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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Rich MacVicar (1927-2018) Mac, as he was known by most, was bitten by the aviation bug as a child when his father took him to see airplanes at the Arcola Airfield in Rochelle Park in the early 1930s. He started flying in the mid-1940s. He took his first lessons in a 44 at Wurtsboro Airport, then soloed in 1945 at Christie’s after they lifted the war restrictions. He then went into the Navy and did his cross county solos in the Midwest. He came back in 1946 and worked at TEB as a mechanic for 3 months. He then went to Roosevelt Aviation School in Mineola Long Island at Roosevelt Field. He came back to TEB in 1947 and worked there until early 1949. Also during that time, he was working in Rockland County as a mechanic at the Rockland Airport. He was a student pilot until 1949, and at 88 hours, he got his private pilot’s license. He took his final test with Gary Miller Jr. at Rockland airport. Mac was also an active member of the Civil Air Patrol, and he was instrumental in helping build their own airfield in Rockland county in the early 1950s. Ratings: Commercial, Instrument, Multi, A&P, and Ground Instructor. Mac lived in Middletown, N.Y. and flew out of Randall Airport. He owned a shop on the field and did repairs there as well. Mac worked and flew up until his death in 2018 at age 91. He would often take to the skies in his 1958 Piper PA18-95.
Adam Raines – Adam grew up in Rockland County and has had a passion for aviation since he was a child. His parents would often drive past the Spring Valley Airport on the way to the shopping center. The airport resonated with him and the same aviation bug that bit Mac bit him too. It wouldn’t be until he was 32 years old that he finally had the time and money to pursue his dream of flying. While learning to fly, he found an old chart that showed the Spring Valley Airport, as well as 4 other airports in the County. The local historians knew about 2 or 3 of them, but most remained a mystery. This was the motivation behind years of research and digging to uncover the rich aviation history of the county. When Adam linked up with Mac, the two of them spent many hours together putting all this information down on paper for future generations to appreciate. Adam currently lives in Bergen County, NJ, with his wife and child. He still flies regularly.