Simmons.html Still need a photo of Lou. -Jake Lamkins (7/16/13)