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Remembering
George E. “Sandy” Willett, Jr.
DynCorp International Technical Services, Inc.
Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, Contract — California
Classification: Career
Rank: Pilot
Date of Death: September 6, 2006
Age: 52
S andy
Willett, a good man who was loved
and respected for who he was and
how he lived, died on Wednesday,
September 6, 2006, while doing
a reconnaissance flight for the
California Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection
over a dangerous area where
three fires had erupted in
the previous days.
Sandy was born in Fresno,
California, on October 3,
1953, to George E. Willett,
Sr. and Dolores Elder
Willett. An Eagle Scout
and a Police Explorer,
Sandy spent most of his
summers crop dusting
with his father. An avid
aviator throughout his life,
Sandy grew up surrounded
by planes and received his
pilot’s license at an early age.
“Sandy was a perfectionist,” is
how Bob Wolf, the president of CDF
Firefighters, said his colleagues described
him. “Sandy was methodical. The best firefighters
trusted him when the inherently dangerous
flights needed to be taken. He understood the risks
associated with his job.”
Adventurous, caring, incredibly friendly, reliable,
and just plain fun, Sandy completely embraced life.
He was a policeman who graduated from the College
of Sequoias Police Academy in Visalia, California.
His was with the Lemoore Police Department
before transferring to the Santa Barbara Police
Department Motorcycle Unit. He was proud
to participate in a police escort for then
President Ronald Reagan. He transferred
to the University Police
Department, where he worked
from 1983-1987.
Sandy could not imagine
a life without flying. He
went to work for Apollo
Airways as a pilot. He
relocated to Huron,
California, and joined
Willett International
Air Racing and became
a pilot for Willett Crop
Dusting. Sandy saw a lot
from the air and began
a long love affair with
the Westside of the San
Joaquin Valley and its rich
agricultural heritage. In a
search for adventure and far
away places, Sandy started
flying in Columbia, South
America, as part of the Federal
drug eradication program.
He then went to work for the California
Department of Forestry and DynCorp as an air
attack pilot based in the Porterville Air Tactical Base.
No one who ever met Sandy was a stranger. He was
respected for his professionalism. He was a great
pilot. That’s just a fact. He was also the kind of man
whom others loved to be around.
Sandy is survived by his loving wife and best friend
for a long time, Judy. Sandy leaves behind many
beloved friends.