Bill Wheat

[M20F]

Trey Hughes sent this to MAPA email list this morning " MAPA Family, I am sad to report that Bill Wheat is now under Hospice care at an assisted-living facility in Kerrville.  I would ask that the Mooney family pray for Bill and his family during this significant time in his life."

[slowflyin]

Prayers

[co2bruce]

Godspeed Mr Wheat. Thank you for everything you have done for the Mooney Family.

[PTK]

Hang in there Mr. Wheat! You're always in our thoughts and prayers!

Thank you for always being there willing to share your immense knowledge and expertise! 

I bought my airplane on the advice of Mr. Bill Wheat. In addition to answering the phone in the middle of the night at Mooney, during the day he was with Ronnie Kramer and Vanette at Dugosh across the field from Mooney! He had first hand knowledge of the airplane and the previous owner as it had been maintained by Dugosh since birth. 

I can never Thank You enough Mr. Wheat.

[Tom]

From a 2008 article online:
"Bill Wheat, who is now 78, feels the same way. "I'm doing something I really enjoy, so why should I quit doing it? I have no desire to retire. I certainly can't sit around and watch television all day," he notes. Instead, he arrives at the Mooney plant each day at around 2 AM…and stays for about 12 hours. "I get there early enough so that Mooney operators in Australia, Asia, South Africa and Europe have someone they can reach when they call with a technical problem. It's what I want to be doing. It keeps me going."

From Ralph Waldo Emerson:
"Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be." 

They just don't make 'em like Bill any more.  Thanks and Godspeed Mr. Wheat.

 

[LANCECASPER]

I visited Bill in October in the assisted living center and they are doing an excellent job of taking care of him. Sid and Nora Pool, good friends of his and mine are stopping in a few times a week to check up on him. If you get him talking about Mooneys he brightens up and the wealth of knowledge begins to come out. I need to get back up there to see him - I'm only an hour away.

[Danb]

I met Bill years ago what a great Mooney guy and even better person. My families prayers are with you that includes my extended Mooney family. May God bless you Bill

BTW  Trey is another great person and Mooney lover, selfishly I hope we will have others who will make there presence felt, we all know they can never replace them

Godspeed

 

[Vance Harral]

Godspeed, Bill.

[carusoam]

I am a Mooney pilot because of Bill Wheat.  

He signed my '65Cs Log book after he test flew it in 1965.

He answered my call to get the data I needed to put the tiny breather hole back in my C's MP line 40 years later.  He is a fountain of knowledge.

It was nice to see him in the 'Boots' movie.

Godspeed, Mr. Wheat,

-a-

[MooneyMitch]

Bill is an absolute treasure!  The entire reason the Boots movie was created, was because of the knowledge and the treasure of that man, Bill Wheat. 

At the 2011 MAPA Homecoming in Kerrville, Bill was our guest speaker.  It was obvious at that event, that Bill's intimate knowledge of Mooney was invaluable, not to mention his adorable and charming character as well.

It was during his speech presentation, I felt strongly that a small part of his history and knowledge certainly needed some documentation...........hence the project began.

We could not begin to cover his entire history or knowledge of Mooney, but Bill's presence in the movie was designed to offer just a hint at all. 

The movie is truly a labor of love of Bill, of the product and for many of the folks who worked at Mooney for all those years!

I only wish we would have started the project years ago................

Edited January 12, 2016 by MooneyMitch

[cliffy]

Meet him 18 months ago at his house. A#1 gentleman. So glad I had the opportunity to meet the legend. 

[Andy95W]

Met him about 1997 at the factory, he gave me some diodes to fix my electric landing gear from popping the over voltage relay.

And he was my current Mooney's test pilot to boot.

Thanks, Mr. Wheat.

[M20F-1968]

When I bought my 1968 F as a project airplane, people assured me that the Mooney factory was committed to supporting the older airframes.  Throughout the years of converting my plane into a more modern aircraft, I consulted Bill sometimes weekly.  He was always very helpful and took a practical approach with his suggestions and advice.  I still smile at his character when I think about his answering "How are you Bill?" with a predictable "Terrible, Just Terrible." 

He has been an asset to the Mooney Factory and the Mooney community.  More importantly, he is an example of the honesty, work ethic and passion of the 1950's is being seen less and less in today's world.

I sincerely appreciated having Bill there on the other end of the phone.

John Breda

[Alan Fox]

Bill passed away ...

[Hank]

[orionflt]

A major loss for Mooney and the community!

Safe flying Bill

 

Brian

[bradp]

RIP.  Thanks for helping our airplanes to fly, and keep flying.  Blue skies.  

[DonMuncy]

So sad to hear. All of us who met him will never forget him. We have lost a real character and a phenomenal source of Mooney information.

[mooneygirl]

Bill was such an incredible person, test-pilot, engineer and Mooney Guru.  My thoughts and prayers are with his daughter Linda and the rest of the family.  He is probably in Heaven as we mourn, trying to figure out how to get a few more knots out of his new wings.

 

He had so much fun with the clapper when we filmed Boots on the Ground

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6s_ZvnHYdo

[KSMooniac]

I just watched Boots on the Ground this past Saturday and enjoyed it immensely.  I knew Bill was on the decline, and it was nice to see him as he was, completely in his element telling Mooney tales.  I'm sure he is enjoying his new wings now!

[Dmax]

His favorite junk food was Funyuns. I would send him a big box with maybe a dozen bags in it just to stay on his good side. We went to see him a few weeks ago at the nursing home.  It was a tuff visit, I wanted to see him one more time. He was not very responsive until Jan said Don is here and he has funyons. He opened his eyes and said FUNYONS and then closed them again. Awesome guy and is missed already. He told his daughter a few days ago that he remembered how big John Wayne's funeral was and wanted to out do him. So try and come to the funeral if your close. If you fly a Mooney, anywhere is close. 

Dmax

[bonal]

Don't know how it could be arranged but seems a missing man formation of Mooney's would be most fitting.

God speed 

[Raptor05121]

52 minutes ago, bonal said:

Don't know how it could be arranged but seems a missing man formation of Mooney's would be most fitting.

God speed 

Gosh If I were even remotely able to, I would join in. I never met him, but reading the archives, he seems like a monumental man in the Mooney family.

[Andy95W]

I wish I could go, too.  

I met him in the late '90s at the factory.  If I had known then what I know now about Bill Wheat, I would've spent more time talking with him.  And having him take me on the factory tour.  And asking him more about the history of the different models.  And what is was like flying the twin Mooney.

etc., etc., etc...

[tony]

Rest in peace Mr. Wheat, you helped leave a legacy.....