Sporty’s Pilot Shop Founder Dead at 90

Hal Shevers, the founder and longtime owner of Sporty’s Pilot Shop, died Tuesday, according to company vice president Eric Radtke. He was 90.

Shevers retired from Sporty’s in 2024 after 63 years.

Shevers was a ground breaker in aviation education and the world of general aviation mail-order catalogs. 

Shevers began his aviation retail career in 1961, selling pilot hand-held radios out of the trunk of his car. This led to the creation of the Sportsman’s Market. As pilots are fond of nicknames, Sportsman’s Market evolved to Sporty’s—and stuck.

Shevers was a driving force in the aviation community, turning Clermont County Airport (I69) in Batavia, Ohio, into an economic engine revolving around the industry. Sporty’s Pilot Shop is based there along with Sporty’s Academy, the Part 141 school founded by Shevers and used by the University of Cincinnati’s aviation program.

The airport also sports a residential aviation community known as Sandy’s Airpark, named for Shevers’ wife, who survives him, of more than 60 years.

How It Started

Shevers was a mechanical engineering student at Purdue University when he earned his private pilot certificate as a member of the Purdue Flying Club. He went on to earn multiple instructor certificates and an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) rating and a type rating for a Citation. He logged more than 10,000 hours.

His entrepreneurial spirit extended beyond aviation, as in addition to a GA pilot supply business he later added the catalogs Aviation Gifts, Preferred Living (housewares), and Tool Shop.

Under Shevers, Sporty’s became a leader in product development. When you purchase something from Sporty’s, you know it has been extensively field tested and proven.

Shevers was an aviation educator, holding both flight and ground instructor certificates. He taught ground schools and applied this expertise to create one of the most robust remote ground schools in the industry. Today you would be hard-pressed to find a pilot who has not used a Sporty’s program or course on VHS, DVD, or online as part of their education.

He was inducted into the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) Hall of Fame in 2007.

More Than a Pilot

Shevers believed in community service, especially Scouting America and Aviation Exploring programs. He received the Silver Beaver Award, a council-level distinguished service award bestowed on adult Scout leaders who have made a positive impact on the lives of youth through service. Silver Beaver awards are the highest awards in Scouting America.

John Zimmerman, Sporty’s president and CEO, reflected on his friend and mentor.

“Hal’s passion and dedication transformed Sporty’s from an idea into a great American business story,” Zimmerman said. “As an employee-owned company, we remain committed to his original vision—create uniquely high quality products and back them up with friendly, helpful service.”

Personal Note

When I began my aviation career, I was living in an aviation-remote part of the world and relied on the Sporty’s Pilot Shop catalog to acquire the needed gear. It was often said if Sporty’s didn’t have it, you didn’t need it.

I logged hundreds of hours carrying a Sporty’s monogrammed flight bag, a push-to-talk switch, kneeboard, and fuel tester, etc. I spent a lot of hours watching educational DVDs, and today I frequently watch the online courses before recommending them, as I adopted Sporty’s attitude that before I recommend something, I have to test it.

I knew Hal for more than 20 years. When I worked as a CFI at a college flight program, I handed out copies of the paper catalog with the items that a fledgling aviator needed circled. When the parents of a student called asking for a recommendation on an appropriate aviation gift for their child, Sporty’s was the go-to.

For this reason Hal Shevers playfully referred to me as “his best West Coast sales person.”

I will miss him.