“He belonged to a tight knit group of pilots called the Quiet Birdmen – which was started by WWI pilots. “He was a legend 50 miles around Hartford in the aviation community,” Desmond said. They didn’t take him up on it but that’s the kind of stuff he would do.”Īnother friend and co-worker was Portland resident Kevin Desmond. “He also offered to help search for JFK Jr.’s plane when it went missing. “That’s just how he operated,” Korta said. He used it to assist area fire departments if they needed help on search and rescues or to overlook forest fires. Korta said Williams built a helicopter from a kit and it was his personal helicopter. If I heard that engine, I knew it was Jim landing or flying over.” “I knew the tone of the plane – the noise was very distinctive. “My office overlooked the field,” Korta said. He was a standup guy who knew the business inside and out and he didn’t hesitate for a minute to share that knowledge.”ĭespite sharing the same airfield and working in the same place, the two seldom commuted to work together to Bradley International Airport because they arrived and departed at different times. “The United Technologies CEO Harry Gray would always want Jim as part of the crew. “Jim had a passion for aviation he was a flight instructor and a glider pilot and also had a passion for helicopters,” Korta said. Korta, who now lives in Rockford, Illinois, was a former Connecticut Aviation Director as well as the commissioner of the state Department of Transportation. Korta and his wife, Debra , introduced Jim to Vanessa in 1995. One of Jim Williams’ closest friends was Stephen Korta – one of the original neighbors on the Salmon River Airfield. The couple later flew together to Alaska for their honeymoon. The Williams’ flew several friends to Block Island for their wedding and then flew back to the house later that day for the reception. “When you think about what society is today,” Vanessa Williams said, “It’s people living a purpose and having that purpose be your guiding light every day and that was aviation for him.” He flew a yellow plane and painted most things yellow. His usual trips were to Boston, New York or Washington, D.C. Williams said her husband wanted to fly every day whether it was a fixed wing aircraft or a helicopter. “We want to do some good in the name of someone who did something good.” You will see that Jim has asked that donations be given to NEAM on his behalf to support significant expansion plans,” Vanessa Williams said. “Jim was passionate about aviation and wanted to ensure the growth of future aviators and the industry continued. NEAM will establish a state-of-the-art digital dome beyond the traditional theater and planetarium experience among other improvements. It will also include a Challenger Learning Center, digital classrooms, and an interactive manufacturing gallery to drive workforce development. Vanessa Williams said NEAM plans a new 35,000 square foot state-of-the-art hangar to serve as a compelling narrative of the role Connecticut has played in the birth and future of flight-from its humble beginnings through breakthroughs to the contemporary advancements in electric-powered flight and civilian space exploration. Jim wanted his legacy to be to encourage others to be interested in aviation and keep people interested in it,” she said. “We are hoping it’s an inspiration for the young people. “You can see that general aviation has flattened and there’s not as much of an understanding for the importance of aviation and the freedom of it. “I wanted to do something for Jim,” she said.
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