The longtime aviation entrepreneur helped broaden pilot education, support youth flying programmes and strengthen general aviation communities across the US.
The National Business Aviation Association has paid tribute to Hal Shevers, founder and longtime chairman of Sporty's Pilot Shop, following his death on May 12 at the age of 90.
“Hal Shevers' love and enthusiasm for general aviation is part of his enduring legacy,” says NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Through Sporty's Academy and Sporty's Pilot Shop, he trained and equipped countless pilots. But it was his Saturday fly-ins, tireless work on behalf of the Boy Scouts and Aviation Explorer programmes and involvement in the Air Race Classic that made general aviation even more accessible and fun.”
Shevers founded Sporty’s in 1961, initially selling a radio capable of receiving airport control tower transmissions from the trunk of his car. Over the following decades, the company expanded into what NBAA described as the world’s largest pilot shop while also developing products including ADS-B receivers and pilot-focused radios.
Beyond retail, Shevers played a significant role in aviation education. In the early 1960s, he created one of the first three-day ground school courses and travelled nationwide in general aviation aircraft to teach pilots directly. That educational focus later expanded through Sporty’s Academy.
Shevers retired from Sporty’s in 2024 after 63 years leading the business.
He also supported Scouting America and Aviation Exploring programmes for many years, receiving honours including the Silver Beaver Award. In 2007, he was inducted into the National Association of Flight Instructors Hall of Fame.
NBAA also recognised Shevers for helping transform Ohio’s Clermont County Airport into a general aviation hub through partnerships with aviation organisations and the University of Cincinnati.
