Tribute, Jed Johnson

We lost an aviator and friend recently.??Jed Johnson passed away unexpectedly at home, just after Christmas. It’s the sort of telephone call that knocks you back a step, and which requires one to sit down.??Reflection, of course, always follows.

I’ll never know what caused me to reenter the building I had just exited after an interview at Denver’s Centennial Airport long ago.?Three rooms down on the left, a man towered over his desk.??“Do you have a minute?” I inquired.??He did, and for the next 20 years, hardly a day or two would go by without Jed and I communicating in some form or fashion.?

We spoke of the things that you might imagine conservative, driven, aviation professionals living in the mountain west might speak of.??What you quickly noticed with Jed was his ability to comprehend very complicated subjects, and to render meaningful observations in a clear, concise and confident manner. He was an intelligent man and spoke with the conviction and certainty of someone that had thought matters through, in an almost professorial sort of way.

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Jed was first and foremostly a pilot.?He wore a flying machine the way you and I might wear a favorite jacket, effortlessly.?He was the sort of pilot you wanted flying your family, the kind that makes you feel better when there’s weather, darkness or high terrain around.?Jed spent a lifetime digging into the minutiae of airplanes and the mysteries of their inner machinations.?He was able to retain and articulate matters surrounding flight operations with great depth and expertise.?He was instrumental in the success of the Pilatus PC-12 and PC-24 products in North America, with two lengthy stints as Chief Pilot at that company’s USA facility.?He spent countless hours helping hundreds of customers with these airplanes and was in high demand as an instructor, mentor and guest speaker at events.??He had achieved a level of competence and expertise, that we imagine ourselves obtaining when we first learn to fly, and we looked up to him for it.??Not just as a pilot, but as a true aviator.??There is a difference, and Jed wanted you to understand that.

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The business of aviation is often times a collision between the rigid reality of producing a highly complicated machine and the varying human emotions of the customers that use these products.??Within this nine-layer casserole, Jed was able to dig a few layers deeper than most and understand what makes people do what people tend to do.??He understood what makes people tick.??We joked that he often knew what customers would do, even before they woke up and did those very things.?Conversely, he wasn’t shy about presenting a customer’s perspective to anyone that might need encouragement to view things through a different lens.?Invested and fully present, Jed was outstanding at building bridges with people, and wanted you to have a positive experience.??

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It has been said that Jed was a manly man.?There wasn’t a lot of nonsense or wasted time.??He preferred a simple whiskey drink and reveled in a good meal.?When he wasn’t flying, he enjoyed the outdoors greatly.??Skiing, fishing, ice hockey, photography, walking his two dogs, and time aboard his BMW motorcycle were among his favorite activities.?Even there it was hard for him to get away;?the mountain wanted him on ski patrol, the company wanted his help getting the impossible aviation pictures and NBC Sports wanted their camera men on the back of his motorcycle so they could film.??It seemed everyone wanted a piece of Jed and he graciously always seemed to oblige.??Jed was busy but was the sort of friend that was genuinely happy to see you succeed and never too busy to talk about the occasional disappointments that are part of growth.??Conversations rarely lasted less than 45 minutes, matters would be thoroughly explored, and conclusions drawn.?????

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Our sense of loss on this is hard to stomach.??But it pales in comparison to what his family must feel, for this was sudden.?Our hearts are full of compassion for his wife Liz, he loved her very much.?A brother he was fond of, survives him.??His midwestern parents, married 60 years earlier this year, were instrumental in forming Jed’s character, integrity and work ethic and have much to be proud of.??May they each feel our loving kindness and empathy.

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Jed wasn’t ready to leave this world.?We weren’t ready for this, either.?One can only surmise that, having accomplished so much, he was called away by God to help with a new challenge, one that required a very special person.??Jed is above now, undoubtedly lecturing the angels on shortcomings in their vertical navigation, as they fly on.??I’m not sure what I’m going to do without my friend. But I can’t wait to see what mission was so important, that he had to leave so suddenly. Until then, Jed Johnson will be profoundly missed.