Garry Wilburn

I'm very sorry to report that Garry Wilburn died on Tuesday, April 12, 2005. His son David, sent us the following note.

Dear Friends

Dad has died, as of Tuesday morning, due to ingestion of material in a lung and subsequent heart failure.  The doctors were unable to revive him. He had been having a struggle on Monday, so Mother took him into the hospital in the afternoon.  It sounds as if he rested well Monday night, but took a bad turn in the morning, all quite suddenly and unexpected.

Please pass this e-mail onto any others you might know who would wish to know.  I am in Clarksville with Mother, who is doing all right. 

I know you are probably shocked.  This was not supposed to happen.  As I said, there was a very unexpected turn of events which led to his premature demise.

The Wilburn family extends our invitation to have you join us 11AM Friday April 15 at the First Presbyterian Church of Clarksville, VA, to honor my Father with remembrances and love. The church is across from Clarksville Furniture.

Here's the web address of the funeral home which should convey all details: www.wclfh.com

Love from the Family

David 

If you would like to send a note to Garry's wife, Jean, the address is

Mrs. Garlington C. Wilburn
250 Long Meadow Drive
Clarksville
VA 23927

Garry Wilburn's email is shown below, but Jean does not 'do computers' so a note would be best, however David may be picking up emails at his address, so it would not hurt to send an email.

Alfred Scott

Dear friends and family,

I want you to know that with Garry's death, son David has basically mothballed his e-mail address gwilburn@kerrlake.com.  

For the moment, please correspond with me by phone at (434) 374-2904 as I am completely computer illiterate and don't want to learn at this time!!!!!  (Carol's sending this out for me!)  My mailing address, if you prefer that to calling, is 250 Long Meadow Drive, Clarksville, VA  23927.  

If there is something you need to send by e-mail, it can go to my daughter, Carol, at cswilburnca@yahoo.com or to my son, David, at David.Wilburn@us-gf.com and they will relay the information to me!

We had Garry's memorial service on Friday and all the children were here with me.  I am doing fine and appreciate all your concern.  Thanks so much.

Sincerely,
Jean
 

Fire!

I'm very sorry to report that in early February, Garry Wilburn's home and shop was consumed in a fire. Garry and his wife escaped with their lives, but everything else was lost. Son David reports:

I tell ya', the toasted remains of a Falco in progress are no fun to look at. (The entire house was totally destroyed) I tried sifting through the foot thick ashes to find the pitot tube and mast, figuring I could hit it with the glass-bead blaster at work and take it home as a keepsake. I was able to locate the approximate coordinates by keying on a former 8 foot by 4" diameter round steel beam support pole which had been transmogrified into an S-shaped twisted serpent, now only 3 feet off the ash covered basement floor, testifying to the tremendous heat. I never did find the pitot head, but main gear strut pieces and the engine mount were recognizable, and oddly enough, I found a handfull-sized chunk of black coal main spar, kept recognizable only by the main gear bushing plates and 4 bolts holding the assembly together. When I got back to work two days later, it was murderous to sit down beside my rollaway toolbox and look at the dozen or so pictures I had proudly plastered to its side, still there today, somehow hoping for a merciful resurrection.

Of course, I am relieved Mother and Dad made it safely out of the house that afternoon, but once that is established, one cannot help but reminisce of precious things which are no more.

David Wilburn

This is terrible news, and I'm sure I join all Falco builders in sending Garry our condolences on this terrible loss.

Alfred Scott

 


Sept. 1999 Garry Wilburn's Falco takes shape -- the wing, free of the jig and rolled over.

The name is Garlington (Garry) C. Wilburn. I am a retired electrical engineer having worked for Westinghouse Electric for 34 years. I am now 76 years of age.

I am joined in the Falco building by our son David, who is employed by U. S. Airways as an aviation mechanic at the Charlotte, N. C. facility. David built all the airfoil ribs for the entire Falco and made many of the metal fittings using extrusions supplied by Sequoia Aircraft. Since he lives 200 miles away, he is now the chief consultant, and morale booster to keep the 'old man' going.

I bought the plans from Sequoia originally in 1980 at a time just prior to Westinghouse sending me on an overseas assignment in South Korea. I had thought I would start a joint building program with KIST, an educational operation affiliated with one of the prominent Korean Universities, and do the Falco construction as an educational project with a group of students. For several reasons, this didn't pan out, and further, the planned 5 year Westinghouse assignment terminated in two years. So I arrived back stateside in 1982 with little Falco work accomplished, and then as an early phase of the Westinghouse demise, was offered an opportunity for early retirement at age 58.

It then took about three years to accomplish the construction of our residence on Kerr Lake here in Clarksville, including a 40 foot square basement workshop, in which the Falco was, is, being constructed.

It should be mentioned here that my prior homebuilt, a project that first flew in 1980, a Jodel F-12, required a hangar be built at Mark's Municipal Airport here, which is just three miles from our residence. The Jodel is still there, being unflown for the last few years, and represents a problem when the Falco is ready to be moved to the hangar. Well, as we all know, you solve one problem at a time, as necessary to proceed with the main goal.

The Falco now has its tail section complete, skinned and everything, and we are proceeding with the completion of the forward section. My "friends" all persist in asking when the Falco will be finished. I always respond by stating that a hobby is not scheduled, and that the completion date is secondary to keeping me busy and active in the pursuit of the rest of my life.

The building of the Falco is very important to me, and many thanks go to Sequoia Aircraft for their foresight in planning this project, providing a source for parts one can't reasonably construct, and not to speak of the Construction Manual, the wonderful drawings, and now the website.

If I can be of any help to fellow builders, do not hesitate to communicate with me.

Thanks again, Sequoia, for all benefits supplied.

Garry Wilburn


Garry Wilburn with the wing skinning started

Garlington (Garry) C. Wilburn is a retired electrical engineer in Virginia. Garlington C. Wilburn, 250 Long Meadow Dr., Clarksville, VA, 23927. Telephone: (804) 374-2904.


July 1996. The wing spar in the jig and the first few ribs installed.


David Wilburn with Aquilla.


Sept. 1999. The wing, free of jig, rolled 90 degrees.


August 2000. Fuselage skinning started.


August 2000. Inverted header tank installation, showing extra frame 6-1/2 for support.