Today [October 30] is the anniversary of a milestone in my life,
and I’d like to share with you my thoughts on this day. Fifty
years ago today, I completed my first solo flight in a J-3 Cub.
That was when I was a college student studying engineering at
Purdue University.
Just last week, I was at Purdue for the groundbreaking of the
new aviation technology facility, and it doesn’t seem
possible that 50 years have gone by. A lot has happened since that
day in Lafayette, but back then, I never imagined I would be going
to Oshkosh next week to be inducted into the Flight Instructors
Hall of Fame. This particular recognition means a great deal to me.
I’m proud to say that I’ve been an instrument flight
instructor since 1961.
I’m one of those lucky people who was able to make a
living doing what I love. I can’t remember a time that I
wasn’t interested in airplanes. One of my early memories is
my first visit to Westchester County Airport at the close of World
War II so I could see this secret airport I’d been hearing
about for the protection of New York City.
Some of you may know that I didn’t start out to have an
aviation career. I began work as an engineer at Cincinnati Milling
Machine Company – now Cincinnati Milacron. While I was
interested in machine tools and manufacturing, the company made it
possible for me to pursue my passion. In other words, I was fired.
I guess I wasn’t a good fit for the corporate world.
Having earned my private certificate in college, I was able to
change career direction when I found myself with nothing to do and
a few bucks in my savings account, so I decided to become a flight
instructor.
That was in 1961, and yes, the mythology is true: the origin of
Sporty’s Pilot Shop was my selling a transistorized radio out
of the trunk of my car that picked up the control tower. The next
thing I knew, we had a retail store, based at Cincinnati Lunken
Airport.
At the same time, I partnered with Joe Vorbeck, the chairman of
general aviation technology at Purdue (and also a member of
NAFI’s Hall of Fame) to write a more complete ground school
course. That effort led to the first three-day ground schools to
prepare pilots for their written exams.
All of it continued to
evolve until today, when we have dozens of educational DVDs, and
Sporty’s Academy is a Part 141 flight school that provides
flight instruction to hundreds of students each year, including
those in the University of Cincinnati Professional Pilot
Program.
I have always thought of Sporty’s as an educational
institution, which is what has kept us profitable for the last 46
years. I look back at what we have accomplished and realize that
none of it would have been possible had it not been for my first
solo flight.
Being a pilot and flight instructor has provided a rewarding
career and an exciting life for me. At the foundation of
Sporty’s operations is my pride in being a flight instructor
and my belief that the CFI is vital to the future success of
general aviation.
After 12,000 hours in the cockpit (and counting), I know that
other challenges and accomplishments lay ahead. But I am pleased
today to look back at the young pilot I was and know that the solo
flight was the beginning of a company which will be part of the
aviation community for decades to come.
Sincerely, Hal