Summer of Dreams

Readers: it's been weeks since Ive posted. I was really busy putting on that fly-in a couple weeks ago. I worked so hard to get ready for it, that I ached. It was that good kind of ache. I'm not gonna talk about the fly-in now and how wonderfully successful it was. I need a whole post just for that. But it was all I wanted it to be and way more. I want to thank everyone who came and everyone who helped. My fly-in mentor Art, gave me some sage advice before the fly-in while I was starting to panic about being ready. He told me that I, LloydLou, had to be at my own fly-in and enjoy my own fly in and not just be working the whole time as a host. I took his advice and I had a wonderful time. And I was again reminded of the philosophy that I've mentioned before in these posts. That you have to "be here now". Or you miss it while your mind is sneaking ahead to the next event. Or maybe your mind is dwelling in the past about a woulda, shoulda coulda. Yesterday, wife and I took the CherOHkee down to Richmond to pick up her nine year old grand-nephew. Great flight down and back. On the way down we stopped for fuel at Cambridge which was fine except the restaurant there was closed. We had ourselves set for lunch. Not to be denied, we simply flew back north to Easton and had lunch there. Yes, airplanes do get you there faster, but not if you fly in the opposite direction just to eat. I like it when it's about flying around with no tight schedule. The week before, on the Sunday after the fly-in, we chased the Stearman down to Cambridge and joined it for lunch. Myself, wife, son, son's girlfriend. A great send off for our friends who had brought their beautiful biplane up north to our fly-in. So twice in a week I had utilized the back seats in the little 140 CherOHkey. They do come in handy for family fun. But alas, if I were to go under light sport, I would be limited to one passenger. It would just be too dangerous for me to carry more than one. Wouldn't it. Yesterday we went to Air and Space and Natural History on the Mall. We had great nephew with us and I saw the metro trains and the space capsules through his eyes. He taught me a few things. We had so much fun. I am rekindling the idea of getting vetted to fly into College Park. It would be so cool to take off here at home and fly into the double dreaded FRZ. Park and lock up the propeller.(not kidding). Then walk to the metro and go to downtown DC to the museums, restaurants, etc. Then back to the airplane in time to meet the curfew for take off and simply fly home. Near term, we are also talking about driving up to to Dover or Wilmington and taking Amtrak to NYC to see a show and one or 2 nights in a hotel. If we can get an animal/house sitter. We have no money to do this, but I'm thinkin maybe I should spend the retirement money while I still have enough health to use it. We're losing the money in the failing market anyway! Friday we flew the CherOHkey to GED (Georgetown, DE). I let great nephew fly from the right seat. On two boat cushions. He flew most of the way over and back. He felt me through on take offs and landings. His great aunt was in the back seat encouraging him. Today I gave him a brand new real Pilot's logbook with the two legs signed. Again I used those lovely little back seats in the 140. I turned 61 last month. I think this is the best summer I've ever had. I know I'm getting to be a ranting geezer. Too long in the tooth. And I stare way too long at young girls. And I lose patience with my geezer friends. Day after tomorrow I'm going to Alaska for a week to hang with some buddies. They are all younger than me. I hope they don't expect me to climb a mountain or something. I'm hoping to work on the guy's cabin half the day and sit around the fire the other half. At the museum Sunday I learned that gathering around the hearth is 800,000 years old. The human species that did that first is extinct now. When we homo sapiens did it it was old hat. No wonder we feel natural doing it. GAI ::::+::::

into the SFRA; on the edge of the FRZ

I flew the CherOHkee yesterday. Saturday. Finally, after I guess about a month. It's been pretty hot, and I havn't really had the budget to go out and convert fuel into noise as much as I would like. And I wasn't planning on flying really. Wife was going to DC in the car to visit her dad as usual. But with the weekend she was worried about bridge traffic. Bridge traffic has gotten worse year after year with every beach season. Not just Friday and Sunday and east or west, but both ways and all weekend. So wife was going on a Saturday day trip to DC. Son was also going to DC to visit a friend, but later in the day, and spending the night. He would take our other car, the "booberoo" ( see blog post entitled "Legacy") So wife says to me: "Why don't you fly son over to Freeway and he can take the car on to DC and we can fly home and I'll miss all the bridge traffic?" Now mind you, I used to be able to hear and comprehend pretty well. When I was in my....say...forties. And my ears perked up because I knew wife was talking about me having an excuse to fly. But all I could get out in response was a "say what?" So wife asked if the plane was ready and could it fly to" freeway" inside the DC no fly zone. I was saying that I was listening and tell me more, but I still didn't grasp the logistics. And flying little airplanes rarely improves logistics. She explained it two more times to me and I started smiling and calling her a genius, and son was now listening as she went through it a third time. I said: "OK, let me see if I got it. You take the Toyota to your dad's tomorrow like normal. But after that visit you simply drive to Freeway Airport. Son and I meet you there in the CherOHkee. Son takes the Toyota on to Northern Virginia for his get together. You and I get in the CherOHkee and come home, flying over the bridge traffic. And the booberoo stays home with the dogs. Right"? Wife says that I do indeed get it. Of course this means that I have to fly into the dreaded DC /Baltimore Class B/ ADIZ/SFRA/FRZ . But I'm actually kind of secretly excited about flying again and the challenge of filing those flight plans will be fun and the weather was forecast to be picture perfect. So Saturday went as planned. With a few additions. I took the airplane solo to CGE (cambridge) for fuel and had a nice bowl of chile. Then came home. Then son got ready for his date, and I filed my flight plans and then we headed out with full tanks. And also on the way home with wife, I suggested we stop in again at CGE for dinner since they were open till eight. She agreed and we had a beautiful sunset flight to CGE and a nice dinner and barely beat the dark back in here to Rosewind. Now the next GA event for me is the Fly-In HERE this coming Saturday. I'm hoping for good weather and have prayed to the Airmail Gods. So far, the weather is OK because tropical storm Colin has fizzled in Bermuda. See you this Saturday. GAI ... ::::+::::