Bruce Burris, Presenter for June 25, 2022 Gathering

The solo-shirt tail photo was at Troutdale OR airport July 18, 1963. The instructor’s name is Mike Forsyth and he still flies today at 85 years old. He’s a former TWA Captain and currently is a Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program Instructor.

September 11, 2001: we all remember this date. The airline industry took a blow and the draw-down in schedules was drastic for a couple of years afterward. At this time, we were living in Montana in a little mountain town called Seeley Lake. I was commuting to Los Angeles where I was based, and the commute consisted of a one-hour drive to the Missoula airport, followed by 2 legs via airline flights to LAX. With the reduction in schedules by all the airlines, it was taking me 24 hours to get to work, and 24 hours to get back home on most of my commutes. As a result, we closed up our house in Seeley Lake and rented a house on Sequim Bay in February 2002. Now my commute was a two-hour drive to Sea-Tac followed by only 1 flight to LAX. Surprisingly, it was much easier. Sequim was chosen because we have some good friends who moved here in 2000 and loved it here.

In December of 2002, United Airlines declared bankruptcy and I decided to retire. I was only 55 and mandatory retirement was 60, but I thought I might save my retirement. Nope.

I decided I was not ready to retire, so I went to work for SERCO Group, a British company that provides services world-wide in several service fields like transportation. They are one of the companies providing contract air traffic control services for the FAA. Since we had a house in Seeley Lake, MT, I called them and offered my services at the Missoula tower and was hired February 2003. In late 2003, I transferred to the Bellingham tower where I retired in May 2006. We then moved back to Sequim where we’ve been ever since.

My wife and I owned a 1960 “M” model Beechcraft Bonanza for several years. I sold it to a gentleman in Georgia and I delivered it to him in June 2006. I have owned several ultralight aircraft over the years with the latest being an SNS-8 Hiperlight. The Hiperlight was designed and kits were manufactured by the Sorrell family in Tenino, WA back in the early 1980’s.

Aircraft I have flown: Paragliders, Hang gliders, Ultralights, Sailplanes, General aviation aircraft – both single engine and multi-engine, Multi-engine jet transport, Some helicopter I have the following certificates and ratings:

Airline Transport Pilot with type ratings in A320, B737, B747-4, B757, and B767 Commercial Pilot – SEL, SES, Glider Control Tower Operator – PDX tower and TRACON, MSO tower, BLI tower Repairman Experimental Aircraft Builder My 13-year-old son and me with an ultralight on floats.