Hal Shevers: 50th Anniversary of First Solo Flight

Today 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.

P.S. The welcome mat is always out for you. Stop by and I’ll show you what’s new at Sporty’s.