Page 8 - Volume 13 Number 10

“Sam bought into an airplane that was right here where he needed it to be in Riverton, with a pilot who was already there,” Mathews said. “It was just a sweet deal for him to get into that caliber of an airplane.”
It was a win for the Bebout family, too.
“It was a great deal for the Bebouts because they got someone who is financially stable, who uses the airplane, and who is respectful and courteous,” Mathews said. “It’s almost like we are a big family that gets along great. It saves everyone money, and I’m being utilized by two different companies instead of one. It’s perfect all the way around.”
The Bebouts
The Bebouts’ father and as many as seven other relatives served in World War II, including one uncle
who was an ace gunner and another who was involved in the Army Air Force’s dangerous airlift operation over India taking supplies to Chinese forces fighting Japan. It was a younger uncle, Mike Svilar, who would become the family’s first pilot, though.
That got the brothers interested in aviation at an early age. Eli attended the Air Force Academy in 1964 and finished school at the University of Wyoming with an engineering degree. Nick starred at Wyoming from 1970-1972, then was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 1973 NFL draft. He played in Atlanta until the Seattle Seahawks selected him in the 1976 expansion draft. He stayed with the Seahawks through the 1979 season, then went to the Minnesota Vikings in 1980, the final of his eight professional seasons.
The brothers knew they wanted to live and raise families in Wyoming, but there weren’t many jobs so they
Brothers Nick (left) and Eli (right) Bebout with their wives Pam and Lorraine. An uncle who became a pilot, got the brothers interested in flying at an early age.
6 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
OCTOBER 2019