While listening to one of Aero-News Network’s podcasts the other day, I heard some sad news. I learned that the owner and manager of Florida Aeromotive, Owen Gassaway Jr, had passed away on December 27 of last year. Why this is of any significance to me requires a bit of a history lesson.
When I was a kid, I lived with my mom in the Boston area, but I spend summers with my dad in South Florida. My dad always wanted me to have a summer job so he would usually help by arranging something for me in advance of my arrival, and this particular summer was no exception. It was the mid-80s, I was about 15 years old and my I was currently taking flying lessons in Massachusettes. Knowing how much I loved aviation, my dad used a connection of his to get me a summer job at the Lantana airport near West Palm Beach FL, working for Mr. Gassaway’s company, Florida Aeromotive.
I remember the first day of work well. On the way to to his office, my dad dropped me off at the terminal building, where I met Mr. Gassaway for the first time. In his straight-shooter way he instructed me to get into his beat-up old pickup truck and gave me a brief tour of the airport before showing me to where I would be working. I was a bit nervous, and I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t care. I was just excited to be working at the airport.
