| But
of all the flights he's made as an Air Force pilot for
VIPs, one of his most memorable occurred on Sept. 11,
2001. Hargrove was in Florida flying a back-up airplane
for President George Bush. His job that day was to fly
the president if there was a problem with Air Force One. |
| "It
was a very casual day. I was literally sitting in the
cockpit, drinking a cup of coffee when another pilot got
a call from his girlfriend in D.C.," Hargrove recalled
recently from Andrews Air Force Base. |
| Hearing
about the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon, the pilots
turned on the radio and heard the reports like everyone
else. Then Air Force One called and told Hargrove to fly
to Louisiana where the president was heading. |
| "Probably
the eeriest thing about it was having permission to fly
after all aircraft had been grounded," Hargrove said.
"We were alone in the sky." |
| When
he returned to Andrews Air Force Base that evening, Hargrove
saw smoke billowing from the Pentagon and fighter planes
on true combat missions circling overhead. He worried
about his family and his many friends who worked at the
Pentagon. |
| "There
was a very somber and extremely serious attitude on the
radio," Hargrove said. |
| Hargrove,
now nearing retirement and hoping to return to Bozeman,
has been stationed at Andrews Air Force Base for six years
and has been commander of the 1st Airlift Squadron at
Andrews. He previously flew cargo planes in the Gulf War
and taught mechanical engineering at the U.S. Air Force
Academy. With the vice president his primary passenger,
he has since flown to more than 80 countries. He is currently
deputy commander of more than 700 people and 37 aircraft
flying the nation's highest-ranking VIPs. |
| The
job feeds his love of traveling, a trait he picked up
from his father's years as an Air Force pilot, Hargrove
said. He is the son of Don, '56 AgSci, and Eloise
Hargrove of Bozeman. The job is also stimulating, rewarding
and challenging, he added. |
|
"Fun isn't the right word to describe the job, but, rather,
'satisfying,'" Hargrove commented. |
