It is amazing what a chance $10 plane ride meant to a wide-eyed youngster more than 30 years ago. That short spin inspired Steve Saflin to pursue a career that included a hitch in the military and a position with the Cessna Aircraft Co. “I remember riding past Rostraver Airport and I saw a sign that read ‘Airplane rides. $10,’ Saflin, 45, said from his office in Wichita, Kan. “I just had to take one. “I was still in junior high, but I remember it so clearly. The sign was on a white piece of plywood and the letters were printed in red paint.” That first flight left Saflin with the flying bug. “I was hooked every since then,” he said. After graduating from Monessen High School in 1977, Saflin spent a year in college and then joined the U.S. Army. He managed to return for a while to finish his studies at California University, and later received a master’s degree in business administration from Boston University. He received pilot training while in the Army. “I was in the military for 20 years and retired in 1997,” he said. Saflin subsequently hooked up with Cessna, and has been there ever since. At Cessna, he serves as program manager for special missions and Citation Mustang manager of sales and marketing for Cessna’s newest aircraft. “I’ve been here for about seven years, now and I just love it,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful career.” Even though he has been away from the Mon Valley for nearly 30 years, Saflin has never forgotten his ties to Rostraver Airport. “I flew back there often when I was in the military and would visit my parents, who still live in the Valley,” he said. In fact, Saflin will be at Rostraver Airport on Sunday afternoon. He will be flying in on the Citation Sovereign. The aircraft is so new it has not yet been delivered to Cessna’s customers. “It’s a brand new aircraft and we have to put time on it,” he said. “We sometimes get to pick the destinations. I thought it would be nice to land at Rostraver. “I’ll get to visit my parents for a while and then I’ll fly back to Wichita.” He admitted that a visit with his parents was not his long motivation to bring the plan to Rostraver. “Rostraver Airport will always have a special spot in my heart,” he said. Saflin and his wife, Stephanie, have three children – Stephen Jr., 21; Seth, 12; and Sarah, 10. “Stephen is in the Coast Guard and is stationed out of California,” Saflin noted. Saflin says he keep tabs on events in Monessen and the surrounding areas. “I try to stay up on things,” he said. “In fact, I get back here at least once a year, sometimes twice.”

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