For the love of flying

To say that 92-year-old John Hobbs of Pea Ridge has seen the world would be an understatement.

The Santa Rosan, whose family has been in the area for generations, celebrated his 92^nd birthday with members of his family and friends on Saturday celebrating his achievements as a pilot and a family man.

Hobbs claimed that even after serving 15 years in the Marine Corps Reserves, he never retired. His career consisted of spending nearly 3,500 hours in the air. And most of that was spent in one of his favorite aircrafts, the Corsair.

Hobbs still has a photo of himself when he was 19 years old in his home. Clean-shaven and smiling, the then, 19-year-old never expected to climb the ranks to Major in his career, and to end up living the rest of his life in the county he grew up in.

Right before the end of the war, Hobbs said he came close to earning a spot as a grounds operator for the Marine Corps.

“Unfortunately, they announced the end of the war before that happened,” Hobbs said.

But even when the war ended, and Hobbs stepped off of the Corsair and many of the other planes he flew, his love for flying never left him.

After getting out of the Reserves, Hobbs decided to continue his military career in a different way. He got accepted at the University of Florida where he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering.

“I love aircraft,” Hobbs said. “The Corsair was the best one I ever flew.”

Following his graduation, Hobbs went to work for Lockheed Martin for 20 years and later worked for the Navy for 17 years before hanging up his hat in Santa Rosa County.

But to really understand Hobbs’ love for flying, you’d have to travel back to before he was in the Marine Corps.

“I’ve always wanted to fly,” Hobbs said. “My brother (Raymond Simmons) and I got a ride on an airplane from a Lt. Cmdr from Milton one time, and I’ve been struck ever since.”

That one plane ride changed Hobbs’ future.  And to this day, Hobbs has never lost the love for the aircraft that he flew or the area he grew up in.

During his career with the Marines, Hobbs earned two distinguished medals including an Air Medal for his devotion to his aircraft.

The 92-year-old who is in good health said he hopes that his family continues to serve and live in Santa Rosa County like he did even after joining the military.

“Santa Rosa County is a good place,” Hobbs said. “Never in a million years did I think it would be built up like it is.”