Dear Garrett..

Chapter 18

Charles P. Sambailo

Things were really going well the first few months into my first flying job. I stayed busy flying a lot, keeping the company airplanes super clean and attending to our customers. One of ours clients was Charles P. Sambrailo. Mr. Sambrailo went by Chuck around the airport. Chuck owned the Sambrailo Paper Company in Watsonville, California. Like many of the successful business men in Watsonville, Chuck liked to, and could afford to hang out and spend time visiting at the airport during normal daytime work hours.

With everything going so well with my new job, it came as a total surprise when I was informed that I was now being laid off. It was stated to be a temporary lay off. It was explained that when I acquired my Commercial Pilot Certificate I would be rehired to fly the company contracted prisoner transportation flights. Watsonville Aviation Service had recently won the contract to provide air transportation services for the Santa Cruz and Monterey County Sheriff Departments. Until I acquired my Commercial Pilot Certificate, Freeman and our Chief Instructor, Michael Bruce Church, would have to fly the prisoners.

The lay off notice initially left me in a quandary but not for long. One of our good clients was Jim Taylor. Jim loved flying and hanging out at the airport when he wasn’t attending to the laundromat business that he owned. Jim was an excellent and prominent business man in Watsonville. I observed that he was always happy and upbeat to be around. Jim had a lovely wife – blue eyes and blonde hair, and two young sons. Jim invited me into his home often to have supper with his family. Jim’s wife was an amazing cook and homemaker. It would take a Hemingway or Steinbeck to describe how good her cooking was.

Jim also worked a part-time job at the Ho Mart supermarket in Watsonville. Ho Mart was owned and operated by a very nice Chinese family. Jim was kind enough to recommend me to the owner for a job at Ho Mart and the owner hired me. I was hired as a stocker. In addition to stocking, I bagged and carried out groceries for pretty California housewives. Though I liked my job at Ho Mart, it was never going to enable me to earn enough income to fund the additional pilot certifications to become an fully certificated Professional Aviator.

On time off from the store, I spent my time at the Watsonville Airport watching airport flight operations. It was on one such outIng at the airport that I crossed paths with Chuck Sambailo in the parking lot. When Chuck saw me he said, “Hey, Mark, where have you been, I haven’t seen you around lately?” I told Chuck about my layoff at Watsonville Aviation Service and that I was working at Ho mart. I told Chuck that they are going to hire me back when I get my Commercial Pilot Certification completed.

Chuck asked me how much it would cost me to complete my certification?  I told Chuck the amount. Chuck then said, “Follow me.” I followed Chuck into the office. Chuck told my boss, “I’m paying for Mark’s training to complete his Commercial Pilot Certificate.”

I didn’t know what to say to Chuck other than thanking him. His gift came as a complete surprise. There was no discussion regarding a repayment of the cost of my training though I did pay him back at a later date.

I completed my Commercial Pilot Certification promptly during my time off from my job at Ho Mart. Michael Bruce Church and Steve Canty flew the Commercial Pilot maneuvers with me in preparation for the Commercial Pilot Flight Test. I also flew several solo practice hours to develop the necessary proficiency and smoothness to earn my certification. It had taken me six months to acquire the required 200 hours for the Commercial Pilot Certificate following the acquisition of my Private Pilot Certificate.

With the written test passed and all the necessary hours and proficiency obtained, Steve Canty signed me off to take the Commercial Pilot checkride. On September 6, 1967, I flew solo from Watsonville to the San Jose Municipal Airport to fly the checkride with the FAA Designated Examiner, a woman named, Dee Thurmond. Dee gave me a good and thorough checkride. Everything went well and I was issued my Commercial Pilot Certificate. Seven days later, I would fly my first prisoner run for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department.