Douglas and Shirley Parrott have been Musselshell County residents since 1972. Driving East on Hwy 12, I drove to Doug and his wife Shirley's home along the scenic Musselshell River. His home overlooks the beautiful Musselshell river and valley. Doug is 94 years young, retired from a long career as a Northwest Orient pilot, and is the current head of the Roundup Airport Board.
I asked Doug to tell me a little about his career and how he became a pilot. Doug enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and began flying an airplane known as the Stearman. He learned air navigation, weather, flight planning, Morse code, aerodynamics, and more, earning the rank of Aviation Cadet at $50 per month. After the war had ended, the aviation industry in the United States was the largest manufacturing industry in the world. During this time, Doug, working towards his career, utilized the G.I. Bill and became a flight instructor. Doug went on to do flight instruction, work weather stations, as well as spraying and dusting from airplanes. In 1952, Doug accepted a pilot position with United Airlines. In 1953 he joined Northwest Airlines. His first flight on a DC-4 went from Minneapolis to Billings with a stop in Fargo. In November of 1961, Doug flew his first flight with the Orient, a career that continues till retirement in 1985.
Doug recalls to me that during his career, it was "The Greatest Time to Fly." The beginning and rapidly changing industry of aviation that has taken place throughout his career. He recalls to me that one of his greatest memories was meeting aviation pioneer, Charles Lindberg in 1968. Doug memorializes this meeting in his autobiography titled, "The Greatest Time to Fly."
Doug met and married Shirley in 1950, and they are still enjoying life together to this day.
Doug and Shirley have three sons, all having grown up flying, and continuing in their father's path. Doug and Shirley bought a ranch in Musselshell County in 1972, after flying over the area many times. After settling in the area, Doug never stopped flying. Aside from keeping his career through retirement, Doug started volunteering in the community. One of Doug's favorite memories from his book. His son Jeff and he flew over the Roundup football field, dropping boiled eggs with little parachutes attached for students in a science class experiment. He also gave rides for the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum Benefit in 1997 at ten dollars apiece.
Doug has his plane, runway, and at 94, is the current Head of the Roundup Airport Board. Doug said the most significant opportunity for business growth in our airport is for crop dusting. Our airport mostly services business flyers and emergency services. Roundup Airport has a good reputation and does well as a stop for refueling.
It is always surprising to me the array of talented people in our community. We often mistake thinking that we are only a farm and ranch community. While that is the primary backbone of our community, it is always a pleasure to find those unique individuals such as Doug, who make our community so colorful and varied.
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