1952 Beech 18 awarded Grand Champion in the Classic Custom Division
Plant City’s own Cpt. James Verner took home a Grand Champion award for his 1952 Beech 18 in the Classic Custom division this past weekend at the world’s second largest airshow. The Sun n Fun Aerospace Expo celebrated its 51st year with six near perfect weather days in 2025, and Verner’s beautiful two tone red “Beech Damsel” was a stand out.
Cpt. Verner (retired from Major Airliner service culminating with American Airlines after 38+ years) is still an active fixed wing and helicopter pilot, and also an avid skydiver, but with his retirement from “the majors” he embarked on a lifelong dream of having a vintage Beech 18 of his own.
The 73-year-old classic award winner last weekend is the result of Verner’s befriending her former owner, Mr. Tim Patterson, a retired Delta B757 Captain himself. The bird, having not flown in over five years and residing in a Delaware Aviation Museum Hanger, when Cpt. James and Capt. Tim worked out a sale and together collaborated on re-annual-ing her back into airworthiness, Verner eventually flew The Damsel to Florida. After an epic and painstaking stripping and painting process with Verner involved nearly 24/7, the airplane re-emerged in a dazzling evening gown paint scheme and proudly stood among several of her sisterships in the front row of vintage campground at Sun N Fun. With many other worthy contenders, she took the Grand Award in her category.
Cpt. James Verner hopes perhaps to be able to enroll his Beech 18 for judging at the world’s largest airshow in July, the EAA Airventure at Oshkosh, WI depending on his work schedule. But in the meantime, he will live up to his promise to Cpt. Tim in how if she were his she would be flown on a regular basis again.
It might interest the reader to know how this is the second time a Plant City citizen has been associated with a SNF award winning airplane. In 1976, Verner’s Great Uncle, a former WWII Veteran, PC Commissioner, local Ford Dealer, and Strawberry President/Director, Moring (Bud) Clark helped restore Wayne Thomas’ WWII Corsair which was awarded “Best Warbird in Military Configuration” a few months before he flew her to the Pensacola Naval Air Museum later that summer.
