John Staber

The restoration of an old airplane is something that not everyone can handle. Most times it sits in a garage for years until someone finally comes along to finish the project. Lots of people want a project airplane but have no idea what it entails. This book was written for those people who think they are getting something for nothing, but it is far from the truth.

There are certain ways that an aviation project must be done, by FAA regulations and if you don’t know them, and which end of a screwdriver to use, you have no business getting that involved. If you have to pay someone to do this restoration, you are going to have alot more dollars involved than the finished project is worth.

I get several calls a year from folks who want a project airplane and I try to talk them out of it for the above reasons.

John Staber has been flying Skimmers and Lakes since 1964 and has accumulated over 4500 hours in them, much of which has been teaching others to fly them. He has worked for Lake Aircraft several times as instructor, demo pilot, and ferrying them from the factory in Sanford, Maine to various places in the US and Canada. He has been known to say, “If I can’t fly a Lake or Skimmer, then I don’t want to fly!”

John resides in Old Chatham, New York, with his wife, Judy, yellow labrador Jake, and Jesse, the cat.