This article appeared in the January issue of Hemispheres, the United Airlines inflight magazine.
By: Matt Adams
When Marc “Sparky” Sipolt was a kid watching Bears football on Sunday afternoons at his home on Chicago’s Northwest Side, he never dreamed of the role the team would one day play in his professional life at United. In fact, back then, his dreams were centered a little closer to the pavement than the sky.
“My brothers and I performed in an auto racing thrill show; we were known as ‘the World’s Youngest Daredevils’,” Sparky said, recalling the days when the Sipolt boys burned rubber and executed death-defying stunts on racetracks all over the country.
By the time Sparky was 7-years-old, the Sipolts were such a popular act that they had appeared on What’s My Line? and the Mike Douglas Show.
But with his daredevil days behind him, Sparky joined United in 1987 as a member of the Chicago O’Hare ramp crew. “I just liked being around airplanes,” he said. “Every time I saw someone doing something, I wanted to do it – a guy fueling a plane? Hey, let me try that. Someone de-icing the wings? I want to do that, too.” One day while managing the O’Hare employee buses, Sparky received a fortuitous call. “My supervisor said, ‘The Bears are in the parking lot and they need a ride to their plane; can you send a bus for them?’ It was my first glimpse into the charter operation, and I raised my hand and asked, ‘Can I be a part of this?’ I’ve been here ever since.”
His first job with charters was as the Bears’ Ground Coordinator, part of the group responsible for loading the aircraft. Sparky earned a reputation as a reliable, likable guy, so much so that the team’s equipment manager, Tony Medlin, asked for him to be assigned to their flights on a full-time basis. Before long, he was managing charters for several more teams, adding the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Giants and Denver Broncos to his portfolio along with several collegiate clients.
The Bears typically depart around mid-day the day before away games. On those mornings, their aircraft is positioned on a remote pad where the inflight services crew preps the plane in advance of the team’s arrival. Snacks and beverages are placed in the players’ seats, and the galley is stocked with mountains of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bags of beef jerky for them to feast on while in the air.
The first to arrive at the airport is the Bears’ owner, Virginia McCaskey, accompanied by her son George and his wife Barb. Sparky personally escorts Mrs. McCaskey to her seat prior to departures. Standing on the tarmac before boarding the plane, George McCaskey had nothing but praise for Sparky’s work over the years. “The greatest thing about him is how he takes care of my mom, especially after the games,” he said. “In the midst of the game-day rush, it’s nice to see his smiling face.”
When asked about his favorite memory, Sparky had a hard time picking just one. “I’m proud of how we managed the Broncos flights during the 2016 Super Bowl. We moved 1,000 people for that one. Our charter support staff, inflight services and catering, our ramp and maintenance crews, the pilots, the people at the Network Operations Center – everyone contributed and they all did a great job. It’s those people, not just me, who make things run smoothly.”
Even for a Chicago boy, working with the Bears is just that –a job. “There’s no time to be star-struck,” Sparky said. “We’re all professionals; you can’t have a favorite team in this business.” It took some prodding, but he did confess to one time when his fandom showed through. “Ok, I have to admit that meeting Walter Payton was a big thrill. He was just a great, kind guy. That was pretty cool.”
Regardless of which team he’s moving, Sparky lives by one simple philosophy. “No surprises. That’s the key to success – planning for every contingency that might occur. I try to always do the best that I can for our customers. And you know what? I look forward to it every day. I love what I do.”
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