UNITED STATES
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Creativeness, the Needed Spark in an AgAv Business by Bill Lavender
Wayne and Lou Slaughter taking a break on the office couch with their “other” grandchild, Tailwheel. If you arrive in any other aircraft than a tailwheel version, you’ll get the barking treatment. However, Tailwheel made an exception for AgAir Update!
B 20 | agairupdate.com
FARMVILLE, NC — On a recent trip, I stopped in east central North Carolina after a long flight from mid-state Illinois. Walking around after departing the aircraft, I looked closely at the bottoms of shoes; no, there wasn’t any tar on them, although I was pretty sure I was in the Tarheel state! Only joking, I asked my hosts Wayne and Lou Slaughter of Wa-Lu Aviation why in the world would Tarheel be a nickname for a football team and for other references to the state. It was explained to me that many years ago large quantities of tar were mined in North Carolina and inadvertently the stuff found its way to the boot heals of the workers, thus the name Tarheel. It had been awhile since visiting North Carolina. The last time was three or four years ago for an article about Gene and Elby Powers. During that trip I reminisced about the summer in 1974 when
I flew for an operator (Tom Stancil) in nearby Oriental, North Carolina, even driving by the long since deserted airstrip to find the Airstream mobile home used for an office abandoned in the bushes. Farmville is somewhat west of coastal Oriental, however I do recall making a long ferry flight or two for a couple of small tobacco fields (five and ten acres each in a 800 hp Thrush) during that summer. However, I just missed meeting Wayne Slaughter by about two years. Wayne began flying ag in 1976, working for Jim Craft Spray Service in Farmville. In 1987 he and wife Lou, formed Wa-Lu Aviation and have been at it ever since. From Flanagan Field, Wa-Lu Aviation works from a sod strip shared with local Farmville general aviation pilots. If you are a Tri-Pacer buff or a Piper Cub enthusiast, undoubtedly you will see several interesting aircraft with a visit to the Slaughters. ➤
