Page 8 - Come Fly with me-In progress

Grandpa was excited that his airport was coming together. He built the
hangars and even managed to have enough surplus material to build a home

to replace the circus tent. When I mention this small airport that I grew up

on most people just dismiss it as a small privately owned airstrip, but the
reality was that Flabob became a haven for aviation legends. Those who

follow aviation will recognize the names and accomplishments of some of

these greats. Margaret Ritchie who was the 1966 U.S. Women's Aerobatic
Champion called Flabob home as did Frank Tallman who was a stunt

pilot and worked in Hollywood during the 1960s and 1970s.

Arthur Scholl founded an aerobatics school and maintenance facility at

Flabob Airport, a close friend of Grandpa’s, he was an aerobatic pilot, flight
instructor aerial cameraman not to mention educator. He tragically lost his

life during the filming of Top Gun when his Pitts S-2 camera plane failed to

recover from a planned spin and plunged into the Pacific Ocean about five
miles off the coast of Carlsbad, California. Neither Arthur or his plane were

ever recovered. The cause of the crash was never determined.

Other aviation pioneers that called Flabob home included Ray Stits, a

founding member of the experimental aircraft association (EAA) Chapter

One at Flabob Airport. Ray was not only a designer but a mechanic and the
creator of what is today known as Polyfiber. Between the period of 1948

and 1965, he designed and built 15 airplanes and many were just sparks

of an idea that started out as scribbles on those café napkins,