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Enthusiast could fly, in air or on ground

The Apollo Beach manhad an affinity for planes. But he also loved the rumble of a motorcycle.

By MARTY CLEAR
Published June 9, 2006

APOLLO BEACH - Albert Clark Jr.'s lifelong passion for flying began with a golf game.

"He was on a golf course, and there was a small airport nearby," said his son, Albert Clark III. "He saw the planes taking off and landing and he thought, 'That looks like a lot more fun than golf.' So he took lessons and learned to fly."

Mr. Clark, who died of natural causes on May 26 at age 83, was never a professional pilot, but from that day he pursued amateur aviation in almost every form.

He piloted small planes and regularly flew to air shows around the country with his son.

He flew radio-controlled planes and was such a talented machinist that he fabricated a miniature engine from scratch. He served as president of a New Jersey chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Mr. Clark's passion for engines wasn't limited to airplanes. He rode motorcycles his whole adult life, starting from his years as a World War II serviceman stationed in Key West. Later, he was an active member of Rolling Thunder, a motorcycle club made up of World War II veterans.

His son inherited his interest.

"He said he always wanted to own his own plane, and he always wanted to own a Corvette," his son said. "So I bought a plane and a Corvette for myself. I didn't want to have those same regrets."

Actually, Mr. Clark did own a plane, or at least most of a plane, for a short time.

While he was living in New Jersey, he built a single-engine plane in his garage. The project took him about two years. Before it was even completed, a friend bought it from him. Mr. Clark never got to fly the plane he had built from the ground up.

Mr. Clark was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. He worked as a machinist for Westinghouse, where he helped fabricate the turbine blades for the very first jet airplanes. After World War II, he had a brief career in advertising. For most of his life he taught machine shop and welding in public high schools in New Jersey.

With his wife, Delores, whom he married in the early 1960s, Mr. Clark left the cold winters of the Northeast and came to Apollo Beach about three years ago. His son was already living nearby.

Even though he was retired and in his late 70s, Mr. Clark didn't slow down. In fact, he was still riding his motorcycle until six months ago, when his health started to fail.

Mr. Clark is survived by his wife, his son and three grandsons.

[Last modified June 8, 2006, 13:41:03]