Owner Robert (Buzz) Penney (left), Sheldon Sandager and pilot Jack Chapman stand by the fully-restored Pasped Skylark. Penney restored the plane back to an almost exact replica of when it left the factory.By Jolene FarleySheldon Sandager, Hills, has fond memories of flying airplanes. One airplane in particular, the 1935 one-of-a-kind Pasped Skylark he purchased in 1946 seems to be a permanent part of his life.Sandager learned to fly after he joined the Navy immediately after high school and trained for 26 months as a carrier pilot, serving in the service from October 1943 until June of 1946."We had to train for navigation, the weather and all that. They were trying to make officers and gentlemen out of us," he said."I don?t know that they ever succeeded but that was the old Navy propaganda at that time."In 1946, Sandager returned home were his father, Nels, and brother, Victor, farmed near Hills.After the excitement of the Navy, Sandager had difficulty adjusting to relatively calm farm living. He noticed an advertisement for a war surplus sale of aircraft in North Dakota."I saw they were advertising a war surplus sale of military training planes at Fargo," he said.Sandager was interested in a PT19 airplane, but during the sale he noticed the Pasped Skylark was also listed. The plane was priced less, didn?t have to be modified and was already licensed for commercial flying, according to Sandager. "I flew the thing and I was so impressed," he said. "Because it was a very good acrobatic plane and it was very stable on landings." Sandager purchased the Skylark with a check for $1,900 in September, 1946.He owned the plane until December of the same year when he sold it for $1,370 to Delmer Swenson, Corson, S.D. Sandager said he took a loss because of the time of year he sold the aircraft."In the interim, I met my wife on Columbus Day, Oct 12," he said. "Probably the best thing in my life."After meeting Ellie, who he married in July of 1947, Sandager decided to start farming with his father and brother. "They convinced me I couldn?t afford both the plane and to farm at the same time," he said. Sandager?s father said selling the plane at a loss was good training."He said, ?Well, if you?re going into farming, this is probably the best lesson you?ll have in your life. This will be the first of many losses.?"A unique aircraft?Sandager sold a one-of-a-kind aircraft. In 1935, Skylark industries decided it would design and build the plane and offer it to the military as a trainer and general-use airplane, according to an April 2003 article in Vintage Airplane magazine. The company?s only previous aviation experience had been in manufacturing small parts for a variety of industries. The military apparently wasn?t interested when the Skylark was finished. They were receiving far more sophisticated project proposals from established airframe manufacturers, according to the article. The Skylark never fulfilled its designers? dream of military service and only one Pasped Skylark was ever built. Sandager was the third owner of that airplane.Keeping tabs on the Skylark ?For years, Sandager forgot about flying and became involved in farming, his family and experiences overseas. Meanwhile, Sandager?s cousin?s husband, Duane Carlson, kept Sandager informed about the Pasped Skylark. "He?s the one that really followed it," Sandager said. "He?d send me excerpts from Trade-A-Plane magazine."After Sandager sold the plane to Swenson, it was sold once again to an unidentified buyer in Hannibal, Mo.The Missouri buyer sold the plane to Bob Greenhoe, of Alma, Mich. Greenhoe owned and flew the plane for more than 30 years, beginning in 1960.While Greenhoe owned the aircraft, he collected historical information about the Skylark. This information would be important to the plane?s next owner, Robert "Buzz" Penney, according to an April 2003 article in Vintage Airplane magazine.While unsure of the exact purchase price, Sandager knew the plane was advertised at one time for $100,000 in Trade-a-Plane magazine.Penny?s interest in aviation began with hot-air ballooning and spread to vintage aircraft. A manufacturer and cattle rancher from Versailles, Mo., (and the grandson of the founder of JCPenney department stores), Penney learned the Pasped was for sale after noticing the ad in Trade-a-Plane magazine. After purchasing the plane, Penny decided to restore the aircraft to the way it looked when it left the factory. Vintage restorationPenney hired a licensed aircraft and engine mechanic to finish the restoration job started by another shop. The plane was totally disassembled with its parts bagged and tagged when the second mechanic started working. With no key telling where the bag?s contents went on the airplane and several mechanical systems unique to the airplane, the restoration wasn?t an easy task. The factory blueprints Greenhoe collected and photos taken of the aircraft by the shop that disassembled the plane helped in the restoration. Many parts had to be built new or fabricated. The only modification Penny kept was the 165-hp engine installed in 1955 to replace the original engine, according to Vintage Airplane.The mechanic worked full-time for two years before the plane was ready for a test flight. From the day it was built, the airplane had been photographed a number of times, by various owners. Those photos would pop up in magazines, and in each photo the craft was painted dark red. Penney returned the plane to its original look ? white with black trim. In doing so, Penney achieved his goal, a guarantee that he won?t find another plane like his tied down next to him at any of the air shows he attends. The Skylark is one of a kind ?A chance to fly the Skylark?After reading the article about Penny?s restoration of the plane detailed in Vintage Airplane, Carlson contacted the editor of the magazine and asked that a copy be sent to Sandager.In a letter to Sandager, Carlson encouraged him to try and set up a meeting with Penney to fly the Skylark.Carlson wrote: "Think you better talk them into bringing it to the Luverne field. Maybe trade a ride for pheasant hunting at the ranch."Working through the editor of Vintage Airplane, Sandager?s daughter, Jo Wulf, contacted Penney for Sandager. She invited Penney to attend Sheldon?s 80th birthday party next spring as a surprise, with the aircraft, of course. While talking with Penney, she found out the Skylark would be at the Antique Airplane Association?s annual Labor Day gathering on Aug. 29 at the Antique Airfield near Blakesburg, Iowa. Wulf knew Sandager would be traveling through Iowa to attend a wedding in Ohio on Sept. 1.She finalized arrangements for a stop at Blakesburg on the way to the wedding. Wulf and her parents visited the Antique Airfield Thursday afternoon.Sandager was invited back the next morning to actually fly the Skylark with Penney?s pilot, Jack Chapman, also in the plane.Chapman was at the controls during take-off, but once in the air he invited Sandager to take over. "The pilot told me, go ahead and fly if you want," Sandager said.Although in the passenger seat, Sandager recognized the "feel" of the airplane immediately. He flew for 15 to 20 minutes making a series of "S" and 360 degree turns and performing basic maneuvers.Penney?s pilot encouraged him to make a low level pass over the field. "I?ll put the canopy back and my hands up in the air to prove that you?re flying," he told Sandager.While preparing to land Sandager noticed a familiar aircraft, a Cessna 172 flown by his sons, was also waiting to land."I?d called home to tell the boys I was going to fly it (the Skylark) and they flew down," he said. It is difficult for Sandager to describe the memories evoked by flying the Skylark again. "I can?t describe it," he said. "It just brings you way back." Still learning about the Skylark?Sandager recently learned more about the history of the Skylark. He watched the 1930?s film Without Orders, starring Robert Armstrong, and the Skylark was used in the film. He also received a tape of an interview with one of the original designers of the aircraft done by one-time owner Bob Greenhoe.
