THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 14, 1994 TAG: 9408110192
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 57 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY McWILLIAMS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
IN A BROCHURE touting the seaplane service, there is a ``guarantee of safe flying based on pilot experience.''
The chief pilot of the plane that takes sightseers around the Outer Banks and lands on land and water? That's Terry Beacham, retired Coast Guard captain with 6,000 hours of flying time.
The friendly, modest Beacham makes no claims to fame; he just professes a lifelong devotion to aviation. Born and raised in Kitty Hawk, Beacham grew up hearing his father tell about watching Orville and Wilbur Wright conduct their flight experiments.
``Being from Kitty Hawk, I had a natural interest in flying,'' Beacham said.
As far back as he can recall, Beacham read every aviation book he could find. He was at North Carolina State studying industrial management before he actually ever got to fly.
For a high school freshman assignment, he had to write about what he would be when he grew up, and he chose the life of a Coast Guard pilot, ``which is exactly what I wound up doing,'' Beacham said.
His pull to the Coast Guard was strong; his grandfather served in the U.S. Lifesaving Service (the Coast Guard's predecessor) and his father was in the Coast Guard. Beacham liked the idea that the Coast Guard performed humanitarian service; it wasn't just a training ground for war.
In his 27-year Coast Guard career, Beacham flew helicopters and all kinds of planes. He was based in New Orleans, Japan, Savannah, Alaska, Miami and three different times in Elizabeth City, the last as commanding officer of the Coast Guard Station.
Beacham has performed hundreds of rescues, but he modestly says today, ``I try to forget the close calls. It's very hazardous picking people off boats. I remember the ones where we saved people's lives.''
He credits the Coast Guard with excellent pilot training and a near-perfect maintenance program for the successes he had. ``It was rare when we couldn't actually complete a mission. We operated the aircraft to its limit.''
Sinking boats, overdue vessels, injured fishermen, medical evacuations, searches and drug patrols kept Beacham occupied. One of his favorite assignments was on the international ice patrol at St. John's, Newfoundland, when he helped plot positions of icebergs in the North Atlantic. Another memorable experience was flying supplies into Monrovia during the Liberian civil war.
``I liked the variety,'' he said. ``We always stopped what we were doing to rescue somebody,'' he said, ``even in hurricanes.''
As for bravery, Beacham said he never considered it. ``I just thought I was well trained to do what I was doing and I always felt adequately prepared.''
Beacham admits to having had some uncomfortable feelings at times. ``Little things could go wrong and it could end in disaster but due to training and confidence in the aircraft I felt the odds were stacked in my favor. I felt afraid many times but it never stopped me from doing what I had to do.''
Now flying a 1972 Lake Amphibian seaplane for a friend who operates AM Aviation Seaplane Tours, Beacham finds this type of flying very enjoyable. ``I don't go out when I'm not comfortable and I fly when I want to fly. It's a whole different ballgame. I have control of the situation and I don't have to push the limits.''
Taking tourists for sightseeing tours and exciting landings in area waters (the sounds, East Lake, Kitty Hawk Bay) suits Beacham fine. He welcomed the opportunity to fly again two years after his retirement.
Retiring hasn't led to an inactive life for the 51-year-old Beacham. He has been in New Mexico and Louisiana working with tethered air ships that are used for radar control in drug trafficking.
Beacham hasn't decided what to do next, but he will definitely help out with the seaplane flights the rest of this season. His home is in Elizabeth City with his wife and two children.
He likes the challenge of landing and taking off from water. ``It's a little bit more difficult,'' he said. Beacham has seen a complete spectrum of customers, from pilots who want to try a water landing to people who've never flown before.
Although Beacham wouldn't have predicted that he'd be doing this, he said he never rules anything out. ``It's neat to be at Kitty Hawk and to show people the area where I grew up. I'm doing it more for the fun of it than for a job.''
A flight with Beacham is proof of that statement. Hitting Currituck Sound at 80 mph, Beacham is all concentration and professionalism. He follows his checklist; he wears an inflatable life preserver. Then, he looks up to reveal a big, happy grin. ``I enjoy this as much as the passengers do,'' he said. MEMO: For information on AM Aviation's Seaplane Tours, call 255-0222.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Float plane pilot Terry Beacham, a retired Coast Guard captain, zips
his aircraft close to the water over Kitty Hawk Bay during an
excursion over the Outer Banks.
by CNB