Owen Gassaway: We lost a great one.

It was only a few years ago that I watched AOPA President Phil Boyer present
him with an aviation award. I wondered then how much longer we were going to
have him. I am old enough to remember the faded sign on his FBO's hanger

"Flight Lessons.
Guaranteed Solo $69.00".

Back then, it may as well have been $69,000! Over the years, the sign was
repainted to read "$99.00", and then $129.00 before it disappeared completely.
It didn't matter, I still couldn't afford it, not until many years later.
Unlike so many other aviation business folks, it never seemed to matter to Owen
that I wasn't a customer. In later years, when my daughter and I would spend
hours warming chairs on the porch of his user-friendly terminal building, he
would always have a friendly wave for us, and a special encouraging word for my
aviation-loving daughter.

Owen's aviation background goes way back to pre-war days in Palm Beach
county. His name was associated with one of the first CAP outfits, and then for
the last 50-some years he has made sure that same squadron has had a home. For
years, he associated with cartoonist Zack T. Mosley, who often featured one of
Owen's hangers in his cartoon strip "Smilin' Jack".
Besides owning his FBO, Florida Airmotive, Owen was an award-winning Senior A&P
mechanic, a well-known flight instructor, and the owner of a mini-airline that
flew mostly DC-3s to Caribbean locations.

Up until just a couple of weeks ago, Owen was still a frequent sight at
Lantana Airport (LNA). Hearing of his passing this morning was a shock. I will
miss him.

There is a link to the newspaper article that describes Owen better than I can:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localne...away_0101.html

And a link to a CAP history that mentions Owen and Zack Mosley:
http://tinyurl.com/ywkrpk

LNA History: http://www.lantanaairport.com/1970.htm



Vaughn


--
Will poofread for food.