Release #: FR0617
June 17, 2015

Flying's In Their Blood

Among pilots, the special bond that develops between pilots who have the opportunity to fly heavy metal with their dads is hard to explain to non-pilots. In the spirit of Father’s Day, we offer a glimpse at one such flying family:

F/O Allen Miller (Delta), an Atlanta-based A330 pilot who splits his time between Seattle and Hawaii, is a self-described lifelong “aviation nut.” On May 8, the 70th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day, Miller and his dad, Bill, now 75, flew a North American B-25 Billy Mitchell medium bomber, Betty’s Dream, in the Arsenal of Democracy flyover that capped ceremonies at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“My dad was a maintenance guy in the Navy,” Miller explained. “He went in as an 18-year-old kid with a high school diploma, but learned to fly shortly thereafter. He even flew for a little airline out in Guam. He’d wrench on C-130s at night and fly a de Havilland Heron between the islands during the day. He’s still going strong.”

Betty’s Dream, outfitted with nose guns for low-level attacks on shipping and harbor installations in the Pacific theater, is painted to replicate a B-25 that escorted a Japanese Betty that carried the surrender envoy to the meeting that formally ended World War II.

He added, “My dad taught me to fly when I was 16; I soloed on my birthday out at Naval Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii.

“My son’s flown this airplane with me as well, so we have three generations flying the B-25. He’s flying left seat on a Caravan now in Hawaii for a little outfit called Mokolele and doing really well.”

Three generations of Millers, sharing a cockpit and keeping aviation “living history” alive. 

Father and son prepare for takeoff.

The B-25 cockpit

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