Remembering Bill Barba

Paul Fugleberg / Among Other Things

Bill Barba was man of many interests — aviator, artist, metal sculptor, inventor, old car/trains/planes enthusiast, model builder, diver, adventurer — and perhaps best of all, a genuinely caring person.

When I first met Bill he had just come to the Flathead Lake area and was camped in a tent below what would become his Silver Rock Pines subdivision near Big Arm.

His most public recognition came from his construction of a replica World War I vintage Austin SE-5A fighter plane. Besides flying it around Flathead and Mission Valley skies, he flew it to air shows in Missoula, Kalispell, Reno, Oregon, Washington and Alberta. Each trip was an adventure including difficulties with Canadian customs officials and sometimes challenging wind conditions. Once, while flying near Butte he said a strong headwind was actually blowing him backwards. At Reno he allowed nationally known racing plane pilots to fly the SE-5A. And he was a crowd favorite and he donned his Snoopy helmet and mask as he flew by as if looking for the infamous Red Baron.

Wherever he and his plane went they attracted media attention which brought a lot of favorable publicity to Polson and the Flathead Lake area.

For a while he loaned the plane to the Oregon Air and Space Museum and then went to Eugene, Ore., to disassemble the plane enough to fit on his homemade flatbed trailer and haul it back to his Silver Rock Pines residence.

There he went over with meticulous care to put it back in flying condition, updating it with a larger propeller and realigning the engine, then hauling it to the Polson airport and reassembled it. He eventually sold the plane to a buyer in The Netherlands.

But flying was only one of his interests. He bought an old German electric train set from his sister-in-law in Cottonwood, Calif., and purchased an Andean village railroad diorama from a former Hollywood set builder in Missoula. It was such extensive layout that he partitioned off a room in his basement to accommodate the set. In addition to locomotives, rail cars and trackage, the set had town buildings, a depot, water tower, gas station, bridges, jungle scenery, an Incan temple, animal and people figures, vehicles and more. One thing was missing, though, a system of roads. So he modified the set to include roads and tunnels.

Evidence of his fun-loving sense of humor, he crafted a five-ft. high tin-armored Spanish warrior equipped with a sound system and tape that could greet visitors as they entered the front door of his Silver Rock Pines home. Kids loved that one! Then there were a wood-carved bear in a barrel, an ice boat powered by an engine and propeller, and metal sculpted cowboys.

For years I had encouraged Bill to write his life story, but he never seemed to have time to get around to it.

I feel so fortunate to have known Bill Barba. He'll be missed.