One Of The True Success Stories In The Industry

Those of us who have been around General Aviation for decades have always know the name Sporty's Pilot Shop. Earlier this year, Aero-News Editor in Chief Jim Campbell sat down with John Zimmerman, the VP of Sporty's Catalog Division, to talk about the company's roots and future plans.

Sporty’s Pilot Shop was founded in 1961 by Hal Shevers and was originally located at Cincinnati’s Lunken Airport. Like many entrepreneurial ventures, Sporty’s began small. When Hal was flight instructing, he began to sell pilot supplies to his students. Soon there was a small store at Lunken, followed by a new, larger facility at Clermont County/Sporty’s Airport, in Batavia, Ohio. All operations were moved to Sporty’s current Clermont County/Sporty’s Airport location in 1990. From humble beginnings, Sporty’s has become the world’s premier pilot shop and developer of aviation education programs.

Today, Sporty’s Academy is an FAA-approved Part 141 flight school and provides flight training for hundreds of students a year, including international students as well as for the University of Cincinnati’s Professional Pilot Training program.

In addition to Sporty’s Pilot Shop, the company markets merchandise to the affluent homeowner through Sporty’s Preferred Living and Sporty’s Tool Shop. Wright Bros. Collection, a fourth title, was launched in 1993 and features aviation-themed gift products for pilots and aviation enthusiasts. (Source: Sporty's Pilot Shop)

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