Featured Pilots of the SJ Aviation Museum: Vicki Thalacker and the San Juan Eagles

Pilot Vicky Thalacker – Contributed photo

On Sunday, the San Juan Aviation Museum will recognize and pay tribute to Vicki Thalacker and a group of San Juan Eagles volunteer pilots for their service of flying cancer patients to the mainland for treatment. Islanders are invited to celebrate this occasion at a reception held at Brickworks, 150 Nichols Street, on Sunday, April 22nd at 2:00 p.m.

The San Juan Eagles provide personalized air transportation to cancer patients in gaining access to mainland medical facilities. Round trip flights are made year round, subject to weather restrictions, between San Juan Island and the mainland. All of this is done on a voluntary basis without charge. The goal is to help patients with cancer deal with the burdens of treatment and improve their quality of life over the course of treatment.

Vicki started the group in 2003 and flew the first patient. She continued to fly actively until 2008, and has since coordinated the continuation of flights, pilots and patients. To date the group has completed over 1,500 flights primarily for cancer treatment in Mt. Vernon or Bellingham.

What would otherwise be all day travel by car and ferry, (usually 5 days a week for up to six weeks) is often converted to just three hours by flying.

As the founder of the San Juan Eagles and by virtue of her being a leader and a positive force in the community over a 15-year period, Vicky, and all of the participating pilots of the San Juan Eagles, are well deserving of being honored on the Honor Wall selection in 2018 at the San Juan Aviation Museum.

About the San Juan Aviation Museum:

The San Juan Aviation Museum records the history of aviation in the San Juan Islands since the early years after World War II when Roy Franklin first established scheduled air service linking San Juan Island with our neighboring islands and the mainland. As a living museum, displays are added each year to honor featured pilots who have made major contributions to this community and to aviation. This project, started in 2008, is jointly sponsored by the San Juan Pilots Association and the Port of Friday Harbor.

We hope that Islanders will join us at Brickworks on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in this celebration of our history. Light refreshments will be served.

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