It is with great sadness today that I announce the death of Fritz the Ramp Rat, lately of Emma Field Washington. Fritz died doing what he loved most, directing planes to the parking area at Emma, when he was struck by a plane and pulled into the propeller.
Born in 1948, Fritz first found flying at an early age. It was love at first sight. From his humble beginnings, mowing grass at Emma Field and operating the catapult for the sailplanes, Fritz grew up happy and content. He learned to fly almost as soon as he could walk and by the age of 16 had already achieved his Private Pilots License and IFR Rating. In 1967, duty called and Fritz left his comfortable home for training at the Navy’s Officer Candidate School.
Graduating third in his class, Fritz went on to fly fight the A-6 Intruder over the deadly skies of North Vietnam. In 1970, Fritz was shot down and spent 2 years as a POW. He never said much about those years, but much can be implied by the fact that he never ate fish again and would only Bar-B-Que everything he ate.
Upon his return stateside, Fritz found employment flying first as a television news helicopter pilot and later flying helo’s for the Los Angeles Police Department. In 1982 Fritz was relaying information to officers on the ground, when his helicopter came under fire from the suspect. He received a bullet wound to the left thigh, but safely landed his damaged helicopter in a now famous landing near the Capitol Records building that has been shown many times on CNN and other news stations. Although he recovered from the leg wound, he could no longer stand for long periods of time, and indeed later in life he became a fixture at the entrance to his field, sitting by the gate allowing people entrance and exit.
Next he was hired in the commercial sector, flying airliners for United Airlines out of their Chicago, O’Hare base. He flew for United without incident until leaving in 1995.
Upon his retirement from commercial aviation, Fritz returned to where it all began, and investing his life savings, bought a cabin with a floatplane dock in Northwest Washington State, and a small airstrip called Emma Field. Since his procurement of the field, the strip has become legendary in aviation circles as THE place to launch sailplanes. People literally would fly in from all over the world to sit and enjoy the cooking, the atmosphere, and the occasional live band.
Fritz is survived by his wife Gertrude, two sons, one daughter, and several grandchildren. Donations to a recognized charity are requested in lieu of flowers.
Fritz
1948-2003
R.I.P.
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