Jim Shearer’s airplane is his pride and joy. He says he loves it almost as much as his wife.

Jim and his brother Fred are third-generation owners of the J.J. Shearer Co., a manufacturer’s rep firm in Minneapolis. Both Jim and Fred, like their late father, are pilots. Jim owns a Cessna 210 single-engine six-passenger plane.

When Jim Shearer flies, he says, “I focus on achieving perfection, and doing everything perfectly.” That’s an understatement. While pilots are required to do a review every two years, Jim does it annually. He participates in an FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)-sponsored program called the “Wings Program,” an accelerated program that takes the place of a flight review. Jim described it as a mini-flight school for experienced pilots.

Shearer has some strict personal flying standards, too. While the FAA’s policy is that no alcohol can be consumed eight hours before flying a plane, Jim won’t consume alcohol within 48 hours of flying. Other personal standards include not flying if he’s sick, avoiding Chicago’s O’Hare airport, and not flying if the temperature is lower than minus 10 degrees.

That seems a little cold. However, Jim told me that winter is the best time to fly. “The engine and wings perform better in cold crisp air. I just don’t fly at temperatures lower than minus 10, in case there’s a problem in a desolate area.”

Florida is just 7-1/2 hours away from Minnesota in Shearer’s plane, Chicago Midway Airport is two hours away, and Manchester, Iowa — instead of a five-hour drive — is just a 50-minute flight. Why Manchester? It’s where Jim and Beth Shearer’s first grandchild lives.

The National Warplane Museum is located in Elmira-Corning, N.Y. It is where Steven Perkins, vice president of sales for Black River Paper Co., in Watertown, N.Y., is training to be a crew chief on a B-17 bomber at that museum.

Steven, who is passionate about old airplanes, first fell in love with the B-17 at an air show 14 years ago. The B-17, a heavy, multi-engine bomber used during World War II, was nicknamed “the Flying Fortress” by a newspaper reporter. About 12,731 of these Flying Fortresses were built between 1935 and 1945. One of the B-17s that is still in flight is at the National Warplane Museum.

Today, according to Steven, there are just 50 in existence and only 12 are in flying condition: 10 in the United States (including Steven’s B-17), and two in Europe.

The museum acquired its B-17 in 1986. While the original size of the crew was 10, the museum now staffs it with a crew of three: the pilot, the co-pilot, and the crew chief. The crew chief does the fueling, oil level checks, and pre-flight inspections of the aircraft before the flight. “It’s like getting your car ready for a big trip,” Steven said. His job is to assist the crew chief.

When Steven has the opportunity to fly in the B-17 to an air show, he goes as assistant crew chief. “Mine are not glorified tasks,” he said. “At shows I stay on the ground, signal the engine starts, and make sure everything outside the plane looks good. I generally serve as another pair of eyes.”

Besides the B-17, Steven has worked on a PBY Catalina, and a C-47. While his favorite aircraft of all time is the B-17, Steven doesn’t care what he works on, “as long as I get to work on old airplanes,” he said.

Jim Shearer’s father was an Air Force pilot (and wing commander) who flew B-17s in World War II and inspired his sons to fly. He inspired others like Steven Perkins, too. When I asked Steven if he had any heroes in aviation, he said simply, “Yes. Anybody who flew during World War II.”

Gretchen Roufs, a 14-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns Auxiliary Marketing Services of San Antonio, Texas. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “freetime,” contact her at (210) 601-4572.




POSTED ON: 4/1/2001