Kai Hetschel Memorial 3 of 4 June 1984 - October 2004 Aviation, Pearson Air Museum Vancouver Wa
Kai Hetschel, June 22, 1984 - October 29, 2004. Piloting an airplane.
Memorial took place at Pearson Air Museum in Vancouver, WA.
Obituary; Pastor Ronald Watson
Rememberances by Mr. John Pike
Tom Clark director at Pearson and personal friend, soon RIP.
Recorded November 2004
"That's Ok. Oil is my perfume." - Kai
I have 2 micro audio tapes upon request I could have that digitized.
Better Youtube copy of memorial with photos added; https://youtu.be/dK_uaIl6_GQ
Kai Hetschel, June 22, 1984 - October 29, 2004. Piloting an airplane.
Memorial took place at Pearson Air Museum in Vancouver, WA.
Obituary; Pastor Ronald Watson
Rememberances by Mr. John Pike
Tom Clark director at Pearson and personal friend, soon RIP.
Recorded November 2004
"That's Ok. Oil is my perfume." - Kai
I have 2 micro audio tapes upon request I could have that digitized.
Better Youtube copy of memorial with photos added; https://youtu.be/dK_uaIl6_GQ
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00She was a little bit of a stroke hitter, anyway.
00:03I actually met her so many...
00:05You know, we're thinking about her, like,
00:07we're going to be getting all upset,
00:08and we all want the same thing.
00:09We're thinking about her.
00:10I admire everything about her.
00:12She had her own world,
00:14but she was really able to love,
00:16and support, and compassion.
00:18I've learned so much from Kai,
00:20and she was there,
00:22so she was, you know,
00:24she was fabulous.
00:27Hi, my name is Megan,
00:29and I have a friend called Rachel,
00:31and she just gave me a little bit of her story
00:33from her childhood,
00:35and if you guys want to know anything else about her,
00:37she really is,
00:39she really did want to be
00:41the best sister
00:43that I could be,
00:44for a long time.
00:54My name is Tiffany,
00:56and I work with Kai at Gallaudet,
00:58and all of a sudden,
01:00Sarah called me and told me
01:02about Kai,
01:04and I absolutely lost it,
01:06because I thought about all those little times
01:08where, you know, you're in the house,
01:10and the servers, you know,
01:12you're busy, you get upset,
01:14and you take care of people,
01:16and, you know, people care about everybody,
01:18and I just can't, you know,
01:20stop them,
01:22and every moment I remember,
01:24people came to me,
01:26and I was like, ah,
01:28I wish people would want to see that.
01:30Because I realized that
01:32being upset,
01:34and feeling like that,
01:36is just not worth it.
01:38I mean, if she told me to just not take care of people,
01:40I would just be glad I never did.
01:54Right over here.
01:56Right over here.
02:04Just give the microphone to my friend.
02:06My name is
02:08Mark, and I'm the operations manager
02:10for UC Anchor.
02:12I've been in the museum for about a year,
02:14just a little over a year now,
02:16and
02:18I've met so many wonderful people
02:20through the museum,
02:22which is why I love it,
02:24the wonderful people that I've met through the museum,
02:26the people she worked with at the
02:28Gallagher,
02:30and the people she went to school with,
02:32over in Florida.
02:34I kind of introduced her to as many
02:36aviation people as I could,
02:38because I could see a spirit
02:40in Kai.
02:42Her time here on Earth
02:44was going to be fully devoted
02:46to God,
02:48and becoming an airliner.
02:50And everything that she did
02:52seemed to be working towards those two goals.
02:54So,
02:56one of the people I introduced her to
02:58was a young lady
03:00by the name of
03:02Kristen Squall,
03:04Captain Kristen Squall,
03:06who is a, she's a captain
03:08for a
03:12for a regional airline
03:14based out of Portland.
03:16And, let's see,
03:18I didn't get to meet her today,
03:20but I spent about an hour on the phone with her
03:22to talk about Kai,
03:24and how I knew
03:26that she had been visiting
03:28and how
03:30Kristen,
03:32because she was with Kai.
03:34And so,
03:36it was just a few paragraphs,
03:38but I'm going to read it to you.
03:40It says,
03:42In memory of Kai,
03:44After checking into my hotel room
03:46and completing my client data,
03:48I received a phone call from my mom
03:50telling me about an airplane crash
03:52in New England.
03:54I was devastated to hear about the crash
03:56and found out that it was Kai.
03:58I felt sick
04:00immediately.
04:02I feel sick next to me every time
04:04I think about Kai.
04:06I'm currently an airline captain
04:08for a regional airline based out of Portland,
04:10and we're here in Brazil.
04:12It was eight years ago
04:14that I was in the same position
04:16as Kai. I was 19 years old
04:18when I tried to complete my commercial license.
04:20My whole life
04:22revolved around airplanes and flying.
04:24Every time I think of him,
04:26I see myself
04:28such a short time ago.
04:31I met Kai
04:33on September 4th,
04:352004,
04:37the date that
04:39Christy Walsh and I
04:41was awaiting here at the museum.
04:43We were so excited
04:45to meet each other
04:47and look forward to seeing each other again.
04:49My wedding reception
04:51was at the Pierce Air Museum
04:53and Kai came to the museum to welcome me in.
04:55She was so excited to talk to me
04:57about flying and about becoming a
04:59airline captain. I still remember
05:01the world we were facing the first time we met.
05:03She was leaving and
05:05couldn't wait to discuss her goals
05:07of becoming an airline captain.
05:09Unfortunately, we never got to have
05:11much of that discussion.
05:13Although I didn't get to
05:15spend a lot of time with Kai,
05:17I felt like we'd known each other
05:19for years because of our love for flying
05:21and what we shared.
05:23We had so much
05:25in common.
05:27Kai has touched the lives of
05:29a lot of people here at the museum.
05:33She was the type of person
05:35that will never be forgotten.
05:37She had
05:39drive, ambition, goals, and perseverance.
05:41Most of it just goes on
05:43and on. Her loss
05:45is a great tragedy
05:47to all who knew her.
05:49It breaks my heart to know that such a person
05:51like Kai lost her life
05:53at such a young age.
05:55She had so much
05:57She had so much more to accomplish
05:59than that.
06:01Just listen to me.
06:03I will never forget Kai
06:05as I progressed in my
06:07airline career, I will continue
06:09to think of Kai
06:11by every 20 years of being captain
06:13of the big boats,
06:15the 747s.
06:19Kai will be right up there
06:21with me every step of the way
06:23because that was
06:25what drew me here.
06:27I will never forget her.
06:29I will never forget her.
06:33Campus is no
06:35exception.
06:39Now
06:41I'm trying to go to school
06:43with this mask on.
06:45I'm trying to
06:47make my way to
06:49school where it's
06:51tight except
06:53one hand at a time because she
06:55didn't get her arm around the
06:57cashier. It was difficult for her to
06:59write. So she wrote that letter
07:01in her hand because she didn't get
07:03her school signs.
07:05I got to know Kai.
07:07I got good grades.
07:09I wrote her last couple of weeks
07:11about the adversity
07:13that Kai went through.
07:15She was going out.
07:17Incredible. She had
07:19a number of people
07:21who knew
07:23Captain Pierce gave her a letter.
07:25It was a book by Kai.
07:27She had a light bulb
07:29come on.
07:31It was Kai.
07:33Everyone at Kai
07:35uses that expression.
07:37It was
07:39really true.
07:45Her experience
07:47here at the museum
07:49has been deep
07:51because
07:53I knew
07:55that Kai lost her dad
07:57when she was
07:59a little girl.
08:03I grew up
08:05in a fine home life.
08:07I was
08:09kind of
08:11a pain.
08:13I was a servant
08:15to Kai.
08:17I killed the most
08:19lizards in her life.
08:21It was very easy.
08:23She pulled
08:25in that letter.
08:31I thought for hours
08:33I was going to start doing it.
08:35I'll get out of the way.
08:37I did a little story
08:39about a skydiving fish.
08:41It just blew my mind.
08:43It sounded
08:45like a true skydive.
08:47She was doing that.
08:49Her other nickname
08:51was
08:53wrong way catcher.
08:55There's a few people
08:57in the room who remember
08:59Kai.
09:01Kai had just gotten her
09:03private license.
09:05Before
09:07I went to the museum
09:09to work with us
09:11for the show.
09:13They were going to
09:15fly back
09:17after they
09:19opened the
09:21museum.
09:33She was going to have to fly back
09:35to Tokyo.
09:37She was really
09:39going to have to fly back.
09:41She got her
09:43landings.
09:49She got a little
09:51150 and fired her
09:53back up.
09:55It was a beautiful
09:57blue-lit night.
09:59The clouds were
10:01warm evening.
10:03Some of those guys
10:05grabbed her and gave her
10:07a little
10:09whistle.
10:11The whistle she had
10:13just added so much
10:15to her charm.
10:17That was one of the
10:19first things she had to do
10:21when she was a child.
10:23Years and years and years
10:25before people could understand what she was saying.
10:27She made a list.
10:29She made
10:31a very practical list.
10:33She took off
10:35She took off
10:37and you're supposed to
10:39carry her through procedures
10:41and contact all the tower
10:43to get a big triplet
10:45of vitriol covers
10:47that cover the whole tower.
10:49Then they
10:51had to switch back to
10:53the common
10:55frequency
10:57of the person. She got her
10:59vitriol covers and
11:01the controllers
11:03and they could
11:05apply some airspace and
11:07the frequency change improved.
11:09We changed positions
11:11and I got back
11:13on the radio
11:15and asked if she was
11:17going to take off.
11:19She took off to the west
11:21and got up there
11:23and initiated
11:25a 90-degree turn
11:27or a crosswind turn
11:29and then
11:31another 90-degree turn
11:33and downwind
11:35and we're looking at
11:37a 10-kilowatt 180-degree
11:39turn over the wall.
11:41It turns out it was
11:43about 270 degrees
11:45instead of 180.
11:47She did 270.
11:49Wow.
11:51Oh gosh.
11:53In the classroom
11:55I pat her on the tail
11:57and said,
11:59Oh watch out.
12:01It's going to be beautiful tonight.
12:03I really didn't see it terribly
12:05from the lights on.
12:07It's kind of hard to see in the airport
12:09but hey, we're in front of a radio.
12:11Can you keep an eye
12:13on the light? I'm supposed to turn
12:15the lights on.
12:17It appears to be running the lights.
12:19Well, the lights are on right now
12:21and I'm going to make a fire splash or something.
12:23I don't know if you can hear it.
12:25Laughter
12:27So
12:29there was a guy passing by
12:31and he said,
12:33I don't think Portland is the most
12:35competitive city in America.
12:37I think we should give her a call
12:39and work with the language people behind her.
12:41Laughter
12:43So
12:45I passed by
12:47and looked at the radio
12:49and they said
12:51there's going to be a fire
12:53and everybody
12:55is
12:57to the north
12:59180 degrees to your position
13:01and I'm
13:0317 to 19
13:05there
13:07was Portland radio
13:09on the frequency
13:11time to time
13:13aircraft
13:15circling
13:17north of Portland
13:19are you lost?
13:21Laughter
13:23Laughter
13:27Portland tower
13:29this is Cessna
13:31185
13:33you want to know what I lost? I just can't find the airport.
13:35Laughter
13:37Laughter
13:39Laughter
13:41Laughter
13:43I haven't mentioned that plan yet
13:45but I'm going to.
13:47Laughter
13:49So we'll be very sure
13:51she found
13:53the airport
13:57and they told her
13:59don't hesitate to give us a call
14:01because we're here to help.
14:03And she
14:05never agreed.
14:07I'm sure all
14:09pilots have done something like that
14:11I don't know how many
14:13pilots in the world have done it
14:15but I know that we all have.
14:17And
14:19time goes by
14:21I'm sure
14:23Chris and I have a lot
14:25but
14:27I'm sure the rest of you
14:29remember this is a thing
14:31we don't need
14:33in the long run.
14:35Especially pilots.
14:37Same thing I said
14:39I didn't say anything
14:41but
14:43Laughter
14:45Thank you
14:47for sharing.
14:49Also thank you for setting up
14:51and making this all possible.
14:53In the
14:55convention area we would have
14:57had
14:59a family members meeting
15:01and so for some of you
15:03that didn't fly as a pilot
15:05you perhaps don't know the family.
15:07They're a
15:09mom and a sister
15:11and a cousin
15:13and a brother
15:15Lonnie.
15:17Lonnie has prepared
15:19some pictures
15:21and they're on screen
15:23and it's on slideshow
15:25so it's just
15:27cycling through.
15:29And we'd like to invite you
15:31to go and see some pictures
15:33of pilots throughout your life.
15:35And then
15:37we see one displacer
15:39here.
15:4160 seconds or less.
15:43Can you tell us why
15:45there's a museum right here?
15:47Right there.
15:49Oh we're
15:51going to share both now.
15:53I don't even know where regular was.
15:55Okay regular
15:57is blue 1903
15:59here's the field that I started
16:01in 2005.
16:03Here's the field where the oldest
16:05contingent highway area in the country
16:07is located.
16:11I don't have a manual
16:13so
16:15I'll come around one day.
16:17Next year it's going to be the first
16:19centennial university
16:21in a hundred years
16:23to continue its operation here.
16:25The reason the museum is here
16:27is to continue to make sure
16:29that the career of this people continues
16:31into the future
16:33as the oldest
16:35contingent highway area
16:37in the country.
16:39And the reason
16:41we're here
16:43is to help save the ocean
16:45and make sure
16:47it's safe.
16:51We're all
16:53all
16:55we've got
16:57about a dozen
16:59airplanes on display
17:01today.
17:03That
17:05that was a
17:07that was a
17:09that was a
17:11that was a
17:13that was a
17:15that was a
17:17that was a
17:19that was a
17:21that was a
17:23that was a
17:25that was a
17:27that was a
17:29that was a
17:31that was a
17:33that was a
17:35that was a
17:37that was a
17:39that was a
17:41that was a
17:43that was a
17:45that was a
17:47that was a
17:49that was a
17:51that was a
17:53that was a
17:55that was a
17:57that was a
17:59That's the most significant
18:01plan that we've come up with.
18:03Learning to fly had great
18:05consequences for her.
18:07She loved to fly. Being able to lift off
18:09earth and soar like a bird
18:11is very thrilling.
18:13Understanding lift and air speed
18:15is what got her to be out of control
18:17and et cetera. Took hours of study
18:19along with her assistant
18:21free-stick flying in Solo.
18:23How many people here get flying
18:25free-stick flying?
18:27I see a couple
18:29of hands up.
18:31I can hear them.
18:33For coming
18:35to flying was embarrassing.
18:37Even more so since it was
18:39a time when the flight day was closed
18:41so it was not a great gesture
18:43to see her get her seat into the car.
18:45I was praying
18:47that Jesus would show her where she is
18:49today.
18:51How has it happened that it's comfortable
18:53to land with friends today?
18:55All of us will pray to Jesus
18:57and ask him to give us who also
18:59would have a key way to fly
19:01for eternity.
19:03No one can save her.
19:05It would hurt it.
19:07What's the most significant
19:09thing you've ever done in your life?
19:11My marriage to Linda
19:13in 1968 was very significant
19:15in my life.
19:17She's been my combat
19:19and courage and best friend for 34 years.
19:21Our marriage produced
19:23three children who went to Sunday school
19:25with five-day clubs who eventually took me.
19:27I entered the ministry
19:29in 1975 and decided
19:31to enter the church of Lincoln City.
19:33It's very significant in my life
19:35because it's given me a place to serve for 29 years.
19:37But, the most significant
19:39thing I did in my life,
19:41more significant than marrying Linda
19:43and producing my family,
19:45more passionate, is when I got to
19:47use this as a way of making up my sin.
19:49Asking Jesus for forgiveness
19:51is more significant
19:53because that determines where
19:55I'm going to spend eternity.
19:57Eternity is a long,
19:59long time.
20:01What's the most significant thing
20:03you've ever done in your life?
20:05Graduating from high school?
20:07Graduating from college?
20:09Is it to get your finances
20:11fixed? Or is it
20:13asking Jesus to forgive your sins
20:15in order to go to heaven?
20:17What's the most significant thing
20:19you've ever done to comfort your family
20:21and friends and your love?
20:23When you enter
20:25eternity, will Jesus welcome you into heaven?
20:27Has your sins been forgiven?
20:29Is he welcoming you to God right now?
20:31The time of eternity
20:33is now. Awaken, Jesus. Awaken, God.
20:35Awaken the immunities of people.
20:37Awaken, Jesus, for salvation
20:39is an extremely important
20:41choice.
20:43Christians look forward to going to heaven
20:45and saying happy songs about God.
20:47That's what Lyndon would do.
20:49Saying, I'll fly there.
20:51Happy song.
20:53Christians look forward to dying
20:55because we'll go to heaven.
20:57Be with Jesus and all the others in heaven.
20:59Christians don't look forward to other people dying.
21:01We look forward to our own death
21:03and going to heaven.
21:05Or even the statistical tables
21:07the insurance industry uses.
21:09I'll die before most people
21:11because I'm 61 years old.
21:13Or the statistical tables.
21:15I could still be alive
21:17in 2055.
21:19Half a century from now.
21:21I'm glad she chose
21:23to accept Jesus when she did.
21:25Rather than wait
21:27until she was my age.
21:29She never believed it.
21:31I die, I'll fly
21:33to heaven to be with Jesus.
21:35My father, one of my grandmothers,
21:37Lyndon's father, my grandparents,
21:39Lyndon's two sisters who died as an infant
21:41at the time, and many others.
21:43Who's to tell me
21:45that I would like to spend
21:47eternity with?
21:49What about my friends and relatives
21:51waiting for eternity when I die in heaven
21:53with Jesus?
21:55Well, I can't change the facts.
21:57But I can make sure
21:59that if I were to spend eternity
22:01I'm going to spend eternity
22:03in heaven.
22:05I'd like to help end the wait
22:07for Jesus to forgive us
22:09so that she can spend eternity in heaven.
22:11Jesus, child,
22:13and many others.
22:15Kai's been waiting for her all this year.
22:17She's happy to be with Jesus.
22:19Can you be happy
22:21to be in heaven with Jesus?
22:23Can't be?
22:25If Kai's aware of what's going on right now
22:27we could make her even happier.
22:29I would be
22:31happier if every one of us
22:33chose to go to heaven with her.
22:35Choose to go to heaven
22:37without some other choices
22:39as well.
22:41We must choose to humble ourselves
22:43in the faith that we've sinned.
22:45But we're not the only sinners.
22:47Bible says all who sin
22:49will fall short of the Lord.
22:51Committing a new sin is an easy choice.
22:53Asking Jesus to
22:55forgive us is an easy choice.
22:57But asking Jesus to come
22:59in and take control of our life
23:01is a harder choice
23:03because Satan wants us to think
23:05that we're Christians.
23:07I was a Christian
23:09who asked Jesus to come into my life
23:11and take control.
23:13Was Kai sad that he walked around
23:15feeling sorry for herself
23:17because God was taking all the fun out of her?
23:19No.
23:21Kai was happily
23:23right in the room with her
23:25working this line.
23:27She loved how light God was
23:29leading her.
23:31She loved you.
23:33She loved the Father.
23:35As an Air Force officer,
23:37I received military intelligence training.
23:39Senator McCain
23:41and other pilots who were taken to prison
23:43were tortured so that the enemy
23:45wouldn't be able to take information.
23:47U.S. Air Force
23:49has many documented cases
23:51where pilots with strong Christian faith
23:53made it through torture
23:55and imprisonment much better
23:57than those with no Christian faith.
23:59I asked
24:01the intelligence officer
24:03for this training.
24:05If pilots who have a strong Christian faith
24:07survive torture,
24:09why doesn't the Air Force choose only pilots
24:11who have a strong Christian faith?
24:13The Air Force only chooses pilots
24:15with excellent health,
24:17flying ability, etc.
24:19He said, we can't do that.
24:21The Air Force
24:23invests thousands of dollars
24:25preparing pilots to fly,
24:27improving pilots' physical condition,
24:29training their minds,
24:31and providing dangerous conditions
24:33even when they are spiritually
24:35unprepared.
24:37That doesn't seem fair to the pilots,
24:39nor appropriate use
24:41of funds and assets to me.
24:43But how many of us
24:45civilians and German pilots
24:47own a plane while we are
24:49or were spiritually unprepared?
24:53There are a lot of ways to get to Libya
24:55from Vancouver,
24:57but there's only one way from heaven.
24:59Jesus wants all of us
25:01to come and join Him in heaven.
25:03That's how He told us the one and only picture.
25:05He spoke of Himself and He said,
25:07I am the way, the truth, and the life.
25:09No one comes to the Father
25:11except to me.
25:13Jesus is in the
25:15construction business. He said, I go and
25:17prepare a place for you.
25:19Jesus created a prepared place
25:21for us on earth, and
25:23a prepared place for us in heaven.
25:25I didn't choose
25:27what I would try to write about the earth,
25:29but I knew that I could choose
25:31to get by going to heaven.
25:33And I decided to follow Jesus,
25:35and so was Kai.
25:37She's there, and many of us are excited
25:39to follow Jesus and go to heaven too.
25:41How will we get there?
25:43Sometime after we pray
25:45and ask Jesus for forgiveness,
25:47we will fly away.
25:49When we fly away,
25:51how do we know where to go
25:53to get to heaven?
25:55Jesus said,
25:57I'll come and get you.
25:59In the early 1900's,
26:01my grandfather left England
26:03and sailed to Canada.
26:05After two years,
26:07he sent her to Edith.
26:09She sailed for a year and a half
26:11after they married.
26:13They had hardly another money in the way
26:15for each to cross the Atlantic once.
26:17It wasn't long before we would go back
26:19and get to Edith.
26:21My grandmother had to cross the Atlantic
26:23on her way out of the ship
26:25and going to a place that she would never see.
26:27When we fly away to heaven,
26:29Jesus comes and hits us
26:31and doesn't cost us anything,
26:33but costs Jesus everything
26:35that he had at his time in his life.
26:37The folks in the lower left
26:39are called both the Church
26:41and the Bride of Christ.
26:43The Bride of Christ comes
26:45and hits us.