Chapter Seven
The Eighth Air Depot, Inc.
Almost all
At the same time,
most of the returning men had a desire to set up a new life pattern by
establishing a business of their own.
Some of these succeeded but most failed.
So there was no great fanfare when two young men approached the Sebring
Chamber of Commerce and announced that they were forming a new company which
would be known as the Eighth Air Depot, Inc., and would engage in the business
of overhauling airplane engines.
At that time, there were probably not more than four or
five planes in the Sebring area and all of these were single engine, light
planes, so the possibilities of a successful operation of this nature were so
remote that little or no importance was viewed of the visit of these two young
men.
However, this interview was the forerunner of the most
important manufacturing activity in the community, exceeded only by agriculture
and tourism in employment. In the more
than twenty five years since the end of World War II, it has not only given
employment to hundreds of citizens of Sebring, but has made possible the establishment
of the Sebring Air Terminal as an industrial center and has attracted other
industries to the area.
“Eighth Air” or “Eighth”, as the firm later became locally
known, had its beginning, not in Sebring, but in Accra, Africa, during World
War II, several years before the Sebring interview. Captain Arthur N. Dorman, who was attached to
the 12th Air Transport Command, was assigned to duty at
The Eighth Air Depot Group repaired and overhauled planes
for the American and British forces operating primarily in the Burma theatre at
first but later in support of the North Africa campaign and Art was appointed
to the duties of chief pilot for the tremendous operations at Accra. Before he arrived, the allies were losing
many planes on the long runs to
It also brought in an officer of high rank to make an
investigation. Capt. Dorman persuaded
him to pick any one of the grounded airplanes and go for a test run around the
airport but they were scarcely airborne before the ship began to shake and
shudder to such a degree that the investigating officer begged to be taken
down. He was thoroughly convinced that
there was ample justification for the grounding of the aircraft and for the
recommendation that changes be made in the operation due to the vast overhaul
issue.
His first action upon landing was to send a telegram to
George’s background had prepared him well for this
command. He had been in the Office of
Education for three years and with Pratt and Whitney for five years. This firm manufactured most of the engines
that powered American planes in World War II and George really knew his
engines. In addition, he has always been
an excellent judge of men and has demanded perfection from them, in their work.
Capt. Dorman and Capt. Dumont were bunk-mates so it was
natural that when Capt. Bob Kiel came to visit his friend, Art Dorman, he soon
became a good friend of George Dumont.
Art and Bob had started their flying careers together. They had both come from the same community in
Bob and George became fast friends and, in the periods of
relaxation, they speculated on what they would do when the war ended. Thus, the idea of an airplane repair facility
was formed. Many of the service personnel
working under Capt. Dumont’s command also were faced with the problem of
planning their futures at the end of the war and, as George was in a position
to observe their qualifications, he discussed the proposed repair facility with
the men who had the greatest talent so that when the firm was eventually
formed, these men were the nucleus of the organization. They were experts in their respective
fields: Al Knight in carburetors and
ignition; Roy Cameron in engine buildup;
Tom Flannery in airframe and installation; and Frank Holbus
as an all-around mechanic. They all came
to Sebring when the corporation was formed.
The war ended but the dream of a repair facility did
not. The three dreamers were separated:
George Dumont was transferred to
The ultimate choice of Sebring was just the beginning of
the problems and decisions with which the new firm was beset for the next
couple of years. They must have personnel and tools with which to
operate and, most of all, they must have a government certificate as a CAA
approved repair station before they could engage in the work on the type of
planes that would ensure the success of their venture. This certificate could not be obtained until
their shop was established, equipped and staffed.
The quest for equipment led to Washington and the War
Assets Administration where their reputations, earned in the war, were of
distinct advantage. In their shopping,
they learned that the War Assets Administration was looking for agents who
would help dispose of huge quantities of materials which were surplus to the
needs of the government. The cash
reserves were fast disappearing what with the rents they must pay to hold the
buildings; the cost of equipment they were getting together and the salaries of
the men they were employing to get the shop into operation, all this with
practically no income while waiting for a certificate.
So the men signed an agreement with the government to act
as an agent for disposing of war surplus materials and, for this purpose, they
hired a selling organization known as Miami Aircraft Supply, Inc. This new venture provided income with which
to carry on but, it also required a great deal of time and attention at just
the time when “the Eighth” was beginning to be a reality so, when the great day
came in the form of a certificated repair facility, they disposed of their
agency contract and set about building one of the finest aircraft repair shops
in the United States.
Bob Kiel did not live to enjoy the success of the Eighth as
he and Tom Flannery were victims of a plane crash in November 1949, but George
and Art set high standards which brought in business from all parts of the
world and earned for them a very valuable reputation in their field.
Soon after they were awarded their certificate, they
accepted a government contract to recondition a large number of training-type
planes but although the project involved several hundred workmen, and ran into
several hundreds of thousands of dollars, they were not happy with the conditions
and refused offers of additional work of this nature when that contract was
successfully concluded.
In the first twenty years, it was determined that several
subsidiary corporations would be advantageous, so Moon Industries, Montman Products, the Sebring Corporation, and Sentinel
Ignition Corporation were formed to handle phases of operations outside the
scope of Eighth Air. Over the years, the
firms have provided steady year-round employment for mechanics and office
personnel with an average of half a million dollars.
After twenty years, the volume of business had increased to
the point where a decision had to be made whether the firm would “go public” or
would be sold. Financial experts were
consulted and it was stipulated that they would sell only if the operation
remained in Sebring. In June 1969 they
accepted an offer by Support Systems, Inc., and the firm was sold with the
original owners contracting to manage the business for three years. At the end of this contract, George Dumont
and Art Dorman retired. Their wartime
dream had been successfully realized.
The full value of this company and its impact on the
economy of Sebring has never been recognized or acknowledged. For months prior to their coming to the area,
the Sebring City Council had been toying with the thought of definitely
refusing to accept the airport after it was decommissioned. And, for months, the Eighth’s money was the
only income the field produced. When
Eighth Air and Miami Supply moved in the 32 million dollars worth of surplus
property, seventeen warehouses began to pay rent, making the base
self-supporting.
The Eighth, through
its office and connections in Miami, has brought other firms to the airport
thus fulfilling the predictions made during the early and hazy days that, if
the City could keep the facility open and in operating condition, sooner or
later it would be discovered and in demand and become a valuable industrial
area. The Eighth provided the money to
do just that during the critical periods.
Many other companies have come to Sebring. Some have prospered and stayed on; some have
sold out and left town; and some have failed but the Eighth Air Depot, Inc.,
has prospered and stayed and the principals have put down their roots in the
community and they continue to be most valuable citizens.
From left: George W. Dumont, Ernest R. Cash, Slayton
Matthews, Nelson Golden, James P. Beard, John L. Youngblood, Homer D. Sapp, Roy
D. Cameron,
Thomas L. Flannery, Albert
A. Knight, Oral H. Keeter, and Frank Holbus. (Photo date:
late 1940’s or early 1950’s?)
Eighth Air Depot,
Inc. Hangar No. 60
Eighth Air Depot, Inc.
.
Robert Kiel and George Dumont, 1946
AT6 Trainers were reconditioned by EAD
EAD was contracted to recondition a large number of training planes for the government.
Emil Ryals and Art Dorman