We are now dedicating this page to the memory of both Jana & Thorne. Jana passed away a year or so ago and Thorne at 12:40 this morning, Feb 19, 2002.
Thorne and I became good friends over the internet during the past few years. We kept in contact weekly ... We have all lost a great friend! Our sympathies to James, Stacey, and the rest of Thorne's family.
Dave & Becky Hemp


Courtesy of Doc & Becky Hemp's
B.A.D. CHARIOTS

Our new friends, Thorne & Jana Stallings. Thorne and I (Doc Hemp) have a lot in common ...Our philosophy of life, Racing, dirt bikes in the old days, Harleys, fast cars, love of planes (I still plan on my license someday).
Thorne was born and raised in Oklahoma. Shortly after graduating from Northwestern State University, he went with Northwest Airlines and retired early as a Captain. In addition he has also served as a high level exceutive in Banking, Oil Field Manufacturing, and Automotive related industries. He has written 3 novels, all which are fast moving, action packed adventurous dramas with historical and aviation themes guaranteed to keep you glued to your chair!

This photo above is Thorne's brother's 52 Cessna 190 he bought when he was 23 yrs old. It's slow but fun he says .... James was a lear jet pilot for years ... flew Roy Clark to all his gigs for a long time among other celebrities. James is also a Harley rider and into restored Cushman Scooters .... Harley as much fun as he has riding his Harley though ... (grin) .....

Below is an email that I asked Thorne to send to Martyn at (www.staggerwing.flyer.co.uk) who has a link back to us here and has used the pics of Thorne's Staggerwing pictured here. It is a very good site and I urge you all to visit it ... here is Thorne's email to Martyn.

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Subject: N262C Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 20:36:12 -0600 From: Thorne Stallings gts1@telepath.com Organization: telepath.com To: mdp@staggerwing.flyer.co.uk, BILL HALVERSON whalverson@aol.com, James Stallings jstall@pldi.net, DOCHEMP dochemp@c-zone.net

Dear Sir,

I'm the fella flying the G17S, N262C pictured on your page. The picture was taken in the winter of 68 in the Minneapolis area by a fellow NWA pilot, Jim Borden, from his Beech T34.

My partner in the airplane at that time still has it and after I sold my interest in 1972 (big mistake!) he later began a 10+ year SUPERB restoration of the airplane and brought it back into the original color, "N" number, paint configuration, and better than new condition, than it was in when delivered from the factory in 1947. It was serial #15 of the 20 G17S's produced, as I recall. He later won the Grand Champion award at Oshkosh with it. His name is Bill Halverson, also a retired NWA pilot, and his email address is: A truly wonderful person. You should drop him a line. You're developing a nice site. The attached picture of it represents the existing condition after he restored it, as it appeared on this picture of EAA's magazine, November 89.

Regards,

Thorne Stallings Sr.

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VERY FAST!

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Click on the book to go to www.1stbooks.com
To order one of Thorne's books
I am very proud & honored
To have one of Thorne's
Autographed books

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Thorne's new 61 Vette - 4/01
Dec 21, 2001

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Subject: Brother/funny Date: Sat, 13 May 2000 10:41:57 -0600 From: Thorne Stallings gts1@telepath.com Organization: telepath.com To: dochemp dochemp@c-zone.net

Doc, just a note that you may have some interest in. My younger brother by 6.5 years, is a Harley rider, retired Corporate Lear pilot, owns a 47 concourse Cushman Road King (steals the show!), loves old cars, and is one of the nicest and funniest guys you would ever meet. He has a scanner and you should get him to send you a picture of the Cushman. Rare, and Concourse Quality. 4 HP.

That picture you have of me standing by my Howard DGA15-P, on a grass strip in Gaston's Arkansas, has a Cessna 190 in the background (polished metal with dark green trim). Also much more rare than 195's. That's my Brother's airplane and he's owned it for 30 years!

I've passed your site on to him and like a million others, he's just amazed. If you should ever want to contact him, his email is: jstall@pldi.net That's in Alva, OK no less. Where the heck is Alva OK? The beginning of the Oklahoma Panhandle. Cattle and wheat country.

Still between the lines...

Thorne
PS: That picture of my Staggerwing was the one I used on the Cover of "Gut Wrench."

Jack Jett jettco-jk-dv@msn.com

3/13/2005 7:57 PM

Too: dochemp@shasta.com

Dear Doc and Becky,

I was searching Google for some information on the novels my friend, Thorne Stallings wrote and what to my wandering eyes did appear? Your excellent tribute to Thorne and Jana Stallings. I was really touched. Thank you so much for such a stirring tribute to a most deserving guy.

Thorne and I were in our 20's when we met in Waynoka, OK during the early 1960's. The core of our meeting was a 1941 J-3 Piper Cub (in need of a lot of work) the town doctor and I found for $750.00 as is. We jumped on it. A local rancher, Jack Kelsey, offered to let us hanger it and use his 1700 ft grass strip on his place. Jack took me to Ponca City in his C-172. The owner took me up for a quick lesson on how to take off and land there at Ponca City. I was smitten and wrote a check on the spot. Now came the hard part, how was I going to land this thing on an unfamiliar grass strip. Jack assured me it would be easy and wisely advised that if everything did not feel perfect just before touch-down, GO AROUND and try again. Good advice I have followed for forty-five years. After two or three attempts, the J-3 was safely on the ground. Word quickly got around about the project in this town of 2,200 people as my partner and I hired an A&E to help us restore this plane to "better than new" and ordered the supplies and parts needed.

During the weeks it took start the restoration, Doc and I used the time to learn to fly this great little airplane. We each took some lessons from a certified instructor but the plane did most of the instruction. Safest plane ever made, it can just barely kill you. This is where Thorne enters the picture. He and I were flying around the county (he was already an accomplished pilot, I was a work in progress). Jack Kelsey was cutting hay a few miles away so we decided we would find him and land to say hello. This we did in a pasture next to his hay field. Hey, this is fun!! To make this a short story, the sun rose higher and the air got much, much hotter while we were on the ground. Thorne got in the front seat, I in the back and away we went with me at the controls. The 65hp engine did all she could do but it was not enough to get us off the ground before using almost all the available pasture. Thorne took over instantly and told me to let go. A few seconds later he got the plane in the air high enough to clear a fence and go under some telephone wires. His flying skills were clearly better than mine. He stayed low and went around the buttes in our path until he had enough airspeed to gain more altitude. Without a doubt he saved our lives that summer day. Kelsey thought we were goners because he could not see us when we dipped below the horizon after lift-off.

Very, very shortly after that experience, the plane was disassembled completely, stripped of its fabric, inspected, welded as needed, engine exchanged for 0 time 85hp. After all new Ceconite fabric, gallons of dope and paint, and nine months of hard work later, the 1941 Piper J-3 Cub flew again.

Thorne went on to his great aviation career. He and Jana raised a family. I was inspired to continue flying to reach multi-engine land, commercial rating and fly all over the USA, Canada and parts of Mexico. My wife Donivee and I raised our two wonderful children. All of this could not have happened without the early flying skill of Thorne Stallings.

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12/01/06
To Doc Hemp:

Thanks so much for the web page on mom and dad...it is hard to believe it has been 7 and nearly 5 years since their passing. I still visit it periodically. Dad spoke of you often, thank you for befriending him.
Jack, just read your story Doc Hemp posted...how typical of dad. Glad you both made it.
I am the oldest of four children, therefore I got the "leading edge" of dad as a young man. He was a fascinating and multitalented man, to say the least. Whether he was pulling me out of 5th grade to ride his 750 Honda (the fastest bike in 1970 of course) to Sturgis, or screwing holes in the sky in his S-2 Pitts, Citabria, ect, or helping him rebuild his Cub to go buzz my teenage girlfriend's house, it was an endless adventure with Dad. I could recount an endless stream of stories of dad few would believe, but all true. He could do it all... athletics, fly cubs, jets, anything with wings, fly-fish, write books, race motorcycles, business, rebuild engines, you get the idea... whatever he wanted to do, he mastered it. He was just that type of guy, a true renaissance man.
Thanks again.
G. Thorne Stallings jr.
stallingslaw@msn.com

Hey Guys ... thanks for the kind words .... We had never met your folks in person but knew them very well thru the very early years on the internet and by phone .... Your dad and James were also ahead of their time on the computers too .... Just another example of the great friends we were able to make because of my multitude of web sites .....Our prayers and good wishes to your entire families.
Dave & Becky ...

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