Trump Pays Tribute to Personal Pilot, Long Valley Man Killed in Car Crash

Ray Ferrante’s life accomplishments are vast, and for the last 30 years he spent much of his time - personally and professionally - alongside one of the world’s most famous and wealthy businessmen.

Ferrante, of Long Valley, was killed in a two-car, head-on crash Saturday afternoon on West Mill Road while driving his 1961 Chevrolet Corvette. Despite efforts of CPR by police, Ferrante, 68, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accomplished pilot spent his last 30 years as a personal pilot for Donald Trump, working for Trump Organization, and knew the real estate mogul well.

“Ray was a fantastic pilot and a fantastic man,” Trump said in an email to Patch Monday morning. “He was with me for many years and I have met few people of such quality. He will be sorely missed both professionally and personally.”

Just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Ferrante was heading west on the county roadway in his sports car when he was struck by a Lexus SUV, forcing him to be ejected from the vehicle, police said.

The Lexus, driven by Elaine Moran, 69, of Long Valley, swerved over the center line, police said. The cause of the swerve is still under investigation.

Moran was uninjured and refused medical attention at the scene.

Ferrante was a member of the United States Army’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, serving as a pilot in 1969 and 1970. He flew UH-H1 Huey helicopters, serving first as a Kingsman of Company B, 101st Assault Helicopter Battalion (AHB), then extended his combat tour to serve in Company A, 101st AHB, where his call sign was Comanchero 12, according to fellow soldier Robert Morris.

“He was the unit’s instructor pilot and flew lead ship in many major combat assaults, as well as in cross-border operations run by the MACV-SOG CCN (Command and Control North) units out of Marble Mountain, Phu Bai and Dong Ha,” Morris said. “In addition to his civilian piloting on returning to the States, Ray flew AH-1 Cobra helicopters for the New Jersey National Guard, also qualifying in the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter prior to his retirement from the Guard with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer grade 5 (CW5). Ray had accumulated over 16,000 hours of flight time during his career, including over 1,500 hours in the Vietnam combat zone for the U.S. Army.”

In September 2013, Ferrante was recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration with inclusion to the prestigious FAA Airmen Certification Database, noting the pilot’s ability to exceed the “high educational, licensing and medical standards established by the FAA,” according to the Aviation Business Gazette.

The crash investigation is ongoing and charges may still be pressed. Funeral arrangements for Ferrante have not yet been announced.

Subscribe to Long Valley Patch’s free daily newsletter for more local news, and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox, by clicking here.