SPRUCE GOOSE: in good hands
 Spend a few
minutes with Gary Thompson and you just might catch his
passion for things that fly, his enthusiasm for this
project is immediately contagious. Gary is quick
to point out that this a team effort, "we have over
25 volunteers coming out here all the time"...... we
think they have a great guy to work with! He is no
stranger to flying or antique aircraft, in fact you might
say he lived them for many years. When his father died of
cancer, Gary who was divorced with a grown son, decided
to live his life to it's fullest, to not look back and
wonder.... "what if ". He quit his job, totally
restored an antique bi-plane and flew off into the
sunset......literally! For the next eight years Thompson
barnstormed for twenty bucks a hop, sleeping under the
wing and living from ride to ride. He eventually sold the
original plane and did it all again, restoring another
plane and flying it for two more years. He's also
familiar with the care and feeding of rare antique
aircraft in a museum setting, serving as the director of
Pearson Air Museum in Vancouver, Washington for several
years before coming to the AirVenture project. His love
for planes and things that fly is obvious. "I've got
the best job in the world.....I can't wait to get up in
the morning to get down here" ...... We have to
agree Gary!
If we can twist his arm
enough....we promise to bring you more of this
barnstormer's story in a future issue!
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