Dan retires

Air Classics, Oct 2002

One of aviation's truly great personalities has retired. After over 30 years of service Dan Sabovitch has stepped down as manager of Mojave Airport. Dan took a basically abandoned ex-US Marine Corps base in the middle of nowhere and turned it into one of the nation's most important airports where a wide variety of aeronautical activity takes place on a daily basis.

During June, Al and Kathy Hanson hosted a party for Dan in their large hangar -- their various jet Warbirds had to he moved outside and placed on the ramp. Well over 200 people attended the event, including many aviation personalities that have had an association with Dan and the airport -- people such as Bob Hoover, Clay Lacy, Senator Pete Knight, Dick Run, and Fitzhugh "Fitz" Fulton.

Rutan recalled, "I came to Dan and told him I had an idea about building an aircraft that would fly around the world non-stop. Trouble was I was very Iow on funds and could not afford a hangar. Dan let me have a hangar at no charge. If he had not, I doubt if the Voyager would ever have been built."

Some guests arrived in style. Clay Lacy brought in his United Air Lines DC-3 with Hoover, famed test pilot John Mever, and philanthropist Bruce McCaw. John Putnum flew in with a beautiful Lockheed Lodestar while many other privatelyowned aircraft brought guests.

The hangar was decorated with mementos from Dan's career as well as Al Letcher's Sopwith Camel, the Museum of Flying's Bf 109E, and a Mitsubishi Zero. The event was enjoyed by all who attended and served as a tribute for Dan Sabovitch's vision to create an airport that would be important to all facets of aviation.