Still turning a wrench at 96

You might say that Harold McMurran of New Market, Alabama, knows airplanes inside and out. After all, he’s devoted much of his life to working on flying machines.

At 96 Harold has persevered through the trials and tribulations of the aviation industry, just as he and his wife, Ruth, have persevered through 73 years of marriage — and both are still going strong. 

His love for aviation had its genesis when he first saw an airplane at age 5.

“I became enthused with them, and every nickel I got back then I would buy a little model airplane and try to put it together,” he recalls. “I worked up to gasoline engine models by the time I was in high school and competed in contests.”

Upon high school graduation, Harold started working for a family friend at Tyndall Field in Panama City, Florida.

“He hired me in civil service and sent me to the same school that the Army Air Corps maintenance people went to in Nashville. The Air Corps students went from 7 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, and civil service went from 3 to 11 at night. I finished the aircraft maintenance course and went back down to Tyndall with my general mechanic’s certificate. That was 1942 and I was working on airplanes, including the P-39 Airacobra, P-38 Lightning, AT-6, BT-13, and B-25 Mitchell. I was trying to get in the Air Corps, but in 1943 I got drafted into the Army before I could get into the Air Corps.” 

Military Service

A Technician 5th Grade during World War II, 19-year-old Harold fought in the D-Day Invasion at Normandy on June 6, 1944, landing with the 546th Company on Utah Beach.

Six months later, he successfully fought to survive unscathed from enemy fire and disabling frostbite during the Battle of the Bulge. Decades later, he received the Legion of Honor Medal from France. 

Back at home after the war, Harold went to the University of Alabama and studied mechanical engineering.

“Then I got in an Army Air Force Reserve unit in 1949, and we got called up in 1951 for the Korean War,” says Harold. “But I did not have to go to Korea. I was in Columbus, Ohio, at Lockbourne Air Force Base when my 15 months was up, and I chose not to re-enlist.” 

Engineering and Maintenance

Harold put his engineering degree to good use while working for Hayes Aircraft as a mechanic and design engineer. He moved to Huntsville in 1955 when Hayes became a contractor for the missile program at Redstone Arsenal.

“I’m one of the few left that helped put man on the moon,” says Harold. “I did some design work on the missile for the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing. I also worked as a tool designer for Boeing and retired in 1990.” 

Complementing and enhancing his career, Harold took flying lessons, soloed a Luscombe 8A, and took his private pilot checkride in a Cessna 120 in 1962.

He acquired his mechanic certificate with Airframe and Powerplant ratings in 1965, and then his Inspection Authorization a few years after that. He soon put those qualifications to good use, as well.

“I built South Huntsville Airport with the help of a Morgan county commissioner in the late 1960s, and I had about five mechanics working for me down there because I had about 70 aircraft based on the field. The runway was a special type of ‘soil cement’ and I had one maintenance hangar and outdoor tiedowns. The hangar’s still there and if you look, you can see the runway — but they turned it into a sod farm for a while. I was there for about 10 years, and later I was at North Huntsville.” 

Harold moved his aircraft servicing and maintenance business — Southeastern Aircraft Rebuilders, Incorporated — to Moontown Airport (3M5) in July 2009. He’s still active with the local EAA Chapter 190, and continues working with no thoughts of retiring.

“I enjoy going through an airplane and inspecting it. You’d be surprised looking at an airplane by some of the strange things you’ll find that people didn’t know was in there — I’ve found a rat, and even a groundhog — I’m serious!”

“I’ve been working on airplanes most of my life, and I enjoy the camaraderie with the people that I worked for — some were good and some were bad,” he continues. “Some of them that are bad, you make them feel good when they leave sometimes, so you feel like you’ve accomplished something, with their airplane and with them, too!”  

Working on Airplanes

Through the decades, Harold has worked on Wacos, Cessnas, Mooneys, Pipers, Stinsons, Luscombes, Taylorcrafts, Navions, and sailplanes, to name a few.

“I was also a Meyers dealer for a while, and they came out with a fast low wing model — the Meyers 200 would do 210 to 215 mph — and I sold that when Aero Commander of Georgia was building them,” recalls Harold.  

Another part of his work has entailed installing fabric on many an airplane, and he says that job is “more time consuming than people may think, because you’ve got to get all your tubing and everything cleaned up first before you get started.”

“You used to have two different coverings you could use — linen and cotton,” he explains. “As far as working with them, I thought they were about the same, not any difference really. And then they came out with Ceconite and Poly-Fiber and that made it a lot easier and faster, because when you got through putting your cover on, you could iron it tight. With linen and cotton, you had to put a coat of dope on it, wait for it to tighten it up, and tone it. And the Ceconite and Poly-Fiber lasts a long time.” 

Regarding changes he’s seen with aircraft engines, Harold says, “I’ve worked on Lycomings, Continentals, Franklins and others. Much of the technology with flat engines hasn’t changed, but they have improved on the metals that they’re using so that they endure longer. And they’ve made some advancement in oils, from just a regular oil to putting additives in it to help clean the carbon out of the engines.” 

As for painting aircraft, Harold used to don a complete suit “with a hose running to an outside source for air so I wouldn’t breathe in any of the fumes. Then they came out with the high volume low pressure (HVLP) system, and I have one. Naturally it’s better on your health because there’s less overspray, but there is a learning curve to using that one,” says Harold, adding with a chuckle, “I always started painting on the bottom side of an airplane, and by the time I got around to the sides and top of it, it looked good!” 

The most unusual aircraft he’s worked on include a Russian helicopter and a P-51 Mustang.

“Years ago, a local guy paid $2,500 for a P-51 out in California. The line boy at the old airport flew P-51s during the war, so he went out there and flew it back for the guy,” recalls Harold. “It had the Allison engine, and he wanted a Merlin engine instead. So he located one and we installed the Merlin in it.” 

Harold’s IA expires March 31, 2021, and naturally, he plans to renew it. He no longer flies though, saying, “I had a medical up until I was 75 and then I decided to quit flying by myself.”

“But I can’t imagine not working! And my wife doesn’t want me at home under her feet. She just wants me home at lunchtime and quitting time!” he says.

“But last year was the worst year in aircraft maintenance I ever had, because I only did about 30 annuals. I have done as many as 60, maybe 70, when I had four or five mechanics working for me over at North Huntsville. I’ve got some customers who have been with me for years, and some are scattered out in other locations, but they come every year. I have a good helper now. Gordy Seuell saw me up here working one day and he came up and said, ‘Can I help you? And I said, yeah! And he hasn’t quit yet.”

Gordy, a Vietnam veteran who flew F-4s and remains active in general aviation, says, “It’s not every day you get to work for a World War II veteran and gain knowledge from their experiences. You can’t replace experience with education, so the opportunity to work with Harold is invaluable.”

It’s not only aviation that’s in Harold’s blood. He’s a member of the Echota Cherokee tribe of Alabama, with Indian Blood Quantum of 25%.

“I’m part Indian on my mother’s side,” smiles Harold. “My grandmother was full Cherokee and she was on the Trail of Tears, but a family took her in as a young child.” 

Stay Positive!

From his long-term perspective, Harold shares this advice to those wanting to become an aircraft mechanic: “Go get a regular mechanical engineering degree first, and if you still want to work on aircraft, go do it. With your degree, you’re about 99% sure you’re going to have a job all the time, but you can get laid off from aircraft maintenance. So give yourself a backup plan and don’t rely solely on this kind of work.”

And, as for navigating the ups and downs of life, this nonagenarian says: “Stay positive! Things might go bad one day, but be better the next day. So if you’re down one day, pick yourself up, and keep going!”