St. Johns native who died in plane crash remembered for friendliness, love of aviation
ST. JOHNS — Friends and family are mourning a 2004 St. Johns graduate who was killed this past week in a Tennessee plane crash, along with one of the aircraft's owners, while instructing them in how to fly it.
Scott James McDonald, 37, who lived in Henderson, Nevada, was killed Nov. 15, according to an obituary posted online.
"Scott’s love of aviation started young as he had the opportunity to fly in many planes with family friend Al Schiffer," his obituary noted. "Scott never met a stranger and those fortunate enough to spend time with him always walked away feeling as if they had just made a new friend."
McDonald was practicing aerobatic maneuvers about 10:30 a.m. Nov. 15 in the vicinity of Everett-Stewart Regional Airport near Union City, Tennessee, when his plane crashed into a solar farm for unknown reasons. His passenger in the 2015 XtremeAir XA42, aircraft co-owner Stan Hales, of Minnesota, also was killed.
Nathan Ruedy, also of Minnesota, said he and two others, Jeff Nelson and Hales, had purchased the plane just two months ago and sought out McDonald based on multiple recommendations to instruct them in how to fly it.
"We've been waiting for an instructor that was an expert in aerobatics, as well as was familiar with the type," Ruedy said in a Facebook post. "I know quite a bit about flying aerobatics, but the things that Scott McDonald knew that I didn't could fill several books. He was recommended to us from at least five people around the country and every single one of them was right. He was simply the best."
Ruedy said Hales and McDonald were on a routine training flight when the plane went down as he watched from the airport.
"While I am personally devastated, my heart aches for their families that lost 2 truly wonderful people way too soon," he wrote.
A visitation for McDonald is planned at McGeehan Funeral Home, Keck-Coleman Chapel, 1500 Waterford Parkway in St. Johns, from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday. A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at Pilgrim Global Methodist Church, 2965 W. Parks Road in St. Johns. A second service is planned for later in Las Vegas.
"Scott’s life was cut far too short, but as family and friends gathered to share memories everyone recognized that he had enough stories to fill multiple lifetimes," his family said in the obituary.
Family members did not immediately respond to messages Tuesday afternoon seeking comment.
McDonald, according to his obituary, was "a highly skilled pilot with more than 7,000 hours in more than 75 different aircraft."
He purchased his first aerobatics plane in 2015 and obtained his "air show" card in 2019. He moved to Las Vegas in 2016 and conducted aerobatic flights for customers in Red Rock Canyon. Among multiple other type ratings, he recently obtained his rating for the A/B-747-4 for Kalitta Air, a cargo company based in Michigan.
In addition to working as a flight instructor, he also participated in more than 100 sky dives.
Prior to moving to Nevada, McDonald purchased the Gratiot Community Airport fixed based operation as Three Point Aviation in 2013 and became the airport manager.
In addition to his fiancee, Sara Velez, McDonald is survived by his parents, Dennis and Joyce, and numerous other family members.
The McDonald family is seeking donations to start an aviation memorial scholarship fund in Scott’s honor for future aviators: https://gofund.me/a50964b2.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: St. Johns native who died in plane crash remembered for friendliness, love of aviation
