By Carl Chance, Wings Over Kansas’ aviation & aerospace correspondent, former news consultant and producer for Wingspan Air & Space Channel.
Long-time Pilot and Wichita Riverside Airport Owner Dies.
Thomas Graham Sanders II, 76, better know as "Tom" to the aviation community, died Wednesday, January 21, 2009. Tom was also a well-known Kansas architect since the late 50’s, and had specialized in Church Design.
Tom will be greatly missed not only by his family, but also his many friends and associates who have had the pleasure of his company, wit and conversation over the years. From this reporter’s perspective, Tom and I had enjoyed working together in 1955/56 in the Engineering Dept. of the Gas Service Company in Wichita. We spent countless hours at Riverside Airport flying and working on his beloved Culver Cadet. Tom had organized a Fly-In at Riverside October 5, 2002, which I had publicized on this website. The feature can be accessed at, www.wingsoverkansas.com/news/article.asp?id=55. The feature article also highlights some of Riverside Airport’s little-known history. Tom and I had talked in 2008 about organizing another Fly-In for later this year, but our meeting never occurred.
One of Tom’s projects, of which he was quite proud, was the restoration of a classic Stinson 108-3 Voyager. To showcase Tom’s work I wrote a feature article which can be accessed at, www.wingsoverkansas.com/features/article.asp?id=302. For photos of the aircraft, click on the blue line, "To view a series of photos of Tom’s aircraft, please click here." You will be taken to a page which features multiple views of the Stinson from all angles both exterior and interior.
A special article on the Stinson Model 108 aircraft will be included in the weekly update and can be accessed under, "What’s New!" on the home page of this website. The article will be archived on the Aviation Features page.