Stan Nye ( Pilot )
posted: Mar 11, 2008
Stan died in Tucson on November 28, 2007. He was critically injured several days earlier at the Marana Air Park while working in the nose landing gear compartment of a Boeing 747. For a yet undetermined reason the gear suddenly collapsed, trapping him inside. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Stan was a contract smokejumper pilot for over 20 years. His flying career started with Johnson Flying Service in the early 1960s and he later flew for Intermountain Aviation and Sierra Pacific Airlines. While he dropped jumpers from almost all the bases, he spent most of his fire seasons in Missoula, McCall, and his proclaimed favorite, Silver City. He was well known for his flying skills and ready wit.