HOPSCOTCHING THE GLOBE: The Life of Charter Pilot George A. Scholl-October 23, 1975

Pilot Reveals Charter Pilot Not Thrill A-Minute Job

Meet George A. Scholl, a charter pilot with Wiggins Airways in Norwood who has been hauling passengers and cargo around the world for the past 30 years. Among his most memorable passengers have been the late President John F. Kennedy and Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk.

Charter pilot George A. Scholl has hauled passengers and cargo all over the globe during the past 30 years. Among his most memorable passengers have been the late President John F. Kennedy and Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk.

lie has flown clients to Mexico, the Bahamas, and even on a nonstop trans-Atlantic flight in a light plane. Yet, the modest gentleman claims, “Flying is not a thrill a minute. In fact, it is rather routine at times.”

Mr. Scholl, who lives at 23 Talbot Road with his wife Sally and 11-year-old son John, has been flying since 1946. “I don’t know how, but I just knew from the age of seven that I wanted to fly for a living,” Mr. Scholl said last night.

He very simply stated of his job. “If you’re doing what you like to do, you really have an enjoyable time. I really like my job.” That job currently entails part-time charter flight duty for Wiggins Airways in Norwood. His main duties at the moment include a position as distribution manager and check pilot for the aviation firm.

He has, in the past, been chief charter pilot – a job that took him to all parts of the United States and to a few spots overseas. Although Mr. Scholl holds the highest rating a pilot can obtain, an Airline Transport Rating, he has never had a hankering to fly for the major airline companies.

At times, though, he has trained a few pilots that now fly for those major passenger carriers. “Every pilot usually starts out as an instructor,” he said. Mr. Scholl achieved that goal in 1958, 12 years after he was graduated from the Dallas Aviation School.

A World War II Navy veteran, Mr. Scholl spoke of the tentative life of a charter flier. Just yesterday he flew a party to Bridgeport, Conn., after only a short notice. “Half the time you never really know where you’ll end up,” he noted.

“Charter pilots are much different than airline pilots. We have to be our own weathermen and do everything to checking the fuel tanks. Commercial pilots have all that done for them,” he said. An extremely modest man, Mr. Scholl was continually downplaying his charter pilot’s existence and suggesting fliers that should be interviewed for a “good story.”

Yet, he revealed some of his more interesting moments in the air. He briefly noted, after some questioning, that his engines did fail once while in flight. Whatever happened during the episode, though, will go untold, because he just wouldn’t talk about it.

“Probably the most interesting job I have had,” the Natick native said, was the one in Chatham, my first job. “I was an instructor there, but used to fly a lot of charters for fishermen along the Cape Cod coast.”

“I’d take them up, look for Striped Bass along the shore, and drop them off along the beach,” Mr. Scholl said. Return trips were most interesting, he reflected, especially when there was a big catch.

“Sometimes one of the fishermen would get a 50-pound Striper and we’d have a heck of a time getting it, along with the fishermen and gear, into a small plane.” “I’d have to place the fish across a fisherman’s lap and. at times, I flew back to the field with a Striper’s head dangling over my shoulder.”

“It was really bad when they caught a lot of Bluefish,” he laughed. Mr. Scholl went to Europe with a group of ski company executives and spent 30 days there in England, Germany, France, and Austria – all expenses paid.

And he took a couple to Mexico on a vacation and enjoyed similar niceties then as well. “The only bad thing about going on a charter like that.” Mr. Scholl said, “is that after you’re back, you have to remind yourself that you’re paying the bills again.”

At one point during his career, he flew the then Sen. John F. Kennedy a number of times. And he related a charter that involved Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk a couple of years ago.

“He went to a shopping center opening and I had to wait and rush him back to Boston for a game that was scheduled for that night.” “As it turned out, the game was not played because of rain,” he laughed. But Mr. Scholl’s son John, who frequently accompanies his father on flights, interjected excitedly that he got a chance to meet the All-Star catcher at the time.

Being a pilot has numerous advantages come vacation time, as Mr. Scholl pointed out. “We have a 1970 automobile and it only has about 40,000 miles on it. We fly on all our vacations,” he said.

Although he no longer owns his own aircraft, Mr. Scholl said that he can usually borrow a plane whenever he wants. He made it clear that he will continue to fly for a long time to come.

Mr. Scholl’s den is decorated with needlepoint works of airplanes and numerous magazines about flying were scattered on a couch. He had several scrap books in a nearby closet and plucked an old poster from one of them.

The poster probably dated back to 1910 or so and on it was bold print exhorting readers to “Take A Flight.” In the middle of the poster sat a pilot named H. Roy Waite. He was perched in the “cockpit” of an open-air Burgess-Wright Biplane.

Mr. Waite is now 92 years old and a frequent visitor to Norwood Airport, even though he no longer flies. “Now there’s someone you ought to interview,” said Mr. Scholl, the charter pilot who has logged better than 14,590 hours in the air.

George A. Scholl’s life as a charter pilot is one of adventure and excitement, but also of routine and responsibility. With over 30 years of experience, he has hauled passengers and cargo all over the globe, including notable figures such as President John F. Kennedy and Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk.

Despite his impressive credentials, Mr. Scholl remains humble and downplays his achievements. He is a true professional, always putting the needs of his clients first. His dedication to flying is evident in every aspect of his life, from his extensive collection of aviation magazines to his numerous scrapbooks filled with memories of his time in the air.

As he continues to fly for many years to come, Mr. Scholl’s legacy as a charter pilot will only continue to grow. He is a true pioneer in the field, and his contributions to the world of aviation will not be forgotten.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger