Foil: 14 Panel: Retired United Pilots Association Column: 4 Line: 8

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

Captain William (Bud) Lunde was born June 17,1937, in Cooperstown, North Dakota. Most of his youth was at Oregon City, Oregon, where he took his first flight lesson in a Piper Cub.

From high school in 1955 to graduating from San Jose State College in 1960 Bud continued with flying lessons and acquiring flight ratings. With graduation from San Jose State came a B.S. degree in Aeronautics. Through the years the influence of Robert E. Trimble had helped prepare Lunde for an aviation career. Bud Lunde was in the U. S. Army for 2 years as a helicopter mechanic. From 1962 to 1965 Bud worked for a commercial helicopter company as a chief mechanic and continued to earn pilot ratings.

In 1965 Lunde hired on with United Airlines as a pilot. After six months at the United Training Center in Denver, Flight Officer Lunde was transferred to Chicago as a DC-6 Flight Engineer. Within months Lunde was promoted to DC-6 First Officer (co-pilot).

From there it was a progression through the seniority list to higher status and different aircraft. In 1969 Lunde and family transferred to United's San Francisco base and lived in Pleasanton, California. Captain Lunde retired in 1997, having flown for United Airlines 32 years. During that time he flew: DC-6, DC-7, B-727, B-737, DC-10, B-757, B-767 and B-747,