Bob Wood’s passion for aviation has resulted in an economic shot in the arm for his community of Sebring, Fla. While the public often points to private pilots as “just hobbyists,’ this one plays a major role in the economic health of his town.

Wood is the chairman of the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo at Sebring Regional Airport (SEF), the same airport that is home to a racing school and the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race. Each year he organizes 150 exhibitors from 34 states and eight foreign countries that are focused on the light sport aircraft industry. The event is attended by thousands of people who all need to stay somewhere and also bring business to local area restaurants and gas stations.

When the four-day expo is over and the racetrack is between seasons, the airport still serves as an economic engine. There are two flight schools, headquarters for new-aircraft dealers, and maintenance facilities, not to mention a very active industrial park. Those activities, along with the national events, help bring new people to an area hidden deep in Florida’s rural area. The most common sight during the light sport expo, in addition to new airplanes overhead, is semi-trailer open-bed trucks loaded with oranges.

Wood’s personal flying began in 1958, and since that time he has built his own Experimental category Velocity. He admits he is only a fun flyer using aviation for family travel that includes California, Arizona, Virginia, Illinois, Wisconsin, and the Canadian border. But because this fun flyer lives in Sebring, the community benefits each year from the light sport expo he runs. —By Alton K. Marsh