[hharney]

A few years ago after Sparky gave a presentation at the SOAPA meeting in Las Vegas there was a terrible accident that Sparky was involved in. Those of us that were at the SOAPA meeting got to know Sparky in a special way. He was an easy person to like, humble and passionate about his flying. A real true gentleman. At the time of the accident people thought "how stupid, why would anyone put themselves in that situation?" We wake up everyday without knowing what might be in store for our lives that day. We walk out of our comfortable environment into all kinds of situations. Anything that could happen someday will happen. Don't get me wrong, we do have control of the decisions we make but 99% of the time it sounds like a good decision when we make it. Just be careful when making those decisions. Sparky left this world doing what he loved. He must have made a decision that he thought was the right one. Sparky was a very wise and experienced pilot, I am sure there was a reason.

Take a moment today and stop what you are doing to just remember what a privilege it is to have the freedom to fly an airplane anytime and almost anywhere you want to go. Exercise that freedom frequently while we still can. Enjoy and respect the opportunity that we have that others dream of but never quite make it there. Sparky was an inspiration to many that had that dream. He made it a real life adventure for a lot of dreamers. He loved it so much he shared it with all of us. Thanks Sparky, you are a giver of life in the dreams of those that share a passion.