Interview with Mira Wohl, Willamette University cafeteria, October 2, 2010

From Flight Risk: The Robert Jackson Kelley Story

“So here’s the truth. My older brother actually worked at the hangar sometimes, on their computers, and he heard it all from his boss, the very next morning.

“First time Robert took off, the owner was hot on his heels. Guy gets a call in the middle of the night. Somebody’s poking around the hangar. He gets up out of bed, throws on some clothes, and grabs a flashlight, goes to check it out. Takes a lap around outside, doesn’t see or hear anything, until suddenly there’s a plane barreling down on him. He ducks, he rolls, the wind’s blowing his hair back. The heat from the engine leaves blisters on the guy’s stumpy neck. He’s, like, an inch away from getting decapitated!

“The owner runs inside, grabs a shotgun, and starts shooting it off at the sky, shaking his fist, cursing the moon. But Robert’s already gone, winging it, looking down and laughing from twenty thousand feet.”