John Joseph Quinn, Jr., 81, of Culpeper, died Tuesday, May 24, 2016, when the Skyleader 500 plane in which he was a passenger crashed in rural Orange County. The experienced pilot was helping the plane’s owner, Charles Neal Caldwell, complete required instructor-supervised time before flying on his own.
Caldwell, 57, also died in the crash. He is reported to have recently moved to Madison, Va., from Florida, and had recently purchased the plane and brought it to Culpeper Regional Airport.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Quinn is said to have dedicated his life to building an aviation community. “We considered him one of our founding fathers here,” Culpeper Regional Airport manager Tanya Woodward told the Culpeper Star-Exponent. “J.J. built the first 90-unit T-hangar back in the ‘80s all with his own funds. It started us on our way.”
He was a lead instructor with White Hawk Aviation Maintenance & Flight Instruction, based at the Culpeper Airport.
The Navy aviation veteran started flying at the age of 15. He then flew 34 years with United Airlines. For the last 20 years, he’s been a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic, a non-profit providing free medical air transport for patients who otherwise could not afford it.
Quinn was born August 25, 1934, in Culpeper, to the late John Quinn Sr. and Mary Weis Quinn.
He is survived by three children, Kelly Quinn Murphy and her husband, Tom, of Vienna, Va.; Shannon A. Quinn and her husband, Ernie Schuck, of Sewell, NJ; and John J. Quinn III and his wife, Sherry Autry Quinn, of Merritt Island, Fla.; one sister, Mary Theresa Bice and her husband, Bob; and JJ’s girlfriend, Vicki Sullivan. His pride and joy were his eight grandchildren: Sean, Erin, Kailee, Shannon, John Joseph Quinn IV, Iris, Kate, and Keenan.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara Saganowich Quinn.
The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 27, at Found and Sons Funeral Chapel, 850 Sperryville Pike, in Culpeper.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 28, 2016, at Found and Sons Funeral Chapel. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.
A private family interment will be held at Fairfax Memorial Park at a later date.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
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