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Photo: Kevin Horton RV Blog |
Our plans for the future delivered varied but exciting reactions. Often we caused a stir. The website was ahead, instead of behind. NORDO News kicked up anger, praise, and confusion. And the fly-in? It breathed life into grass roots events friendly to all pilots. One attendee had so much fun he went home with a burning desire. The note he sent us was unique.
The original email read something like this, “I came to your fly-in in my Mooney and had so much fun I went home and bought a Spartan.” That person was Jim Savage. If that name sounds familiar, he’s the guy who led the charge to get all those Spartan Executives together at Oshkosh.
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Photo: Found at Jim's page. |
Looking back through the years made me think of Jim and his
note. I had to ask him about it. One short message later and we had the full
story. This following is part of that conversation. “In 2006, I visited Lee
Bottom for the first time for your Wood, Fabric and Tailwheels event. I arrived
with my friend in his 1958 Bellanca Cruisemaster. While there, I was so
impressed with what I saw, that I decided I needed to shift gears and turn my
attention from late model airplanes to vintage tailwheel airplanes. I decided
to focus my attention on getting a Spartan Executive and spent the next year
casually looking for one. I returned to Lee Bottom again in 2007, and with a
fresh dose of inspiration, decided to pick up the pace in looking for the right
Spartan.” The rest is history.
If you loved the collection of Spartans at Oshkosh, remember,
it was a grass roots event, friendly and open to everyone, that inspired Jim
Savage to purchase such a plane. Today, he is one of aviation’s most energetic and
enthusiastic members.
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