Visit nearly any small airport, and there’s a good chance it’s home to a number of airplanes that haven’t flown in years. Whether it’s an old Stinson tied down out in the elements with deteriorating fabric or an early Beech Bonanza left to corrode in a poorly sealed hangar, airplanes that were once loved and doted upon are put out to pasture and seemingly forgotten about.
Back when I was in college, I could barely afford a clapped-out 1992 Honda Civic. So when I’d see evidence of people fortunate enough to own airplanes neglecting them in such a manner, it made me furious. I may have been a brand-new private pilot with 50 hours, but I understood the responsibility that came with aircraft ownership.
