George William Sherwood,
World’s Greatest Grumman Mallard Pilot

     The first time I met George Sherwood he greeted me with a broad smile, a firm handshake and handed me his business card.  On one side was a colorful photograph of a Grumman Mallard.  On the other side, in addition to the usual name and phone numbers, were the words “Worlds Greatest Grumman Mallard Pilot.”  After a few minutes of casual conversation I quickly realized that I was in the presence of a true aviation pioneer.  George had done it all.  He had been a barnstormer, flight instructor, test pilot, airline and corporate pilot and everything else in between!

George William Sherwood was born in a rural area near New Madrid, Mo., on December 9, 1912.  Shortly after his birth the family moved to a farm in Piggott, Arkansas.  George and his sister Evelyn attended a one-room school house where all of the classes, from the first to the eighth grade, were taught by one teacher.  But George’s father found it difficult to earn a living as a farmer, so in 1927 the family moved north to Michigan, where his father found a good-paying job in the Buick factory in Flint.  Young George, then 16-years old, also found a job as a mechanic in a local garage, where he earned $12 per week.  Now with some money in his pocket George felt more independent and was anxious to strike out on his own.  But he also realized that he would need more education if he was to succeed in life so he enrolled in the General Motors Institute to study electrical and mechanical engineering.

Then one day in 1929 a barnstormer landed his Jenny in a field not far from George’s home. George had always been intrigued by mechanical objects and fell in love with that airplane and its marvelous OX-5 engine.  Digging into his pocket he came up with two hard-earned dollar bills and went for his first airplane ride.  Ten minutes later George was back on the ground and was hooked on aviation for the rest of his life!
After that experience George was anxious to learn to fly and a friend of his, Avery Falkenhagen, had similar ambitions.  They both wanted to learn to fly but both lacked the most essential ingredient – money.  Then one day Avery told George that he had seen an airplane at the local airport that was for sale at a very low price.  It was an old Waco 10 biplane that would need rebuilding to return it to flying condition.  They both agreed that it was the answer to their dreams.  In early 1930 they paid the $400 asking price and towed the airplane to Avery’s garage where they spent several years rebuilding the airplane and the OX-5 engine.

In the spring of 1933, they took their red and white Waco to Wigville Airport, a small grass strip near Grand Blanc, south of Flint, for the first flight.  During the previous year Avery had taken some flying lessons and had accumulated the grand total of 10 hours in his log book.  With a minimum of experience but with much youthful confidence Avery took the Waco aloft for a successful first flight.  Avery then assumed the role of flight instructor and began teaching George how to fly.  Soon George had soloed and was becoming proficient at handling the airplane.  By then, Avery was anxious to move on to other adventures so George bought out his partner’s share and became sole owner of the Waco.  After accumulating about 10 hours of flying time George was ready to embark on a barnstorming tour with high hopes of earning some much needed money.

The barnstorming era had not quite come to an end by 1933 so George was able to eke out a living for the next few years.  At first he toured around Michigan but when the weather got colder he headed south to Missouri and Arkansas.  He managed to earn a meager living by selling rides, doing crop-dusting and performing at air shows, but it was a tough life.  On the other hand George claimed that those barnstorming years were the most valuable flight training he had ever received.  He flew in all sorts of weather, operated out of rough fields and did all of his own maintenance.  On rare occasions he had to make dead-stick landings when his engine failed.  George was . . .