GORDON BOURLAND PILOT ACF GSW DEN Old #1, Gordon Bourland died a year or two ago from Alzheimers. -Jack Frost (11/29/98) I remember once Gordon coming thru on the late STL-DFW flight, 177 I think - there was a hole big as a basketball in the fuselage to the right of the passenger door. He said he hit something at TBN, not to worry about it, some 500 mph tape would fix it up which he promptly used, and away he went. We figured it was a hot date in Big D to be that determined to go. Another time Gordon couldn't get one of the engines started - the late flight again - but he taxiied out anyway and commenced trying to "wind start" the damned thing. It took three times before it caught. That last time when he taxiied back you could see the brakes glowing bright red. Luckily it didn't ignite anything. -Jake Lamkins (11/30/98) Gordon was called "Old #1" because he was #1 on the pilot seniority list at CN and one of the first employees hired. -Jake Lamkins (4/16/99) According to the Social Security Death Index, Gordon Bourland was born 23Jun1919 and died 3Feb1994, age 75. Gordon Bourland died 2-3-94 per the Apr 2000 FARPA newsletter. -Jake Lamkins (6/16/00) I just ran across a "First Flight Cover" letter on the internet that was on the first Holdenville, OK to OKC flight by CN on Sep. 15, 1949. It said Gordon Bourland was the pilot. I remember him well from flights thru FYV and that he was #1 on the CN pilot list. -Jake (1/22/04) Gordon Bourland has been gone many many years, and I remember his last flight, and he was very depressed after it was over. After he got off the airplane, he told me that he would give everything he had if he could just continue to fly. He never married, and no living relatives, and he gradually developed Alzheimers in a nursing home, and fell and broke a hip. He refused to try to walk after surgery, and then several months later he just decided to get up and walk. He lived several months later, and finally died, a very lonely man. -Bill Blackmon (1/22/04) I know that any day I am involved in any way with flying is a good day. The neatest sign I ever saw that expressed this thought was painted on the back wall of the late Gordon Bourland’s hangar in Justin, Texas. Gordon flew for Frontier Airlines and owned a Waco Taperwing, a Waco Custom Cabin, a Pacer and a 90 hp Champ. The sign said: ‘These are the Good Old Days.” Isn’t that true? -Don Staats (8/5/06) Gordon Bourland seniority date was 8/2/49 per the 9/1/72 FL/ALPA seniority list which made him #43 in seniority at FL five years after CN was merged into FL. He was the #1 seniority pilot at CN for 18 years. -Jake Lamkins (8/5/06) Although not mentioned in the site, Gordon Bourland was also a professional-quality water skier. He freqently attended competitive meets in Florida and elsewhere. Living on Lake Worth, he had a great set-up where he also did some ski instruction (He taught me). Gordon was always a very friendly, easy-going person and accomodating as a pilot, but very professional. -Ken Stewart (8/5/06)