Robert Lance McAfee Sr.

I just saw this. Robert was a good friend of my Grandpa's in the Navy. He wrote a message on memory of my Grandpa and it saddens me to see that he just passed away recently. May he rest in peace with God Almighty.

Lance and I were classmates at Norfolk's Granby High School 1962-63. He had a driver's license and bought a 1951 (or so) Plymouth with no back to its front seat. He lived on Norfolk's Naval Air Station in his father's Captain's Quarters. We visited the Naval Base woodworking hobby shop and gym regularly. He was a horse groom among other sidelines. He was the most memorable of my youthful buddies, and I was deeply saddened to learn of his passing. My condolences to his family and friends. Michael Hoke.

I only met Lance once in the early 2000´s. I departed PDK one Sunday afternoon and a few minutes into the flight, my engine started running rough. I hit "nearest" on my 430 and was soon on the ground at an airport northwest of Atlanta. I´d announced my situation on ctaf inbound and Lance was there to meet me when I crawled out of my plane, more than a little unnerved. I hadn´t expected someone to be there on a Sunday, but soon he had my cowling off and we ran the engine through its paces while he kept a check on my cylinder temps. Ultimately, we concurred it must have been water in the fuel that had passed through, with the engine roughness never returning during our trouble shooting. Lance refused any compensation for his time and work in helping me get back in the air and on with my flight. I was so fortunate he was there, and never forgot his kindness, or his name. I was thinking about that flight and decided to look him up today, and sadly found his obituary. I am too late to thank him, so I´m sharing this story instead. My condolences to his friends and family and all who actually knew him.

Lance was the Captain on my very first flight with Phoenix Air way back in 1986. RIP my friend.