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We
opened the door of our aviation business. The door was at the
top of a 4x4 wooden box located against the block wall behind
the
Sky Haven Motel, which was located where
the last VIP hangar now stands. The schedule book was
maintained in the lobby of the motel, where I would meet the
students when they came to fly. I was a newly rated flight
instructor with one Cessna 150, and lots of energy. One of the
unique features of the operation was when a student soloed
they were thrown into the motel pool. We soon grew to a fleet
of six airplanes, rented an office and added another
instructor. About a year later, we moved to our present
location, secured a city airport lease and were truly in
business. The facility consisted of a small wood stucco building about 45 feet long and 22 feed wide and a 70x70 square foot hangar. I quickly realized that I needed help. Two of the first employees were Travis Flanery and Johnny Beese. Travis was an instructor recognized by every one as the "dean" of all instructors. Johnny was a mechanic who knew everything about airplanes. From the beginning we applied many principles I had learned from my father. These included a concept that, "people were the business and flying was the product. Work with the people and you get to do the product. It was not about flying, it was all about the people who fly. We have continued to follow that same concept. It has worked all of these wonderful 40 years. We have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams. We have had wonderful customers and even more wonderful employees. It is our hope that our 40 years celebration will express our gratitude to all of them. |
