Hello folks, please know that Phil Ackerman (BirdyinBOI) passed away on Saturday following a heart attack. He was the organizer of the Straight Tail 182 fly in at Smiley Creek and was known on BCP for his thread on buying and successfully reviving a 182 that had sat gathering dust in a Southern California hangar for years. I got to spend a few days last summer with Phil and Gail at Smiley Creek and Johnson Creek. He was a talkative and happy fellow who became an instant friend. A great cheerleader for old 182’s! The status of his planned second annual straight tail 182 fly in is not known at this time. Roger K.

Oh noooooo, sad. Condolences to his family and friends.

Kurt

RIP Phil. He's got some grey but does not look old enough to buy the farm on the heart attack card. Very sad. I hope the straight tailers are able to have the fly-in he was planning on his honor.

https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/2nd- ... y-in-24787

Z

I recall his thread about the 182. RIP sir. Condolences to the family.

Very sad....Condolences..........As said didn't look that old and in good shape. Harsh reminder life can be short and end unexpectedly

Very sad. Life is a wonderful gift. I'm sure he lived to the fullest. Condolences and prayers to the family.

MW

OMG! I'm very shocked & bummed out.
I never met Phil in person but did interact with him here on BCP,
as well as some private correspondence.
Rip in peace my friend.
And my condolences to his family.

Condolences to family and friends. Our thoughts are with you.

UpNorth

Condolences to the friends and family. Sad for sure.

I always liked reading his posts. Condolences from me too!!!!

Ouch!
Sorry to hear about this... Please pass on our condolences!

If the fly in is still going to happen, I will go this year.

Take care,
Mark

I am very sorry to hear this. I bought a prop of him and he was a really nice guy. We spent a fun day doing the deal and looking at his 182 that he was so excited to own. He had come back to aviation after a long time and was so enthusiastic. Way too soon. Cherish every day.

Wow! My condolences to his family and friends!

Terribly sad. Prayers to his family.

Very sorry to here this news. I met Phil right after he purchased his C182 about 3 years ago. We camped next to him for several days at Johnson Creek. He was a very friendly person and enjoyable to be around. He was there with his son. Prayers and condolences to his loved ones.


Josh

Sounds like a guy we all would like to have met in person. Condolences to friends and family.

Zzz wrote:RIP Phil. He's got some grey but does not look old enough to buy the farm on the heart attack card. Very sad. I hope the straight tailers are able to have the fly-in he was planning on his honor.

https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/2nd- ... y-in-24787

Z

First of all, my condolences to Phil's loved ones and friends.

I wanted to comment on Z's very common reaction about heart disease and age. Average age of first heart attack in men is 65. Average life expectancy is 75. To get an average of 65 means a lot of heart attacks in the 50's and even 40's. My uncle was 53. At around 60, my older brother and sister each got their sternum sawed open, their thigh sliced open, and leg veins sewn in to replace four or five clogged coronary arteries. Last time I went elk hunting (2017), my roommate was a retired high school shop teacher who had had a heart attack. Every morning, lunch, and evening, I watched him pull a fistful of pills from a case like this one.



"On average, someone dies of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) every 37 seconds in the U.S. There are 2,353 deaths from CVD each day, based on 2017 data."

About a third of our population dies of heart disease. It's the number one killer, ahead of cancer. Add to that the fact that Lipitor is the perennial most prescribed drug, and the average of about 930 bypass surgeries done every day (340,000 per year), 965,000 angioplasties, and you quickly see that the majority of Americans have some form of heart disease. If you have your first heart attack near a good ambulance and hospital, they've gotten really good at saving your life. If you have it in the backcountry, you likely die.

And it is all completely avoidable. Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn calls heart disease "A toothless paper tiger". https://www.dresselstyn.com/

I'll stop here, because Z will understandably want to move any ensuing discussion to some off topic thread. I'll just close by saying I was diagnosed with CAD at 58, made some major changes in diet (I already exercised a lot) and at 62 don't take any pills and have reversed it. Oh, and I'm not sacrificing. I eat like a horse and love the food.

Take care out there my friends.

Pierre