Gary and Jeff after the airplane’s first flight on October 13, 2019.  Jeff later printed out an 8”x10” and framed it for Gary with the caption “Job Well Done!” and gave it to him that year for Christmas.  Of all the photos the team has tak… — Gary and Jeff after the airplane’s first flight on October 13, 2019. Jeff later printed out an 8”x10” and framed it for Gary with the caption “Job Well Done!” and gave it to him that year for Christmas. Of all the photos the team has taken during this project, this is by far Jeff’s personal favorite because it reminds him of a really good, really happy moment.

Everyone can benefit from a pastime aside from one’s professional role and life responsibilities. As they say, finding a way to escape from the challenges of the day while doing something enjoyable is “good for the soul.” Some are drawn to running and log hundreds of miles per week pushing their bodies to the limit. For others, joy is found in games such as duplicate bridge which tests their mental and strategic abilities. Many simply enjoy losing themselves in a great book and living vicariously thru the characters.

Two local physicians have enjoyed a friendship which began over 20 years ago based upon their mutual interest in aviation – and particularly their passion for classic aircraft. Dr. Jeff Thomas grew up in Wynne – a small town in eastern Arkansas located in the rich, flat farmlands of the Mississippi Delta. “Watching crop dusters flying over the fields was a common sight and is what originally sparked my interest in aviation,” Jeff explained. “I used to ride my bicycle from my house to the local airport to watch the Ag Cats take off and land. The local airport manager would give me old aviation magazines, and I would read them cover-to-cover. I also enjoyed building countless model airplanes as a kid. I knew that one day I would learn how to fly an airplane.”

*Gary pauses while working on the tail section of the airplane.*

That opportunity did not come until many years later, when Jeff was almost finished with medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. “I was fortunate to be able to wrap up my senior year at UAMS a month earlier than most of my classmates, and that is when I started taking flying lessons,” he noted. “I passed my check ride and earned my private pilot’s license on July 1, 1994.” A few weeks later, he moved to Texarkana to begin his residency in Family Medicine at UAMS-AHEC Southwest, which he completed in 1997. He has since been in private practice in Texarkana for the past 24 years, the last 10 of which have been in affiliation with Collom & Carney Clinic. In addition, Dr. Thomas also works as a hospitalist at Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital in Texarkana.

Dr. Gary Jackson was born in Simms, Texas. His family moved to Wichita Falls when he was around 9 years old, where he spent the remainder of his childhood. After graduating college, he became a nurse anesthetist and started his career working in West Texas, covering up to 8-10 hospitals. Years later, in 2003, Gary took a hiatus from work to attend medical school, which he completed in 2008. He currently works in the anesthesia department at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System. Gary recalled, “Back when I was working in West Texas, the long hours of driving to and from work quickly became monotonous, so I decided that learning to fly a plane would help a lot to reduce the time I spent on the road.” And thus began his flying career.

*After completing installation of new fabric to the fuselage of the airplane, Gary and Jeff loaded it onto a trailer and headed to Haley’s Body Shop.*

Gary was offered a position in Texarkana in 1979 and was able to move back to his family’s home place in Simms, where he could be available to help his aging parents. He began clearing land and built his own private airstrip which was originally only 800’ long. It has since been extended to nearly 2,500’ in length. Gary jokingly refers to his private airstrip as “Simms International Airport” and has a large sign bearing that name mounted above his hangar door.

“Airplanes require a lot of maintenance, and good aircraft mechanics can be hard to find – so I began working in my spare time as an apprentice to several licensed aircraft mechanics,” Gary shared. “After several years of training, in 2000, I successfully passed the six FAA exams required to earn certification as an Airframe and Powerplant (“A&P”) Mechanic.” Over the years, Gary has purchased, repaired and/or rebuilt, and sold more than 75 aircraft of various makes and models – at least four of which were ground-up restorations.

So how did Jeff and Gary learn of their shared appreciation for old airplanes? During his residency in Texarkana, Jeff joined the local flying club at the Texarkana airport to keep his piloting skills up-to-date. Soon after starting his private practice, he and a colleague bought a 1946 Cessna 140 from an elderly patient who had to give up flying for medical reasons. “Prior to closing the deal, I needed to have a pre-purchase inspection performed by someone familiar with those classic airplanes,” Jeff remembered. “That is when someone referred me to a guy who worked in anesthesia named Gary Jackson, who (as mentioned) happened to also be an A&P mechanic.

“We soon discovered that we both shared an interest in these antique aircraft for their simplicity, history, and their classic, curved lines,” Jeff continued. “At that time, I had not yet earned my tailwheel endorsement, and Gary put me in touch with a good instructor to accomplish that goal. Gary and I have remained good friends ever since. We enjoyed flying our old airplanes together on occasion to attend annual ‘fly-ins’ (a term which refers to a “convention” in the world of aviation) in various locations throughout Texas.”

For Jeff’s father’s 82nd birthday last fall, he gave him his first ride in The Bluebird.  They flew to Fort Worth Spinks airport, where they were met by Jeff’s oldest son, Zachary, who currently works there as a flight instructor.  They all three enjoyed a nice visit over lunch at one of Zach’s favorite restaurants. — For Jeff’s father’s 82nd birthday last fall, he gave him his first ride in The Bluebird. They flew to Fort Worth Spinks airport, where they were met by Jeff’s oldest son, Zachary, who currently works there as a flight instructor. They all three enjoyed a nice visit over lunch at one of Zach’s favorite restaurants.

The Cessna 140 was a small airplane, with only two seats – but, according to Jeff, it was a great trainer for learning how to fly a “taildragger” aircraft, which requires careful attention to rudder control during takeoffs and landings. But the Cessna soon became too small to be practical, and he and his flying partner started looking for a larger aircraft that could accommodate their families. “Gary came through for me again in 2001, when he suggested we consider a 1948 Stinson 108-3 – also known as the “Flying Station Wagon” – which a friend of his had decided to sell. We took it on a test flight and were quite impressed with its flying qualities and roominess – so we bought it,” Jeff explained. “My first three sons were small enough at the time to sit side-by-side across the back seat, and we enjoyed several family trips to locations such as San Antonio and Branson. However, within a couple of years my boys were too big to fit across the back seat, and we ultimately decided to sell the plane. I then took a hiatus from flying for several years.”

Jeff and Gary stayed in touch during the years Jeff was not flying. “He might not admit it, but Gary has a huge heart and genuinely enjoys helping people whenever he can,” Jeff confided. “As only another pilot could, he understood how badly I missed flying. Around 2010, we started talking about looking for another Stinson in decent shape which we could ‘spruce up’ a bit – which, in turn, would enable me to get back into the pilot’s seat.” After scanning the classifieds over the next few years, Gary finally found “The One” in early 2013 in the tiny town of Reklaw, Texas, – another 1948 Stinson 108-3 – which was still actively flying and appeared to be in good overall condition. Gary flew it back home to his private airstrip in Simms and parked it in his hangar on February 1, 2013.

With the plane conveniently located at his home, Gary began looking it over carefully to determine what needed to be fixed, and what did not. He removed the wings, tail section, instrument panel, landing gear, and engine to be able to thoroughly inspect all the internal parts. He soon realized that the plane – which upon initial inspection had seemed to be quite solid – was in fact hiding some serious problems beneath its skin. It was going to require much more than just an oil change and some fresh paint to make it a safe and reliable airplane. To be done right, it needed to undergo a complete rebuild. What Gary originally had envisioned to be a “quick and easy” project had suddenly become much bigger! Gary began disassembling the entire aircraft down to its bare frame. “Gary gets 100% credit for this phase of the project, which took two to three years,” Jeff shared. Soon there were several piles of parts around the perimeter of his shop, grouped according to physical location on the plane, or perhaps a system of the plane (fuel, electronics, etc.).

*The skilled crew at Haley’s Body Shop did a meticulous job preparing the wings for the brilliant blue paint.*

Jeff recalled Gary’s dry wit when questioning his own sanity for jumping into such a huge project: “Gary told me that most of these antique airplanes have never been professionally restored, yet their owners continue to fly them and simply hope and pray that nothing goes wrong. A few owners begin to wonder if the ‘bones’ ought to be looked at – and then yet a few of those are dumb enough to tear them down completely and get themselves buried neck-deep in a pile of airplane parts!” Jeff continued, “That was Gary’s way of asking, ‘How the heck did I get myself into this big mess?’ But in all seriousness, this is the kind of work that Gary genuinely enjoys doing in his spare time. He is among the few who possess the knowledge, skills, and attention to detail needed to meticulously restore a classic aircraft.”

Jeff recalled, “Gary had an advantage (though he might strongly disagree with the use of that word) in that the plane was in his personal shop behind his house, and ‘going to work’ on the project meant merely strolling across his lawn. Further, Gary’s kids were already grown and gone, whereas I still had several school-age children at home who were involved in many extracurricular activities.”

For Jeff, however, it was a 30-minute drive one-way to get to Gary’s place. In 2016, his work schedule became less congested, and Jeff was able to dedicate more time to the project. At that point, Gary had performed several needed repairs and had powder-coated the frame of the airplane (a.k.a. - the “bones”). It was now time to start putting it all back together. Jeff spent most weekends for the next three years at Gary’s place helping to reassemble the airplane. Sometimes they would work all day, and other times just half a day. They steadily chipped away, little by little. As Gary used to say, “The pile of parts keeps getting smaller, so we must be making some progress!” Another way Gary likes to describe airplane building: “It’s like eating an elephant … one little bite at a time!”

For Gary, this was not his first [airplane] rodeo; he had restored/rebuilt a variety of aircraft over the years before embarking on this project. “To be clear: Gary was the experienced A&P mechanic – I was merely the apprentice,” Jeff emphasized. “However, I did bring a healthy fund of general mechanical knowledge and experience to the project, for which I must give credit to my father. He is an engineer and has always prided himself on being able to fix almost anything. He had me rebuilding lawn mower engines when I was in middle school and helping him with various carpentry projects. In my junior year of high school, he and I restored a 1972 Triumph TR-6 convertible, which became my daily driver for the next 10 years – which to me proves we must have done it right! For me – as is true for lots of guys – tinkering in the shop is a wonderful form of therapy; it provides a much-needed escape from the doldrums of everyday life.”

*Jeff and Wes Haley prepare to take off and have some fun flying low-level passes down the runway during the 35th annual Flying-M Ranch Fly-In and Campout held in Reklaw, Texas, last October.*

Gary observed, “What Jeff brought to the project was a lot of creativity, in terms of selecting the color scheme and materials used to finish out the cabin. He cut and installed the interior leather trim around the windows and doors. He also researched, selected, and installed the numerous custom lighting features. One of the most interesting things he did was design a unique lever system to operate the flap handle: in the Stinson 108-series of aircraft, the flap handle is rather difficult to reach, which can be a safety concern. Jeff’s invention eliminates the need to take your eyes off where you’re going to reach way down to the cabin floor and operate the flap handle, therefore increasing safety while flying.”

The newly restored plane, which they fondly refer to as “The Bluebird,” first flew on the afternoon of October 13, 2019, with Gary at the controls. Jeff stood on the edge of the airstrip and took photos and video. “I will tell you that I got choked up watching that beautiful airplane roar past me and take to the skies once again after nearly seven years, knowing how much time and effort we each had invested to make that moment possible,” Jeff shared. “After circling the airstrip a few times, Gary landed and slid over to the right seat; I then climbed in and flew it for the first time myself. I recall the moment almost feeling surreal. It is difficult to describe all the emotions we were feeling that day… suffice it to say that we were so happy that you could not have slapped the smiles off our faces!”

After flying for a little while around the airfield, they landed and gave everything a close inspection, looking for any potential problems. Thankfully, there were none. The plane had flown perfectly. They set up a camera and snapped a few pictures of themselves with the airplane. Jeff recalled, “I remember thinking, ‘Where’s all the applause and fanfare? Where’s the marching band? This was a BIG DEAL, people! There should be a crowd cheering for us! There should be champagne and cake!’ But alas, it was just the two of us and our little old airplane in Simms, Texas.”

The plane continued to fly well, but in spring of 2020, they began noticing that the engine was running a bit rougher than it should. They ultimately ended up installing a new carburetor, ignition system, and sent all six cylinders to a specialty shop to have them overhauled. “That was a major undertaking but given the complete makeover we’d performed on the airframe, we felt that the engine deserved the same amount of careful attention,” Gary recalled. “We finally got everything put back together in August 2020, and the plane has been running perfectly ever since. We are finally DONE!”

Weather permitting, the two are planning to fly the airplane to the 2021 EAA AirVenture Fly-In at Wittman Field in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in late July. It is the largest annual aviation celebration in the world, and this year Stinson is being honored as one of the featured aircraft in recognition of over 100 years since the company was founded. (That recognition was supposed to have taken place last year, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That has turned out to be a silver lining for Gary and Jeff because last summer they were still in the middle of their engine work.) “This year we are ready to go! And we are hopeful that our ‘Bluebird’ will win a ribbon or two at Oshkosh … we think it should, but we’re admittedly a bit biased!”

The pair expressed deep gratitude to their wives and families for their patience, encouragement, and understanding while working on this project. Wes Haley and his talented crew at Haley’s Body Shop were also instrumental in successfully achieving one of the most striking features of the aircraft – its beautiful, brilliant blue paint.

Gary summed up the deeper mission behind this project quite eloquently: “Antique aircraft like this 1948 Stinson Station Wagon are truly special. They are beautiful, living reminders of the history of aviation in America – a history that is worth remembering and revering. Jeff and I recognize that we are not so much the ‘owners’ of this classic airplane, but instead are simply its temporary caretakers. And we both derive a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that we’ve done our best to preserve this particular aircraft for the benefit of future generations.”

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