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How did your family get into the aviation business?
My dad got the aviation bug early. He was a boy during the barnstorming
days of the 1920s. Planes would land in the fields and people would come out
and pay for plane rides. And my dad would go out and meet these pilots and help
them out. He'd run into town and get cans of gasoline, or help the passengers
get into and out of the planes. I think he was usually promised a ride for his
work. But I don't think he actually got very many rides. He was thrilled just
to be around planes and pilots.
Although he didn't have a lot of money, my Dad saved up and bought a Piper Cub.
He thought he would teach himself to fly. But after a few adventures, he
realized that this wasn't such a great idea. So he found a flight instructor
and learned how to fly. When World War II was starting, Dad wanted to be a
military pilot, but his eyesight wasn't good enough. So he became an airplane
mechanic instead. He went overseas to Italy and worked as a crew chief on B-24
bombers. And he sent money home to his mother to buy land. When he got home, he
opened up a small airport.
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