HIGHLIGHTS
One of the reasons I love working with small business and nonprofit owners is that they are outstanding at persevering through problems that might seem impossible to others.
Take a recent project that I had the pleasure of working on for a client:
Moving the S2F Tracker
From 1954-1976, the United States faced a threat from Soviet submarines that regularly patrolled the world’s vast oceans. The Cold War raged on as the two superpowers jockeyed to position themselves as the world leader. To mitigate the threat, Grumman developed an S2F Tracker (S-Two-F or STOOF) which was fitted with the latest sub-detection equipment. It became the premier submarine hunter and revolutionized anti-submarine warfare. This particular plane made 744,000 carrier landings in its 27 years of service in the Navy.
Fast forward to today and the plane sat outside: in the elements, in disrepair, in danger of being sent to the scrap yard to be taken apart, and forever lost to future generations. The museum it belonged to had fallen into hard times and was slowly closing its doors. Thankfully, they had agreed to donate it to my client’s nonprofit. That sent us into motion, working diligently to raise enough funds to move the plane and save it from the scrap heap.
It didn’t take long before donations started coming in from around the state. The generosity of so many was beyond heartwarming.
Photos by J Callahan Photography
The next step to overcome was the many logistics of moving this large of an aircraft. The plane could not be flown instead, it had to be towed at a painstakingly slow pace of 20 mph for 40 miles under the cover of darkness when fewer motorists were on the road. Lights had to be strung on the plane to illuminate it from a distance, not that it could be missed as it covered both sides of the road even with its enormous wings folded. Due to its height and length, the route had to avoid going under bridges and all roundabouts. The slow trip home took the aircraft approximately 4 hours. The STOOF arrived at its new home at approximately 3:30 am.
In early February 2024, I arrived at the hangar to see the STOOF parked outside. Since then, I have had the pleasure of meeting many veterans who have come to share their stories, pictures, and a few tears too as memories of their time in the service come flooding back.
“It always seems impossible until it is done.” -Nelson Mandela
To all small business owners and nonprofits,
Keep DREAMING, Keep STRETCHING, Keep BELIEVING IN YOURSELF
Highline is here to help you achieve whatever goal it is that you’ve set out to accomplish. Most importantly, keep pursuing those dreams – The world needs more of you!
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