The year is 1979. The place is a crowded and full bar in Sterling VA. The event is a Dowty Rotol conference for a select group of propeller shops which service the manufacturer’s product.
A burly and swarthy man stands up on his feet and, in a booming voice that any televangelist would be proud of, asks the boisterous crowd ‘How does a Polack put on his socks?’ The crowd and room goes interestingly quiet. The man stands on his chair, pauses for effect, drops his pants, and ceremoniously pulls up his left sock. Then his right. He then pulls his pants back up and sits proudly back down to take another quaff of beer.
The crowd erupts in hysterical laughter!
Politically, correct?
No.
A typical and signature stunt for the ‘John Wayne’ of the propeller world?
Absolutely!
For all who know Paul Gaither, antics as these are merely par for the course. And we all lost count of them many many years ago.
Paul was certainly an expert when it came to his knowledge and experience with propellers but far beyond his command of the technicalities of his trade was a man who fed on life. Anyone who knew Paul knew that at any moment, anything could happen. And probably would.
Paul built a company from the humblest beginnings into an organization that would do significant volumes of business in South America, Central America, and the US. His knowledge of the language, culture, and intricacies of the Latino world was invaluable to Hartzell (and specifically and personally to Jimmy Reedy) as they developed and supported their market share south of the border. Paul and Jimmy Reedy could often be seen together on numerous trips to Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Columbia, Argentina, and beyond.
In one instance when a DeHavilland Heron threw a blade through the fuselage in the north Caribbean, the pilots of Print Air were incensed. Paul and Jimmy flew down. As Jimmy relays the story, he was truly in fear of his life as Paul and he walked up on the roof of the hotel in Puerto Rico to meet with the various Heron pilots. Paul’s presence, his persona, and his knowledge of the language eventually brought the temperature down and ultimately led to a good relationship with the airline.
Along the way, Paul built his own small airline, a thriving propeller shop, and generated countless stories punctuated by antics that most folk might be uncomfortable even repeating. Much less participating in!
Paul’s time and era was characterized by one page work orders, Zyglo in a bucket, no specific torques on Hamilton Standard equipment and a dominant dependence on common sense. A time and season of trust in good judgment and craftsmanship.
According to Jimmy Reedy ‘If you service a product well … people remember. Paul was a product support man’.
Paul saw, and brought, a great deal of change over his lifetime.
As with any change, some things are gained.
And with the beginning of a new chapter, other elements are left behind.
Paul brought a larger-than-life element to any room he walked into. And I personally witnessed the room change when Paul walked in. In a most wonderful way!
And when he left that room, there was a certain air that followed him.
Paul’s passing leaves a vacuum that will be felt for a long long time.
