Sam was the first person to ever loop or roll a helicopter, flew with Tex Rankin, displayed a 450 Stearman, and (the most important accomplishment) flew one of the first Bucker Jungmann ever to come to the USA. His Bucker is now proudly owned by Steve Hawley.
For much of his life, Sammy was based in Santa Paula and counted Mira Slovak and Perry Sheffler among his circle of friends. His sons, and grandsons are very active at that airport today.
Sammy's autobiography "Faith and Flight" is available at Amazon.com now as a Kindle download for only US$1.99
As you might guess, the book chronicles Sammy's religious life, as well as his aviation career. I found the book to be a compelling read.
My favorite quote from the book: "Experience is what you think you've got, before you get some more."
A very good $1.99 worth.
Steve