Hometown Clinton - Fall 2016

Camille Anding & Susan Marquez
Businessman John Mosley has planted
roots deep in Clinton, but has his eye on
the sky as a pilot of vintage airplanes. Most
folks in Clinton know Mosely as the owner
of Clinton Body Shop. His father, a former
Marine, worked in a body shop when Mosley
was a child. Following in his dad’s footsteps,
Mosley worked in another body shop before
the duo combined their talents into their
own business.
Clinton Body Shop opened its doors in
February 1980 and within a couple of years
Mosley made the move from southwest
Jackson where he was raised to a piece of
property he purchased in the Clinton area.
He’s lived there ever since. Mosley was
blessed to work alongside his father for
twenty years until his dad’s death in 2000.
Mosley took his first nine hours of pilot
lessons in 1972, and all was going well until
he had a motorcycle accident. Hit by three
cars, he suffered a broken leg and that put
his pilot school on hold. In the following
months, he married his wife Carolyn, and
the couple began their family. Children
Patty and Daniel were born, and with all the
expenses and obligations that come with
marriage and children there was no time or
money to pursue his flying dreams.
As the children got older and Mosley
had more free time on his hands, the lure of
the sky returned. “I was driving my daughter
and wife to the airport,” recalled Mosley.
“Patty was going on the annual Clinton
High School senior trip to Europe, and
Carolyn was going along as a chaperone.”
Hank Beasley was in the car with the
Mosley family on the way to the airport and
commented on Mosley’s accelerator foot.
“He said if I liked going that fast, I should
learn to fly!” That one comment triggered
something in him. Before his wife and
daughter boarded the plane, Mosley has
arranged for a flight lesson at Hawkins Field.
Mosley earned his pilot’s license
in 1992, and later his son, Daniel, also
earned his pilot’s license. Now their four
grandchildren are interested in aviation as
well. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been all smooth
flying for the senior pilot. In 2007 he crashed
a vintage biplane. “It was my fault. I was in a
hurry and ignored one of the cardinal rules
for flying that particular plane.” As a result,
the plane stalled while climbing on takeoff.
Mosely realized what was about to happen
and made a split-second decision. He pulled
the power, resulting in the plane descending
at a 45% angle to the ground which served
to lessen the impact and keep the wreckage
on Mosley’s property.
Daniel watched it happen and rushed
to his dad’s aid, extinguishing flames and
helping Mosley to safety. With both legs and
ankles broken, Mosley spent time in the
hospital then in a wheelchair. As he healed,
he and Daniel worked alongside a brother
and brother-in-law who helped him repair
and repaint the plane to mint condition.
That plane is housed in a hangar at Mosley’s
14 • Aug/Sept/Oct 2016
1928 Travel Air biplane. It is the oldest flying airplane in Mississippi.
1928 Chevrolet 4 dr. sedan.
1943 North American SNJ5. It was stationed at several Naval bases
during WW2. This is the aircraft a pilot had to master before they
could move up to the higher performance fighters.
Hometown Clinton • 15