AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2018 - 62

"My decision to become a pilot has a lot to do with my
dad and the flying history of our family. The aviation
culture, the pilot jargon-and seeing the world from a
bird's eye view."

62 | AOPA PILOT February 2018

The youngest brother, John,
served in the U.S. Air
Force from 1952 until
1956. He served as an
airborne radio operator and on the air/
sea rescue squadron
at Hamilton Air Force
Base in California. He
obtained his private
pilot certificate in 1970
and passed on his love of
flying to his son, Ron. Ron
hoped to become an airline pilot like his cousins
but failed the then-mandatory color-blindness test
in 1978. Once established
in his technology career,
he pursued flying; he is now
instrument rated and has his flight instructor
certificate. "My career took me all over the
world and I probably have flown as much as
a [airline] pilot," he said.
"The only question remains is, had I
passed the medical on my first attempt,
which airline would I be flying for?"

JOHN FRISTER (left) and his son Ron.

"Needless to say I am very proud of the
fact that so many of my family members
have taken to the skies," Bob Frister said.
"And that five of us were fortunate to fly
for a major airline."

SCOTT FRISTER (left) and his daughter Mallory.

TOP: BILL SWALICH

Storm and Keith in Bosnia, Iraq, and
Afghanistan. Scott is now a captain with
United Airlines and Keith is a first officer
with Southwest. Mallory, Scott's daughter,
is currently working on her commercial
certificate, and Andrew, his son, is studying to be an air traffic controller at Arizona
State University.
Bob's brother Glenn began flying in
Teterboro, New Jersey, in 1959 and soloed
on a grass strip in a Piper J-3 Cub in 1960.
He was a bush pilot in Alaska, flew for
Ozark Airlines, and retired after 11 years
with TWA. He logged more than 39,000
hours before his retirement in 1998. His
Cessna 150 is hangared at Creve Coeur
Airport in Missouri, where he and wife
Dee retired. He currently has 14 students
at the very busy Creve Coeur Airport.
Jacquelynn isn't flying currently as she is
busy raising her children and son Justin
had amassed nearly 300 hours, sadly,
before his death last year.
The third brother, Greg, was taught
by his brother Glenn and received his
private pilot certificate in 1970. He is a
commercial, instrument-rated, multiengine CFI and, like his brothers, also
flew for Eastern Air Lines. "I have
more than 19,000 accident-free hours
of flying fun," he said. "I hope my
brother Glenn and I can be included
in the FAA's Wright Brothers
Master Pilot list for flying continuously for more than 50 years."
Son Greg is a line service technician at DuPage Flight Center at
DuPage Airport in West Chicago.
He earned a bachelor's degree in
aviation administration at Lewis
University, and has his private
and instrument certificates. He's
currently working on his commercial certificate and plans on
getting his CFI. "My decision to
become a pilot has a lot to do
with my dad and the flying history of our family," he said. "I
would love to travel the world
and see it the way my dad does."
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2018

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