Second Time Around!

Story by Sam Haymart and Kevin Fryar

An avid Roush Mustang enthusiast is given a second chance in life and in building his rare Mustang collection.

Kevin Fryar is a man blessed in more ways than one.

In June of 2004 he separated from the Air Force where he served as a weather reconnaissance officer. A talented meteorologist, he soon secured a job with the National Weather Service to work with in the Atlanta Air Traffic Control Center. An aviation meteorologist, he scouts and forecasts the weather to help air traffic control assist the thousands of airplanes flying in his region on any given day.

Being officially out of the Air Force he had the opportunity to pursue his childhood dream of being one of the elite "Hurricane Hunters" with the Air Force Reserve. This highly skilled and daring group of weather scientists are the ones you see on TV who fly directly into oncoming hurricanes to study them and collect data. Having worked up to this goal for some time, he was finally accepted into the 53 rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.

On a parallel track, Kevin is a Mustang enthusiast of the highest order. He has owned a 1998 Roush Stage 2 Mustang for some time and has been active in the hobby. It was at about this point in his life and career when opportunity struck. A friend on an internet forum alerted him to a 2003 Roush Cobra Mustang that was for sale. Not only was this car 1 of only 5 "Terminator" Cobras built and serialized by Roush Performance that year, but it was also a 10 th Anniversary Cobra. The striking red Cobra sported the special charcoal and red interior. With the Roush body package and wheels, it really turned heads. Fortunately, he was able to buy the rare Mustang when opportunity knocked.

By September 2004, he had to begin training for his new side-job with the Hurricane Hunters. Enroute to Shaw AFB in North Carolina for specialized training, he and his wife were driving through the remnants of Hurricane Frances. In that bad weather in South Carolina on September 6th, tragedy stuck.

In what witnesses describe as a spectacular NASCAR style accident, he lost control of the Mustang on the wet pavement and rolled several times into the center median. With God watching over them, they survived the horrific accident that reduced their rare pony to an unrecognizable scrap heap. Kevin suffered broken vertebrae C5 and C6 and had to be fitted with a steel frame known as a "halo" for a month. Doctors told him that his injuries were less than a half inch away from being fatal. His wife was lucky to escape the accident with only minor scrapes and bruises.

It took over a year for Kevin to fully recover physically from the accident. Months of physical therapy followed along with surgery. By May of 2005 he was back to getting certified for flight with the Hurricane Hunters. After experiencing the worst hurricane season in US history on the ground while at stationed at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS and being displaced by Hurricane Katrina, by January of 2006 he finally got back around to where he had been nearly two years before.

He was elated to be ready to get back to his childhood dream. But there's more. About the same time he got wind that another one of the rare Roush Cobra Mustangs was for sale. Being the enthusiast that he is for Roush products, he once again jumped at the opportunity to own such a Mustang. While his new black Roush Cobra Mustang isn't as rare as the first, it is still virtually one of a kind. "Once again, being blessed with the best spouse a man can ask for we purchased this rare vehicle. Needing one checkride flight for my wings and another ROUSH Cobra in the garage we are back where we started almost 2 years ago," Kevin remarked. "I know I'm blessed on so many levels and I accept that. As a man of faith I call them blessings and thankful for each one. "

So once again, Kevin is back in the saddle on the fast road to his dreams. Corny as it may sound, he is living proof dreams can still be achieved despite adversity.