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Caught this story on the web. Sort of interesting but never heard of him. Question for Steve P. Do you really have a special code and report every time you fly or is that reporter BS?
Collector pays homage to wartime aviators with his military craft
By STEFANIE MURRAY
The Associated Press
1/31/2005, 12:54 p.m. ET
HOLT, Mich. (AP) — A few years ago at an air show in Lancaster, Ohio, Dan Schiffer noticed a man standing on the grass next to his shiny yellow WWII-era combat training plane.
Concerned, Schiffer moved closer. The man was dressed in faded overalls and a blue-jean jacket. He looked to be in his mid-70s, with wispy gray hair. He was alone. Tears were in his eyes.
"I used to fly that plane during the war — I fought for my country with this airplane," the man said.
That's when Schiffer says his airplane hobby became his life's passion, honoring military aviators of the past.
"He told me how young he was and about his buddies that didn't return from missions," said Schiffer, owner of Schiffer Mason Contractors in Holt. "Suddenly my own egotistic reason for flying these powerful high-performance airplanes changed considerably."
But while Schiffer — a pilot for 36 years — likes to spend his free time soaring through the air, he makes his living by securing things to the ground.
Schiffer started his masonry company in 1971, after working as a bricklayer for four years. The firm expanded exponentially: By 1989, the business had a five year average growth rate of 860 percent.
"There's hardly a place in Michigan that I can't go to and point to a building that I've built," Schiffer said. "I'm just as proud making a doghouse out of bricks as I am the Breslin."
While Schiffer says he has no plans to retire anytime soon, when he does, he wants to concentrate even more on his aviation hobby.
Not surprising, considering he practically grew up with jet fuel in his blood. Schiffer's uncle taught him how to fly on the family farm in Remus.
Nearly the entire Schiffer clan was fascinated with aircraft and a couple were WWII pilots. The family has it's own airfield, Schiffer Acres Airport, outside of St. Johns.
"One of my cousins soloed before she got her driver's license," Schiffer said.
Today, Schiffer flies mostly for recreation, partly for business. He takes his aircraft for spins around the state, transports clients, performs in air shows throughout the Midwest and seeks out retired military pilots to give them free rides.
"He is very precise in how he flies and what he does," said Dave Folk, who's flown in air shows for six years with Schiffer, showcasing WWII-era military planes.
"He is one that studies aviation quite a bit — he's an expert."
Schiffer's new state-of-the-art private hangar at Mason Jewett Airport, nicknamed Tailwinds, is a bit like a grown man's toy box.
There's a couple WWII-era planes, including a 1943 Navy fighter training plane and a 1945 Boeing Stearman, Then there's the big boy — an L39C Albatros, a 1991 Russian fighter jet made in Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody.
This slender plane, with it's blue and white paint and long pointed nose, is stunning.
Made to tangle with enemy aircraft, the jet has the capability of dropping bombs and has rocket-fired emergency seat ejectors.
To keep the intricate aircraft in good working condition, Schiffer flies it an average of once a week. But even he doesn't know how fast the jet can go — federal law prohibits him from breaking the sound barrier.
"The Russian jet takes a special pilot rating and also a special Homeland Security number," Schiffer said. "I have a special code that I have to call in to the FAA before I fly it."
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright 2005 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved
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Don't touch my junk!!
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