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dueling formats, synchronized cross points and other skills maneuvers all over the southeastern United States. A humble young man, “Little Mark” said: “Big Mark introduced me to the most amazing group of aviation enthusiasts who reside at Big T. Steve (Jenkins) offered to keep my Pitts in his hangar. Jim Crunkelton took me under his wing and helps me maintain my plane, becoming a mentor. Even though aerobatics is known as an individual sport, I would never have been able to get to this point without the relentless help of family and friends.” Another interesting facet of Big T is that it is located only 1.2 miles from Raleigh Studios, where AMC hit TV show “The Walking Dead” is filmed. The only “walkers” you will find at the airstrip, however, are Butch and Frances Walker. Butch is a retired military man, Eastern pilot and, most recently, a FedEx pilot. Their full-time residence is elsewhere, but they enjoy entertaining family/friends/grandkids at their hangar, which houses a small apartment. An airplane enthusiast, Butch started flying at age 14 when his father, a farmer with his own agricultural dusting/spraying business, instructed him. The flying “bug” bit and has been with him ever since.
Charlie Tagart, a Navy brat, knew as a young boy that he wanted to be a pilot. “I fell in love with flying when I went with my dad, who was taking flying lessons under the old GI Bill after retiring from the Army,” he said. Charlie went on to work as an Avionics Tech before being selected for an Army Commissioning Program, and flight training followed. His flying career began with Frontier Airlines, followed by Northwest, and his current pilot position with Delta. ”The merger with Delta got me looking around the Atlanta area,” Tagart said. “When I discovered Big T. I never imagined I would be able to live at an airpark, and am really enjoying it.” Big T’s most senior and beloved resident is “Mr. Ed” Perkins, a retired instrument mechanic from Northwest Airlines. Still youthful at age 88, he no longer flies, but enjoys tinkering with antique cars and driving his ’57 Chevy, as well as an old Army jeep. Uncle Roy’s dream from the ‘60s continues to flourish, as new generations of pilots fulfill their life’s passion. He, Wayne, Jerry, and Bill Tinsley have departed us for that big airstrip in the sky, but the Tinsleys’ legacy lives on at Big T. CL
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40 Coweta Living 2014-15