It’s not uncommon for a husband and wife to go into business
together, such as by opening a restaurant or retail store. But it’s
a little less ordinary for a couple to go into business repairing
and building engines for World War II-era airplanes, as Mike and
Rose Barrow did.
Hollister – It’s not uncommon for a husband and wife to go into business together, such as by opening a restaurant or retail store. But it’s a little less ordinary for a couple to go into business repairing and building engines for World War II-era airplanes, as Mike and Rose Barrow did.
“We get into them, tear it into tiny pieces, inspect all the parts, and put it all together again,” said Mrs. Barrow.
Born and raised in a small Montana town, the Barrows essentially grew up together. Rose’s mother was Mike’s Cub Scout leader. Mike’s uncle, Major Louie Norley, was a WWII ace. And while Mr. Barrow never met his uncle, he still grew up with his uncle’s stories about serving in Debden, England during the height of the war. He was fascinated.
Initially, however, Mr. Barrow chose not pursue his interest in aviation, marrying Rose and taking a job with his home county in Montana.
After that fell through, the couple decided that Mrs. Barrow would continue to work while her husband went back to school – eight hours a day for 12 straight months – for his Airframe and Powerplant maintenance license, enabling him to work with the planes he loved.
“In school they tell you that the license they give you is a license to learn,” sad Barrow. “Especially in my case. They teach little, if anything at all, about working on these older planes. Most of what I know I learned through experience, but I grew up on a farm; I’ve been around mechanical stuff all my life. An engine is an engine, you just put it in a different box.”
Upon receiving his license, work was a little harder to find than expected. The only parties interested in WWII propeller-driven planes, it seemed, were museums and the Commemorative Air Force – volunteer organizations that couldn’t afford to hire professionals.
“After Mike finished A&P school we rang up three and four hundred (dollar) phone bills, calling all over the country just trying to find work in his chosen field,” said Mrs. Barrow.
Through a mutual friend, the Barrows connected with a man opening a shop in New Jersey, and afterwards they would move to Texas, Oregon and Wyoming, wherever Mike could work on his planes, before settling in California.
It was only four years ago that the Barrows were able to open their own shop, Air Sparrow, at Hollister airport, because it was affordable. Air Sparrow specializes in building race engines for the Reno National Championship Air Races, which takes place every September. Their fastest prop-driven plane was clocked at 467 mph; the world record is 500 mph.
“It’s a very small industry,” said Mrs. Barrow. “There are only five other shops in the country that do what we do.”
The size of the industry can easily be attributed to the cost of the planes. According to the Barrows, an average WWII-era plane can cost $1.5 million dollars, and a third of that cost is the engine. It’s an expensive hobby but, while the Barrows are very successful, they aren’t millionaires.
“Typically a complete overhaul of an engine costs about $200,000,” said Mr. Barrow. “If I make ten percent of that, then I’ve done a good job.”
Instead, the Barrows rely on a core group of customers who come back again and again for regular maintenance. The Federal Aviation Administration requires that each plane get a check-up for every 35 hours it spends in the air.
Some of the Barrows’ wealthy clientele include NASCAR racer Jack Rouch, astronaut Bill Anders (who flew on Apollo 8), and WWII ace Bud Anderson, who recently visited the Barrows in Hollister.
“I’m very fortunate,” said Mr. Barrow. “I’m one of a relatively small group of people doing what it is they want to do. I’m too ornery and set in my ways not to, and this is what has always interested me.”
