Gone West: Jerry Rooks | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Mon, Apr 26, 2004

Gone West: Jerry Rooks

Aviation is populated by no small number of "personalities" -- interesting and unique people who bring their gifts to a community they love and share of themselves in a most unreserved fashion. One of those unique personalities was a guy by the name of Jerry Rooks (receiving one of a number of awards bestowed upon him, right)... a Florida native who circulated a simple email newsletter about Florida aviation events and happenings, and was heavily involved in the Southern Aviation scene. He was a big of an odd duck... an interesting guy with his own slant on life and what mattered in the aviation world, but he was an unselfish and aggressive participant in our community... especially when it came to things that introduced younger folk to the aviation world.

I got an email a few minutes ago, as I was finishing up a flight test piece, that said that we lost Jerry after an extended illness that saw him, at the end, giving up some of his cherished possessions to his friends and sharing of himself yet again... in a uniquely personal way. Jerry passed quietly, aware that his time was short. We're going to miss his email blurbs, the occasional comments about a news item on ANN, and the latest gossip (which Jerry shared in abundance). The true richness of aviation is not the planes that we fly, or even that squeaker of a landing we all pursue with abandon... it's the amazing treasure we find in the collective brotherhood (and sisterhood) of flyers. Jerry was a joyous addition to that brotherhood, and his passing leaves a silence that we're going to notice a great deal.

We are such a unique presence, we flyers. We hope you'll take a moment and think a kind thought for a fella that gave that community such a pleasant and valued gift... himself. [ANN Thanks our dear friend Vern Peckham for the great photo of Jerry...]

Fair winds and blue skies, Jerry...

FMI: http://jerryrooks.tripod.com

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC