Hospice Patient Leaves Legacy of Flying and Faithfulness
Calvin Pitts flew for more than 30 years as a commercial pilot for DHL Worldwide Express. Throughout his life, Pitts also served as a flight instructor, educator and inspiration to others to chase their dreams.
Although his most notable accomplishment is likely flying around the world in 1981 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first flight around the world by Wiley Post and Harold Gatty, the legacy he hopes to leave focuses on God’s faithfulness.
“The Lord has been good to me,” he said.
Pitts was born with a love of flying. But that love grew wings when his mom paid for him to take a joyride in an airplane when he was 10 years old. He paid for his own pilot lessons and worked as a public relations representative for NASA in the 1960s. In the late ‘60s, he taught flying lessons at the Santa Monica Airport to the personnel director for the Culver City School District. Impressed with his teaching ability, Pitts was invited to teach a summer program for students.
Later, he helped establish an aeronautics program that allowed students to explore their own interests in flying. Extra-curricular activities, such as Youth Air Day, allowed students to interact with NASA officials and see an airshow. According to a 2014 article in the Culver City News, one of Pitts’ students went on to work as a manager to the Mars Landing Project.
On June 23, 1981, the same day as the original Post-Gatty around-the-world trip in the Winnie Mae, he took off in The Spirit of the Winnie Mae. He describes this trip as the greatest adventure of his life. The commemorative flight was sponsored by the Oklahoma Air & Space Museum and replicated the first around-the-world flight in 1931. He and his crew encountered many challenges during the trip, including mechanical delays, flight reroutes, bribes, nearly getting shot, and having a bushman think Pitts wanted to buy his wife.
Long-time friend Steve Purtell met Pitts in 1993, the year he had to stop being a pilot due to age-forced retirement at age 60. Pitts and the Purtells, Nelsons and the Williams became “chosen family,” sharing meals and attending the same church in Indiana for several years. Pitts taught their Sunday night Bible study and became a grandfather-figure to all the children, inspiring three of the boys to become pilots.
“The main thing I learned from Cal is the importance of faith and hanging in there during the hard times,” Purtell said. “There’ll be times when things are looking bleak, and God brings us through.”
Cynthiana volunteer Dave Clark met Pitts in 1989 while working together at DHL Worldwide Express. In fact, Clark served as flight engineer on Pitts’ last flight from JKF Airport to Cincinnati in a Boeing 727. The crew lovingly referred to this plane as a “three-holer” because it had room for a captain, co-pilot and flight engineer.
“He was such a class act and had pearly white hair,” Clark said. “He was a real presence and such a gentle giant. As a captain Calvin was smooth, confident, situationally aware and managed a good crew.”
Although forced to retire as a captain at age 60, Pitts worked as a flight engineer into his early 70s, and Pitts and Clark shared several more flights. Clark also recounted Pitts’ lived-out faith.
“There are two kinds of people in the world – those that try to save you and those that influence you,” Clark said. “Cal’s life was a clear reflection of his faith.”
Clark recently visited with Pitts, reading his personal logbook of their last flight together. During their time together, Pitts cried tears of joy and “lit up like a Christmas tree.”
“This has just been one of those uniquely special days for me,” Clark said in a conversation immediately following his visit. “If I can lighten someone’s load for just a few minutes while they’re in their last stages of life, I have done what I was put here to do.”
Since then, Clark has visited Pitts several time, sharing a cup of coffee and the ministry of presence.
Bluegrass Care Navigators provides hospice care in 32 counties across Kentucky, as well as specialized care for aging Kentuckians including palliative, PACE, home health, transitional, home primary care and grief care. For more information about our services or volunteer programs, visit www.bgcarenav.org.
In the video below, Clark, reads from his personal flight log about his last flight with Pitts as his pilot.
