JUG JELLA
PILOT
DEN



Here are some additional dates for the Obituary file.
Pilots:
Art Ashworth,  died March 17, 1977
Wayne Aspinall Jr.  died January 26, 1979
Jack Gardner,  Died Feb 26, 1982
Max Gardner,  Died Oct 8, 1988
F. "Jug" Jella, died May 14, 1993
John Myers,  died July 20, 1994
G. "Swede" Nettleblad,  died Feb 23, 1993
Ed Radford,  died Oct 4, 1980
George Veldboon, died July 26, 1980
Agent:
Maurice "Moe" Osborne,  died May 22, 1994
Maintenance:
Art Krieger, died Nov 19, 1998
Jack Mericle,  died April 1, 1999
Management and other:
Dave Burr,  died April 9, 1997
J.F. "Pappy" ODrain,  died Dec 4, 1995
-Ken Schultz
(4/26/99)

Billy - FYI - Ed was never a Chicashaw (sp?) pilot with Ray Wilson.  
Ed came to Monarch from Continental and he was Gen. Mark Clarke's private pilot during WWII.  
Dallas Taylor, for a while, flew top-brass in a C-54 also during WWII and knew Ed during that time.
The only pilots that were with Ray Wilson were; Art Sinclair, Bert Clark, Jug Jella, Willie Hurt, Johnny Myers, 
Don Bridie and Warren Heckman.  
There may have been others but not with Monarch/Frontier.
Just FYI
With Best Wishes,
-Ace Avakian
(2/22/00)
Forwarded by Billy Walker
(2/22/00)

	My first flight in a DC-3/C-47, as a flight crew member, was when I was hired by Meteor Air Transport. 
This was a non-sked freight airline operating out of Teterboro, New Jersey. 
All flights were flown at night delivering Ford Motor parts from the Edgewater Plant to the Detroit, Michigan facility. 
Once unloaded, the airplane was then reloaded with parts bound for the Edgewater Plant. 
On the return flight from Detroit, we usually landed at Newark, New Jersey and flew empty to Teterboro. 
The contract with Ford Motor Company was for week days only. 
On week-ends, we would fly Time/Life magazines to cities along the East Coast: Buffalo, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, etc.
	This first flight was with a furloughed copilot from TWA that was flying as captain for Meteor. 
His name is lost in my memory but I will never forget him. 
He smoked a cigar and he would determine all his positions by the length of his cigar! 
Once in flight, he would light up and hardly say a word. 
Then as we progressed, I would see him take a long puff, study his cigar and say, 
“...those lights down on our right should be Sharon, Pennsylvania.” 
I’d look down and sure enough, there’d be a city all lit up and I’d look over and nod to him. 
Nothing else would be said, except for our routine radio contacts along Green Airway 3, 
which incidentally was all static-filled, low frequency radio. 
Later, he would look at the cigar again and state that, “...here over Cleveland, we’ll head for Detroit City via Red 20.” 
I’d look down and through the clouds see large city lights then no lights, indicating the Lake Erie shoreline. Again, I would nod in agreement.
	As we approached lights up ahead, he’d look at his cigar and state, “...‘better get the gear down.” 
Checking my chart with my small flash light, I figured we were approaching Belle Isle and coming up on the Detroit City Airport.
	Once the gear was down, he’d open his window, look down, slam the window shut and call, “I’ve got a wheel.” 
I assumed I should do the same so I’d open my window and through the back-drop of lights, could see that the wheel on the right was down. 
(We did not have wheel-well lights.) I hated doing this because my hair would get all tangled up in the rush of air from the open window. 
(I had hair at that point in time.. .and it was black!)
	The airport at Detroit City had no runway lights - just flood lights. 
The captain actuated the flaps and seeing he was a little high, side-slipped! 
the airplane to a smooth touch down right on the flood-lighted runway! I’ll never forget that - or him!
	Now then, we’ll push the time machine forward, now as a copilot for Monarch Air Lines, 
there were moments that will live on in my memory. 
This particular flight was on a dark, snowstormy night when making an ILS approach to Stapleton Field on Runway 21. 
The wind was from the northeast which necessitated an ILS with a circling approach to runway 3. 
The captain was Willie Hurt. We, hazily, broke out of the clouds at about 200 feet. 
Willie spit on his gloved right hand and then his left and said, “Hang on!” 
He opened his window, bent the airplane around and greased it on runway 3. 
When on the ground, he closed his window and called for the flaps up and when I looked at him he looked like a snow man! 
There was ice and snow in his hair, his eye brows and lashes! He actually was making a visual approach with his head out the window!
	On this particular series, when over by Delta, Utah on Amber Airway 2, 
we had so much ice on that old DC-3, the props would stall occasionally 
and Willie would shift the props through and we’d hear the sleeves of ice banging along the side of the airplane. 
The air intake over the engine had a hole about the size of a silver dollar because of ice! 
And, on we went homing on the Emery “H” marker bound for Price, Utah!
	Ev Aden was Chief Pilot at that time and in those days among other duties, he also was like the Chaplain in the military. 
If one had personal problems, one would go to Ev and talk things over. He would comfort us like a Father. 
I remember a time when I first got my Amateur “Ham” radio license. Excitedly, I told Ev about it. 
He actually came over to my house and we made a radio contact (I think in Canada) and Ev talked on my radio. 
I wonder how many Chief Pilot’s you could do that with today?
	Another favorite was Les Schaffer. I learned a lot from him. 
One that comes to mind is how to change from Celsius to Fahrenheit without mental gymnastics. 
Take the Celcius reading, double it, subtract 10 percent and add 32. 
None of this 5/9th or 9/5th stuff. 2C-l0%+32=F F-32+l0%/2=C This comes closest to the exact figure. 
(In Canada, for an approximate figure, they double the Celcius and add 30 for a Fahrenheit temp.)

	The captain that would make the smoothest landings - every time - regardless of the wind and weather was Jug Jella. 
Up to this time, I was flying with captains that were ex-military with heavy C-47 time. 
Jug was not ex-military but could he land that ‘3! 
And, as a bonus, one of the nicest guys to fly copilot for - on or off the airplane, for that matter.

	The shortest short-field landing I ever rode through was with Fred Hart. 
He told me on the approach to Runway 8R (again at Stapleton), he intended to land so as to turn up the first taxiway to the north. 
I looked at him quizzically (is there such a word?) and must have had a smirk of doubt on my expression. 
He three-pointed the 3 and we turned north on the first taxiway! 
(With all respect, I’m not going to mention Joe Romano’s three-point landings in the DC-3). By the way, I loved him!
	Dal Taylor would have me keep my feet on the floor and control the ‘3 directionally, 
on take-off using aileron only, till we were airborne. Again, one of the greats!
	I loved (almost) every captain I ever flew copilot for. We all have our favorites. 
With all respect, 1 have not mentioned any of the captains that were with the original Challenger Air Lines 
because I had checked out as captain about the time of merger of our companies. 
I did fly with Bob Nicholson (ex Challenger) when he was an instructor in the Boeing 727. 
I had a different flight instructor but had one session with Bob. 
I learned more in that one hour or so with Bob than I had in all the previous hours of training with the other instructor.
	With all the flying that I have done and of course, most of it was with Frontier, I enjoyed the DC-3 the most. 
I’ve said it many times that when I dream of flying - I’m always flying the DC-3. 
I’ve had many pleasant memories with (almost) all the captains I’ve flown with. 
Likewise, I’ve had many pleasant hours flying with the many copilots and flight engineers of Frontier. 
I know I’ve seen the best of it all and loved every bit!
	There were times when a copilot would be getting ready to check out as captain and would ask me what advice I could offer. 
I would get serious and with all sincerity say, “Remember you’re the captain but just don’t ever forget, you were a copilot!”
-Ace Avakian
Article in FARPA NEWSLETTER JAN/FEB 2003
(2/4/03)

FREDRICK D JELLA  
Born 09 Sep 1921 
Died 14 May 1993 
Age 72
At 85250 (Scottsdale, Maricopa, AZ) 
-SSDI
(2/9/03)

Jug retired Sep. 2, 1981 after 35 years flying with Frontier.
He was the last of the pilots from Ray Wilson's flying school.
Per FL NEWS, Dec. 1981
-Jake Lamkins
(8/27/05)