As the Cyclones Spin

Why 75 Year Olds Like to Winter in South Florida

2012-01-24T06:20:00.006-06:00

What more could a 75 year old glamour girl from Detroit ask than a winter vacation in warm and sunny south Florida? The Flagship Detroit has been enjoying just that, beginning with the Stuart Air Show in November. She did venture north to Georgia to qualify three new Captains and then had a brief respite in Opa Locka to have a little work done (Got to be all spiffed up for the upcoming season, you know). Since early December, she has been the star of the ramp at Witham Field in Stuart, FL, wowing many admirers and new members. The highlight of her visit so far was an appearance on January 19 at "La Bella Machina," held at the Jet Aviation facility at Palm Beach International Airport. According to Jet Aviation's website, the event is "an elegant evening of Ferrari autos and business aircraft in conjunction with the week-long Cavallino Classic," which is the 11th annual celebration of classic and new Ferrari automobiles to be held in the Palm Beach area.
It was, as advertised, a most elegant evening with the floodlit Flagship in the center of the ramp, surrounded by spectacular new jets, gorgeous cars and beautiful people. In all that illustrious company, she really stood out as the "Queen Mother" that she is. Many of the attendees had an appreciation of historic aircraft, and many compliments were received, including, "Wow, this is the coolest airplane here."
Many thanks to Bob Gross, who arranged for the Detroit to be at the event, and who, along with Tony DeSantis, piloted the plane to Palm Beach and back. Foundation members Dennis Pugsley and Bill Brooks were invaluable. Dennis created a beautiful banner displayed at the door and was hard at work promoting the FSD all evening. Bill provided ground transportation from Stuart and is always so positive and willing to share his many talents. Riley Gross, Bob's son, was there looking very handsome and being very helpful. Judy and Tony DeSantis, along with Peggy Fairchild, were there in "full costume," and all received many accolades for their vintage look.
It was a wonderful evening and the Flagship made many new friends. Her next appearance will be a charity fly-in breakfast on February 4 in Sebastian, FL. Don't miss this opportunity to visit with the Flagship and her dedicated crew at this worthy event.
(Many thanks to guest columnist Peggy Fairchild for most of these words)

An Airplane Takes a Vacation

2012-01-02T06:11:00.003-06:00

The Flagship Detroit has always been a docile and obedient sort of airplane. She has had a long and sometimes distinguished career. After all, she is celebrating her 75th birthday right about now and she has long years of experience in doing what is asked of her without complaint. And what a grand old-er lady she is!
But it seems that she took a liking to south Florida on our recent visit there. Gosh, what was there not to like, blue skies, warm sun and cool breezes. After all, Ft. Worth weather is rather extreme, sitting out there on the edge of the prairie. A brutal summer with over two months of over 100 degrees and those blue northers that whip across Texas were not making her anxious to get home.
She willingly went back to Georgia and cooperated wonderfully as Tony DeSantis and Dave Buffington successfully passed their check rides. But, when it came time to go back home with Gene Christian and Dave Buffington, she balked. She just stamped her left tire and said, "Hey, I always do what you guys want. Can't a girl have a little fun when she turns 75!" So she dug her heels in and stayed in Georgia.
Finally, Bob Gross and Tony DeSantis figured it out. They came up and took her back to Florida for a fun time. She went to a spa outside of Miami and what fun she had. She got a manicure and pedicure, a new hair style and a few massages. Ate some seafood and took some nice walks. Then she said, "OK, guys, thanks for the respite. But I still want to have fun." And so she did.
Now all rejuvenated and resting in Stuart, Florida, she is keeping an eye on those good looking local pilots while looking forward to her next year of service. The big 75th birthday celebration year. Capt. Zane is hard at work on a schedule for the next season. So stay tuned for another year of fun with the Flagship. Oh, and if you are near Stuart, stop by and say hello. I understand Peggy, Jake, Tony and Judy are stopping by for tea tomorrow.

Too Much Excitement

2011-11-20T05:54:00.005-06:00

Upon returning to Covington on Nov 14th, it was major cram time for Tony DeSantis and Dave Buffington as they studied for their type rating check rides. There was also major moaning and groaning about how they thought they would surely fail and suffer embarrassment. Wednesday was Tony's day and I hear that he was absolutely flawless in his oral and great in his flying even though it was raining and the wind was a factor. As an added bonus, they signed the examiner, Bill Mercure and his son Adam up for membership. Bill is retired Delta and Adam is current Delta Captain. Both men have the type rating and extensive hours of "3" time.
Dave's ride is to be on Friday, with final flight training on Thursday. He is having trouble getting rest due to weird dreams about dogs chasing skunks through his house and revelers coming to party and not letting him study. Finally the big day comes and the weather is better, but still windy. We have been plagued by wind since we were at MacDill three weeks ago. Nevertheless, Dave also presented a stellar performance and also received his rating. As another bonus, they met Robin Maiden and his son, Max, 15. Robin was a co-pilot for Delta's DC-3 and is currently about to get his rating. Has about 150 hours. Max is into everything aviation and aspires to fly and be a mechanic. Robin is interested in working air shows and decides to join and sign Max up also. The two of them will fly with the plane to Ft. Worth and non rev back. On their way back to 9A1, they detour slightly to fly over John Heilman's house. John was instructor before Gene. John came out to the airport and joined the crew for dinner. He was excited to catch up on the goings on of the Flagship and its crew.

The Show

2011-11-14T08:42:00.007-06:00

Our position for the show is off the main drag a bit behind another DC-3 operated by a missionary group and nestled behind the Eastern Airlines DC-7B. We feel like this is a good place to be as the show is HUGE and it will lessen the onslaught of the masses. There is a full carnival midway here in addition to all the regular air show things. This is a big event in Stuart and there has been write up in the local newspaper everyday. Bob Gross and his son, Riley, join us this morning. Bob performs a thirty day inspection on the plane, see photo of him inspecting the wing.
The crowds are large but because of our admission charge, we keep from being overwhelmed. Only the truly interested come aboard. Sheryl's father and sister come to visit, Peggy's former sister-in-law and her family are there also as well as Jake's friend Muddy Rivers. We do a decent job of selling shirts and collecting admissions and have a two day take almost twice of what we had a MacDill. The hospitality tent has a great lunch catered by Outback Steakhouse and HUGE cookies in various flavors.
On Sunday, We 2 Duets, Judy DeSantis and her partner Chris Mazzella, perform live duets of songs from the 30's and 40's. They put on an excellent show and we gather an appreciative crowd. Our crew varies their arrival and departure times but local members Bill and Michelle Brooks are invaluable in picking up the slack the team seems to be operating on fumes as the season winds down.
Tony and Judy host us and other assorted people, including the Coast Guard at their lovely home for an Italian dinner on Saturday evening. It was a great party with a lot of interesting people to talk with.
The actual air show here was long and totally above average. They had everything from sky divers to wing walkers. They also did an excellent job of traffic control, there were huge numbers of cars to get in and out and there were no delays in either direction on either day.
As we packed up Sunday night we arranged things differently because this is the season end. Our emotions are mixed, we are tired and tarmac weary, but on the other hand, we will be missing our road buddies as we have formed an incredibly close bond with our fellow Flagship devotees.
Monday morning we are again out early to move the plane back to the flight line and do a heritage flight for 17 passengers. Thanks so much to Dennis Pugsley for bringing in six of those new members. Word has it that just as Dennis was convincing one of the folks, the Flagship flew over on a training flight and that sealed the deal!!
The Christians, plus Dave Buffington and Bob Gross will fly to Covington, GA this afternoon. Tony will follow in his own plane. Dave and Tony will do check rides for their type ratings later in the week and Bob will head to his cabin in TN. Then the Flagship will go back to Ft. Worth for the winter.
See you guys in the spring!!

And What a Party it Was

2011-11-12T06:27:00.004-06:00

All Friday afternoon we kept the motel door open in order to see the air show acts fly by as they practiced. Many others did the same and as each plane came over people spilled out into the parking lot, looking skyward. Late in the afternoon Judy and Tony DeSantis appeared, also Jake and Peggy who had fetched Dave Buffington from the airport train. Dave checked in and we all headed for the airport as the evening show started overhead. There we were joined by Bob Gross and my sister, Kitty White.
This was a fund raiser and so was attended by the public as well as the air show participants. a large crowd. As the sun was setting, the acts continued and they were unique. The traditional parachuter with the flag was circled by two planes spouting smoke on his way down. Just at dusk the Black Diamonds did a formation routine that was stunning. They had lights all over the planes including illumination of the smoke plumes and the effect was out of this world. There was a helicopter flying formation with two small planes and on and on. Near the end of this show, several more people parachuted in very close to where everyone was sitting.
A very nice dinner was being served meantime: jambalaya, boneless wings, meatballs, penne pasta with chicken and sides. Just after dark the fireworks started, first being launched from a plane and then planes with sparkling trails coming from the wings. After that, a traditional fireworks display accompanied by patriotic music but just right in front of us so that you had to look straight up to enjoy them. After the finale, there was a huge BOOM and a wall of fire ignited down the runway. It must have been 12 feet high and was very, very long. We all jumped to our feet in shock. These folks really know how to put on a show.

Meanwhile on the other coast

2011-11-10T08:49:00.003-06:00

No rush this morning...the five remaining meet at 9AM for breakfast in the mess hall. This is the best deal ever, they have everything one could conceive of to eat and this morning at rock bottom prices.
Peggy and Jake are off to drive to her home in Jupiter. Tony, Gene and I are flying to his home in Stuart, FL. We get off about 11AM.
I am nervous about all the birds around and glad when we reach an altitude high enough to be away from them. We stop by Lake Okeechobee on the way to let Tony practice landings and we have lunch there. Then on to Stuart. There is a bit of an oversupply of fuel as we left Tampa full and are getting filled up again in Stuart. The thought is to take the last of our gas after the heritage flight on Monday.
We are staying with Tony and Judy DeSantis until Thursday when the air show hotel rooms become available. Their very spacious home has the St. Lucie river to the back and loads of room with all the Florida accoutrements: screened pool, hot tub, boat and dock. After resting, we regroup for a nice dinner with great conversation.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the men go out to fly for Tony's training as he is planning to go back to Covington and take his check ride for his type rating. Occasionally we hear and see the plane go over the house.
Wednesday afternoon Tony and Gene arrive home about four with Jake and Peggy. Peggy has been wanting me to see her home in Jupiter so we decide to spend the night with them and head south. First stop is an outdoor Tiki bar on the water called the Square Grouper. It has a great atmosphere and view. Peggy says Perry Como used to live right across the inlet from it. We pass what formally was Burt Reynolds' theater and then go to Peggy's house.
Wow! It is a small home in a cookie cutter neighborhood, but she completely remodeled it and it is a stunner! It is so warm and so well put together. She has a wide circle of friends who were scouting for good deals and she scored some amazing purchases to put this place together. She has prepared a delicious beef stew for our dinner along with all the sides. The four of us never lack for conversation and laughter and after dinner we repair to the pool enclosure to continue the fun until we run out of steam.
Thursday morning, our hostess with the mostess cooks us a wonderful breakfast complete with Benton's bacon imported from Tennessee. Then it is time to head north again to Stuart to move the airplane into position for the show. We pick up rental cars and arm bands and go to the hotel to check in. Tony, Jake and Peggy also get rooms to make sure we have the rooms allotted to our group for the show. Then we go our separate ways and plan to meet again at the party on Friday night.

The Show Days

2011-11-07T04:55:00.007-06:00

Saturday morning was windy and frigid when we arrived at the airport at 8 AM, after meeting in the dark for breakfast at 6:30. The Air Force had prepared a tent for us with chairs and a table and we set up our operation. However, we found that because we were going to fly in the show, we were in a fenced off area, along with two other planes, and the public would not be allowed out to the plane until after our flight. That was really an advantage as it protected us from the onslaught of this well attended show. We still had long lines both days except when the Thunderbirds were performing. Behind us was a small building where the fueling people stayed and we were happy to find there were bathrooms there and we were allowed to use them. This was great, as we were a long, long way from any other facilities.
After the flight we moved our retail operation over next to the plane as the tent was some distance away. It was a good day but the wind was constant and wearing. Zane worked the line all day telling people the history of the plane before they boarded which lessened the time they stayed inside and moved things along rapidly. A good tactic. The air show people came by frequently with water and ice and our aides, James and Ryan checked on us throughout the day. We were well taken care of here.
Sheryl and Peggy left for the hotel while the men stayed for refueling. As they drove across the ramp, Peggy noticed a wall of soldiers on our right marching towards us. They were between us and where we wanted to go. We stopped and asked a soldier what to do. He said they were performing a FODS (Foreign Object Disposal Sweep) to get the civilians out and that we should just drive straight for them, they would move. Well this was an intimidating thing to do, but we obeyed orders and sure enough, the camo sea parted and we went through.
Saturday night Jim led us to a place called Shells for a nice seafood dinner. Zane and Tony entertained us with stories of their careers as Liaison Officers for the Air Force Academy where they pre-screened applicants. We got more rest that night due to the time change and the realization that we really didn't need to be there so early. However, arriving at 9 meant threading our way in cars between people and booths to make our way to the plane. The day was ten degrees warmer than the previous one but the wind was still a huge factor.
As our plane was flying we spotted large flocks of birds near it, a scary sight. Gene later said they had to deviate to miss them and the people in the tower said there were about 400 of them. The air show was suspended for a time after that until the birds were out of the area.
We set up our tent because of the heat and tied it down to various things, but around three the wind got so brutal that we took it down and packed up some of our gear. Just as well, as after the Thunderbirds finished at four, they went ahead and closed the show down.
Jim had taken Zane to the airport mid afternoon, and Dan left with friends after the show, so there were just five of us left for dinner at Bonefish that night. On Monday, Peggy and Jake will drive to Jupiter and Tony, Gene and Sheryl will fly the plane to Stuart for next weekend's show.
Back to civilian life after a very pleasant weekend on a beautiful Air Force Base.

MacDill Air Fest

2011-11-05T17:16:00.008-05:00

On Thursday, November 3rd, the Flagship departed 9A1, Covington, Georgia for MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL. Crew: PIC Gene Christian, FO Tony DeSantis and Dan Gabel. Passengers: Sheryl Christian. It was a severe clear day, lovely for flying.
In what seemed like no time at all, we were on the ground in Tampa, a lovely balmy evening. And being greeted by an enthusiastic ground crew of young Air Force men and women. Two young officers, Lt. James Diroff and Capt. T. Ryan Moore, were assigned to us and had vans parked there at our disposal. Right behind them were Jake and Peggy in her car. She had driven up from her home in Jupiter and picked him up at Tampa International.
James and Ryan guided us to Base Operations for orientation and the receipt of a packet of needed documents, then on to the MacDill Inn where we were staying and then departed, saying they would be checking in with us through out the weekend.
Our "motel" turned out to be a former BOQ ( Bachelor Officer's Quarters) now tricked out like a motel. It consists of what used to be two "dorm" rooms connected by a bath, only now one of them is a sitting area. So a little strange in that one passed through the bath when going from sitting to bedroom, but very nicely appointed.
After some stirring around, we managed to get off base on and on a main road where we hoped to happen upon an eating establishment. This was accomplished due to Jake's sharp eye and soon we were ensconced in Grillsmith, which boasted having the "Best Damn Martguerita Period." No way could we pass up that challenge since we have been rating them from coast to coast at every stop. I would have to say that it was certainly a very nice one, but do not know if I am ready to crown them the winner or not. Further research is in order.
Back in our rooms just before ten, in time to hear Taps wafting across the base on the breeze. As an old army brat this was really a nostalgic moment for me. In fact, my father was stationed at MacDill about 1964 and my parents lived in Tampa for almost 40 years.
On Friday the men went early to breakfast and then on to a briefing, a refueling of the plane, then a practice flight and repositioning on the flight line for the show, and finally a second briefing. I am told this was all conducted in a very professional manner, but ended up taking the whole day.
The women took a long walk along the bay, enjoying the scenery and watching the pelicans dive for fish. Then we found the mess hall, where we had a full lunch meal for just over $5. We rounded out the day with a shopping expedition to St. Pete.
We have now been joined by two more members of the group, Zane Lemon flew in this afternoon and was picked up at the airport by Jim Skelly, a new member who lives in St. Pete. Jim was career military and retired from MacDill before having an airline career. There are now 8 of us.
Tonight we are guests of the Base Commander at a beach club on base named Sea Scapes. They had appetizers and inexpensive drinks. There was a large patio overlooking the bay where a band was playing. Some planes put on a mini air show and after dark there was a little fireworks display put on by a helicopter and an airplane. Never seen anything like that. The plane had streamers of sparks coming out of each wing. They served a buffet of heavy hors D' oeuvres.
The young men and women of the Thunderbirds were there in their sharp looking flight suits. We enjoyed talking with them. They only fly for two years, but put on about 70 shows a year.
Because everyone at the party had to be out at the show early in the morning, this party broke up early.

Busy, busy week

2011-10-29T08:15:00.002-05:00

The Flagship returned to Ft. Worth on Monday, Oct. 17th. Tuesday was recurrent for newcomers. The class was attended by Carolyn Remol, Rick Smail and Steve Jacobson who was doing a refresher. Carolyn is employed by the FAA in the Chicago area as an operations inspector in general aviation. Rick is a friend of David Gorrell's. He is a retired Delta captain, currently flying for Sky West, often as co-pilot for his son.
On Wednesday they were joined by David Gorrell, Tony DeSantis, Dave Buffington, Zane Lemon and Larry Jamison. After a long day in class, a board meeting convened at 6PM.
Thursday was American Airlines Spirit of DFW day. So the Flagship went to DFW for the day and it was late in the evening when it was returned to AFW.
Friday was to be a day off, but what was to be a 30 minute re-positioning of the plane for the air show turned out to take four hours. The crew was there late, late into the evening and back the next morning early for the Alliance Air Show. The plane was then moved into position for Sky Ball which was at 6PM and then moved again late that evening back into air show position. Reminds you somewhat of that old song "Rubber Ball." (Bouncy, bouncy)
As the crew was in the car on the way to day two of the air show, they got the news that the show was canceled due to a rainy night that left the parking lots with the potential of becoming muddy bogs. So the plane was moved back into the hanger.
On Monday, there were two missions. The first was a fly over the memorial service for Gene Rushing. Gene was in the maintenance dept. at American Airlines and was an early and devoted worker on the Flagship from its earliest days until his health failed.
The second flight was a charity for Camp Summit. This was a flight donated to an auction to benefit a camp for disabled children. The winner of the auction hosted a number of his friends for a sunset flight over some of the passengers homes, ranches and businesses. There was a cocktail party plane side prior to the flight. Beautiful views of the Texas countryside in the twilight and of the city lights in the dusk.
On Tuesday, Jake and Gene began what turned out to be a longer day than anticipated as they launched for Covington, GA. A stop for fuel was made in Vicksburg, Ms where the locals found out there is another aspect of history other than the Civil War.
The next few days were spent in intense training, culminating with Jake having a check ride on Friday and receiving his DC-3 type rating. Way to go! Jake only regrets that his father, an American Captain who flew the Flagship in bygone days, did not live to see this.
Next Thursday the plane launches for MacDill AFB in Tampa with an air show in Stuart, FL the next weekend. This will be the end of the season. So be there or be square.

What a party!

2011-10-18T07:16:00.008-05:00

On Friday, Oct. 15, the clan starts to gather for our appearance in Meridianville, AL for a one pony show hosted by Dan Gabel. Gene and Sheryl drove up to meet George Dennis, John Thatcher and Joe Roberts who had brought the plane from Shelbyville. Blake Butler drove up with Kyle Dennis so George would have wheels. Training flights were done until after dark.
John was staying with George at his daughter's home where he and Kay were baby sitting for the weekend. But they joined us for the evening as we descended on the Gabel household. There is some trepidation to entering a perfect stranger's home for the weekend with four people and all their gear, but Debbie proved to be up to the challenge. Not only that, but a lovely person who we instantly became best buddies with.
The Gabels are martini aficionados and have one of the best stocked liquor cabinets known to man. So the festivities began. The main topic of conversation was the recent end of Blake's marriage and his re-enty into the single scene. There was a possibility of meeting a new person sometime during our stay here and soon there were seven people giving Blake advice on his future. And the more time went on, the funnier things got. Dan and Debbie treated us to a fabulous steak dinner with all the trimmings and then folks stumbled off the bed. Literally.
We find ourselves at Madison County Executive Airport on a brisk fall Saturday morning. The folks there could not have been nicer. A very efficient and friendly woman named Marty runs the place and is a dynamo. The airport authority (including Tom Sharp, Joe Patterson and Smith Hayward) were hosting a hot dog and hamburger cook out for donations with all collected funds going to the Flagship. How great is that??
This weekend is the debut of the new tee shirt with the Flying Magazine 75th anniversary logo. We are all wearing them and they are a hit. (see photo) We sold $350 worth of shirts and hats to a relatively small crowd. Dan has done a good job of selling and we have an all but full heritage flight plus the cook out nets another $100.
That evening we repair to Nick's, a combination restaurant and cigar bar. We are joined by new members Peter Voetsch and Brandi and Turk Terkhuerst. Brandi works for Delta in operations and Turk flies helicopters for the oil industry in Eastern Europe. Brandi is a pilot also and has a 140 named Patches because the two wings do not match in color. Turk happens to mention that his flight brought back memories of flying DC-3s with his father. Gene asks if his family had one and Turk replies, "Twenty-six of them." At this point, Gene hones in like a heat seeking missile and does not let up until Turk agrees to accompany the plane to Ft. Worth and consider becoming a pilot member.
This is another fun evening with Brandi and Turk coming back to the Gabels with us and the party lasting until the wee hours.
On Sunday, George, Blake and Joe head to Shelbyville after more training. John Thatcher goes back to Dallas and Sheryl goes to Birmingham. Dan and Gene keep the plane open all day.
Monday morning, Dan, Gene, Brandi and Turk fly the plane to Ft. Worth. Upon arrival the Terkhuersts catch a Delta flight back to Atlanta where Brandi had a car.
It will be a busy week in Texas with two days of ground school, charity flights, an air show and Sky Ball.

What happened to sunny?

2011-10-03T07:05:00.007-05:00

The weather in Virginia has been warm, muggy and sometimes rainy since we arrived. All week the weatherman has said a front would go through and the weather would be sunny and 63 on Saturday. But then all that changed, the front stalled out and just kept pumping moisture into the area, however the temperature did drop, into the 50's.
Zane returned on Friday afternoon, so on Saturday, five brave souls headed out wearing all the warm clothes they could find or borrow into the rain and the wind for Leesburg airport. We were at the far end of the show which was fine after last weekend, and it was not a large show anyway. There were food booths and various vendors near the terminal.
Peggy, Sheryl and one pilot were in the plane all day, we did not set up anything outside. Peggy stayed halfway up the aisle where it was a little warmer as she was in her uniform and Sheryl, in several layers, worked the door. We had people standing in line for 30-40 minutes in the rain and wind all day to see our plane. There were times when the weather relented slightly and the parachutists were able to perform as well as the aerobatics. Sheryl was startled to find water dripping on her head and had to vary her position to avoid the drips. Free food was supposedly provided but it was too far away and so Steve bought food from the vendors and brought it to us and we ate where we were, except Peggy who hid in the lav to eat. Now that is a photo I wish I had!
The show was from 11-4 and we had people until 4:15. They were a good, interested crowd and their children were well supervised. Those of us in the plane found out later that most of the vendors had closed up and left a few hours before.
No one could feel their feet and upon reaching the hotel, everyone stood in tubs of hot water for quite some time before the feeling returned. We had a great dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant to cap off the week.
Peggy flew out of Dulles early Sunday. The rest of us had a very, very chilly flight back to Shelbyville. We had to fly high over clouds most of the way. We detoured over what we think was a retired pilots picnic....well somebody got a good look at us anyway! Back in Tennessee, was the lovely weather we thought we were going to have on Saturday. Zane and Jake practiced a few take offs and landings before George took them to Nashville to fly home. Gene and Sheryl retrieved their car and drove home.
Next mission is Meridianville, AL, near Huntsville on the 15th, followed by ground school the next week in Dallas, and the Alliance show and Sky Ball on the 22nd.

Preparation

2011-09-30T07:31:00.002-05:00

During the week the crew has toured Washington, D.C. and some of the surrounding countryside, both in groups and solo. Today the Christian and Dennis families are venturing north to Gettysburg for the day.
Everyone has moved from the Dulles area to Leesburg for the air show on Saturday and yesterday the men ferried the plane over and cleaned it. We are ready for the mission on Saturday.

The Plane Pull

2011-09-24T19:56:00.005-05:00

Pictured at right are Lynn Buffington, Peggy Fairchild, Audrey Thatcher and Zane Lemon, our people in uniform. Peggy's is a replica of the summer uniform while Lynne and Audrey are wearing actual vintage uniforms on loan from the American Airlines museum in Dallas.
The event is a charity for the Special Olympics. Money is raised by corporations, who form teams who set a fund raising goal prior to the event. On the day of the event the teams vie to see who can pull a large plane 25 feet the fastest. There is no admission so the crowds should be large. And, the time is to be from 11-4, so we feel like we are on vacation when we all leave for the airport at 10AM. That is really late for most of our events. However, the rental car in Gene's name had a dead battery the night before and even after being jumped off and driven for 20 minutes, will not restart. We decide just to turn it in as three is enough....Zane and the Buffingtons are leaving in the morning anyway. By the time all that is settled and we are shuttled to the plane, it is just 15 minutes until the hordes descend.
We are the first plane inside the gates. Unfortunately, the plane is situated where the left wing sits where everyone entering the gates walks just by it and many want to take the opportunity to swing from it. Realizing that, unlike most of our events, these folks know little of aviation and how to treat an airplane, we post guards around the perimeter. Because there are 12 of us, we have enough to do that and cover the tour. We are not selling anything or charging admission to we do not need the table manned.
Nevertheless, this is for a good cause, there are a whole lot of cute children coming through and we are glad to be here and take part in the event. One couple with a darling baby leaves it in the stroller while they are on the plane, and it smiles and coos at us, totally unconcerned that we are strangers. We have a long line all day, even until 30 minutes after the show closing time. Most of the people seem very interested in the history of the Flagship.
The good news is that while it is overcast most of the day which keeps it fairly cool, it never rains. The air show provided us with a very good barbeque lunch, folks came by with ice for our cooler and Chick Fila came by with free sandwiches. The cow also came by and our stewardesses had their picture taken with him.
The bad news is that being down at one end of the row means that we never saw the actual plane pull or many of the other planes that were in attendance.
An early night, as we are in and out of a Longhorn by 8:10 and folks are ready to turn in for the night. The Thatchers will leave on Monday while the remaining 7 will stay for the Leesburg air show next weekend. We are free to explore the area over the days in between.

Our Nation's Capital

2011-09-23T16:58:00.004-05:00

The Flagship is ready to roll again after having an inspection that showed a problem with a couple of cylinders on the engines. Everyone rallied to get things done before the next trip and succeeded. This mission is the Plane Pull at Dulles to be followed the next weekend by an airshow in Leesburg, VA. The Plane Pull benefits the Special Olympics and consists of teams vying to see which one can pull an Airbus 25ft the quickest. The teams each raise money for the cause. This may prove to be an easy gig as the show is from 11 to 4 and we don't sell or charge admission but can take donations for the Special Olympics.
Early on Thursday morning, Sept. 22nd, Captain John Thatcher is at the controls leaving Alliance with Dave Buffington in the right seat. Crew consists of Audry Thatcher, Lynn Buffington, Steve Jacobson, and Peggy Fairchild. First stop is Denton, TX where fuel and Zane Lemon are picked up.
Then on to Shelbyville, TN where Gene and Sheryl Christian, Kay, Kyle and George Dennis load up. Kay has supplied the crew with chicken salad sandwiches for lunch. Except for Gene, the last one to eat, opens his to find a salad topped with the odd combination of pickles and grapes. Kay then remembers another woman was in the sandwich shop getting a salad for lunch. Everyone gets a good laugh picturing her opening her lunch back at the office.
The day is dreary and most of the flight is in the clouds. Now Capt. George Dennis is in the left seat. The cabin is pretty chilly and people are hunkered down with jackets and blankets reading or napping. A rather subdued start to our journey.
We land at Dulles while observing a most beautiful sunset enhanced by silver lined clouds. A van takes us and our mountain of luggage to an FBO to acquire rental cars and we are soon off to the hotel for dinner and rest. It seems no one slept well the night before.
Friday morning at 8, Gene, Dave, George and John go out to clean the plane for Press Day. At 9 AM Zane, Audrey, Lynn and Peggy go out in their vintage uniforms to meet the press, accompanied by Steve. It is raining on and off. The press turned out to be one old guy who came by and took a photo.
After moving the plane into position for the event, the crew returned to the hotel for lunch and a clothing change before going to the National Air and Space Museum for the afternoon.

Santa Fe

2011-08-24T19:01:00.012-05:00

Tuesday is a free day and everyone is left to their own devices. Jane spends the morning preparing to host the group for dinner, with Sheryl lending a hand from time to time. David and Sheryl also work on sharing and downloading photos of the trip. Jane then takes Sheryl on a little sight seeing trip to Deer Valley and downtown Park City. The town is quite charming and reminiscent of the Colorado mining towns seen earlier. There is a ski lift rising from the center of town,(see photo) so you can go on a run during your lunch break, if you wish.
Gene had hit if off with Chris Roon the previous evening and they went fly fishing and sight seeing together. Tony spent the day with a friend. The other two couples and Jeff went sight seeing in the area.
Everyone gathered at Jane and David's for a great dinner and enjoyed being entertained in their charming home. Somehow we never run out of conversation in spite of spending almost all our days and evenings together. However, road weariness is setting in and the days and places are running together. No one seems to know what day of the week or date it is or where this and that happened.
Bright and early we gather at the airport to head for and unscheduled visit to Santa Fe. We had to stop somewhere for fuel and decided to spend the night. Peggy had met, Jeffrey, the day before at lunch and he had negotiated good rates for us at The Eldorado,a nice hotel just off the Plaza. Zane and Deanne made reservations at their favorite dining spot.
Jane and David bid us a fond farewell and off we go. First we wind our way down the scenic valley to Utah Lake, the same way the Stearman flights went two days prior. Then on to some very interesting and rugged terrain that reminds one of the Grand Canyon and in fact, is the beginnings of it. There is a lot to see, and most of it seems not to have ever experienced human habitation.
As we near Santa Fe, the air gets pretty rough and we are tossed around to a great degree. As we prepare for landing, Jeff warns us there is a stiff wind and we might have a rough time. We all brace ourselves, but Capt. Tony DiSantis squeaks in a landing so smooth that we hardly feel the wheels touch.
The people at the FBO are very friendly, helpful and interested in our airplane. The FBO itself is Pueblo style inside and out and very cute. Peggy goes in to use the restroom and comes out with an entourage of businessmen. We can see her talking and gesturing and the men laughing. She brings them out to tour the plane and tries to talk them into signing up to get their type ratings. They are enjoying themselves. Zane has negotiated a lower fuel price and after fueling and oiling, we enter a shuttle to the hotel.
On the way in we notice that the Pueblo style dwelling is really, really popular. The hotel itself is that same style. After checking in, we walk to the Plaza and check out the Indian Market. Then repair to a nearby cantina for some food and drink since it is around 3PM and we have not had breakfast yet. We vow to eat light as we still have dinner plans, but it is a hard promise to keep. A little more touring and folks head back for a pre-dinner nap. The most prevalent thing in town seems to be fine jewelry stores with a lot of turquoise at very high prices. Peggy gets to tour the Georgia O'Keefe museum at a trot just before it closes as her companions, who have seen it before, wait outside.
We have dinner at Pasqual's, a popular place within walking distance of our hotel. Jeff surprises everyone with a wooden pen inscribed with their name and Santa Fe. A nice souvenir.(Zane's pen in inscribed "Whatever!") This version of Southwest food is a bit different from what we are accustomed to, but very good. We window shop as we walk back. The evening air has cooled considerably. This is the last night of our journey and we will all miss one another, but we are also road weary.
The trip back to Texas is noticeably subdued as we eight tired road warriors contemplate the end of the adventure and return to reality. Gene and Jake work to finish all the paperwork required. Deanna and Zane are dropped off in Denton, where the air traffic controller, seeing the American Airlines logo, inquires as to whether this means Denton now has passenger service. In a matter of minutes, Tony lands at Alliance, fulfilling his quota of three landings, at 1:58. Jeff has to be at work at 2. Fortunately, Jeff works at Alliance( but his car is at DFW). Now we have fruit basket turnover. Zane has driven from Denton to pick up Tony and take him to the airport. He will then retrieve his larger car from the airport and return to ferry the other four to Ft. Worth. Jeff comes with a golf cart of sorts and takes the last four to the front gate to await Zane. Oops!! There is a huge traffic snarl and it takes Zane two and a half hours to make the trip. At long last, everyone is delivered to where they need to be and this trip ends.
Next up, Virginia near the end of Sept, Alliance Air Show in late October and Stuart, FL in November. Come on along and join in the fun.

On to Utah

2011-08-23T12:33:00.009-05:00

Sunday morning we are up and out early to Heber City, UT. This is near where the Gorrells live and David has arranged for this visit. Timing is important as we are to rendezvous with another airplane called a Harpoon over a lake near Park City and fly in together in a formation of sorts. We stop for fuel in Riverton, WY, and as is often the case, we have erred on the side of safety and are early. We enter the FBO like a hoard of Huns, hit the facilities, pop tons of popcorn and put a strain on the drink machine. After wreaking havoc, we regroup, load up and are gone, leaving the residents to wonder....who were those people?
The mountains in Utah are greener than the last two states and that is a surprise. Somehow Utah seemed like a place that should have tall craggy orange-red peaks. There are also more trees. Gene and David are our pilots for the morning. The passengers are watching the time for 2PM is the appointed time and sure enough, at that exact time Zane comes back into the cabin to tell us that the other place has appeared and we all rush to that side to see and take pictures. We make some passes over Park City before going on to the airport at Heber City.
There is a welcoming committee of Tony DiSantis from south Florida and Jeff Selby from Dallas who have flown into Salt Lake City earlier in the day plus Jane Gorrell and several friends. This airport is situated with a picturesque lake at the end of the runway, curving between two mountains. The Heber Valley/CAF Air Museum is housed in a hanger at the edge of the airport and we all gather there.
It is a small, but well done museum and features two Stearman bi-planes. Jane and her friend, Bambi Knight have arranged a hamburger cook-out with delicious salad accompaniments. Bambi has installed a neat Victory Garden behind the hanger and our dinner features produce from the garden.
After dinner, David recruits Peggy and Sheryl to take rides in the Stearman. In this type of plane, the passenger rides in the front. It has an open cockpit....think Snoopy and the Red Baron.
The route of this ride goes up through the pass over the Heber City reservoir, over Robert Redford's Sundance home and wanders around and amongst the peaks and valleys, ending at Utah Lake near Provo. It is an absolutely incredible experience.
Let me pause here for a commercial. If you are a member of the foundation, you can come along on these journeys at will. We always welcome more help at our events. AND you will have soooo much fun and incredible experiences and see the country at a very small expense. Travel and lodging is largely paid for. So come along with the gypsies and have the time of your life as we are.
This night the group scatters. Gene and Sheryl are staying with the Gorrells. Peggy and Jake are with Dave Ashworth, an old Navy buddy of Jake's who lives in the same neighborhood. The remaining crew are in a nearby resort hotel.
Monday morning, David and Gene open the plane to tours, while Jane, Peggy and Sheryl take a long walk. Zane and Deanna enjoy sleeping in. The whole gang reconvenes at the airport in the early afternoon and are entertained all afternoon watching a camera crew photograph models with the vintage aircraft. There is a small but fairly steady stream of people who come by to tour the Flagship and some make generous donations. (Even if you have made a donation before, please know that any amount you might have to spare, the Flagship welcomes it. We are a non-profit and have to feed this hungry airplane constantly. She drinks 100 gallons of fuel and a gallon of oil for each hour of flight.)
At 6PM we make a membership flight with 13 passengers, both stewardesses in uniform, and Gene and David at the controls. The stews do a real song and dance take off on the standard briefing given by today's flight attendants. Jane has made chocolate covered strawberries to serve as the passengers board. They take the same route up through the pass as the Stearmans and both men declare it to be one of the most scenic flights ever taken. The passengers were absolutely giddy and ever so grateful for this opportunity. Gary Brubaker has shown up with many stunning photo prints from the day before, including shots of the Stearman flights, which he generously hands out.
Fourteen of us end up at Adloph's for dinner, late in the evening as usual. The crew is augmented by Dave Ashworth, Linda Belgiano, Bambi Knight, and Chris Roon who were with us at the airport. The chef of this restaurant is Swiss native and the food is more than excellent. However, it is after 11PM when we close the place down.

Wings and Wheels

2011-08-22T13:21:00.008-05:00

We are up bright and early to make the trip from Cody to Powell for the air and car show. Seems there was a late night text that went out saying that since we now have two vehicles, the females can sleep in. Since Jake is the only one who checked his phone in the middle of the night, Peggy is the only one who sleeps in. However Deanna and Sheryl do enjoy the extra free time.
The dedication of a WWII Japanese internment camp is happening today between Powell and Cody and we see buses pulling into it. Wish we had time to look in on this.
Powell is a very small town and the people there are so grateful to us for bringing the Flagship there. This is a relatively small show, but we still have a good number of people come through the plane. They are all interested in the history of our airplane as are the well behaved children who accompany them. The organizers of the event are also glad to have us there and are paying for 17 memberships for the helpers. We sell some shirts in spite of having limited sizes. We also sell five other memberships but divide into two flights because of the high altitude and heat. Air is thinner here and the warmer it is , the thinner it is. All the gear we haul around with us, like the tent, tools, ladder and so forth have been removed from the plane to make it lighter. The show organizers are very accommodating to provide a truck for this and help load it. Notice beyond the plane, there is pretty much nothing. There are just fields off into the distance where there are mountains. They grow B's here: beans, beets and barley.
The flights are so much fun with Peggy playing stewardess. She has a lot of clever lines. The reward for all the work are the wide smiles and enthusiasm of the passengers as they leave the plane. Several passengers are pilots and some of them have taken a few minutes in the right seat. Afterward, a few of them get their logbooks and have Gene sign them off for 8 minutes or so instruction. We like Powell and they like us.
We are surprised to find out that the air show ends at 2PM, and when the two flights are over, and the plane reloaded, we are back at our motel by 5:30. It feels like a vacation. The men gather outside to do what these men do.....talk flying. See photo of Gene holding court. Rick has pretty much shadowed Gene all day and says he has enjoyed soaking up as much info on the plane as he could.
This evening we have dinner at the Wyoming Rib and Chop House. The food is good, but the margaritas are the worst we have encountered on any of our trips. Perhaps the worst encountered anywhere. Gene makes a mistake of saying, "What time is it, Kids?" Which launches Peggy into a rendition of the Howdy-Doody song. Everyone joins in except Gene who tries to crawl under the table. This is quickly followed by the Mickey Mouse song. The waitstaff acts like this is an everyday occurrence and due to the late hour, there are few others in the restaurant at the time.

Yellowstone

2011-08-20T20:32:00.011-05:00

Today is a free day and we six head to Yellowstone bright and early. Zane and Deanna have been there three times and they are our tour guides. The other four have never been. We take the scenic route over the mountains to the eastern gate. We stop at a scenic overlook at Dead Indian Pass. When we get out to enjoy the view, we experience "cold" for the first time in many moons. We are at 8000 ft and the scenery is majestic and awe inspiring. The photo of Indians on horseback is a sculpture at this overlook. At left is Peggy, getting to know an old prospector at the visitor's center in Cooke City on the way to Yellowstone.
Deanna, the schoolteacher, starts establishing prizes for being the first person to spot certain things. The prizes all relate to food. Sheryl wins the first one for coming up with cygnet for baby swan, a Twix candy bar redeemed at supper time when we are still far from a meal. Gene, the sharp eyed Indian scout, wins most of the others by spotting several types of wildlife. Our ultimate goal is Old Faithful, and we do a loop of other sites to get there. First we see buffalo and a prong head antelope, herds of elk. Then we see a large mountain of sulpher deposits left over the ages by hot springs, we see hot water bubbling out of the ground. Here and there we see steam rising from various parts of the landscape, and geysers spouting. We have a nice lunch at a lodge and chat with the young people from all over the US and the world who work there. We find out there is also a program for retirees to work at the park. Hmmm. There are lovely flowers all around the lodge area, all protected from elk by wire cages. See photo of cart on left.
We go to a basin which is the remains of an ancient volcano and see wonderful azure pools of boiling water. We see more wildlife and around 3:30 we finally reach the area of Old Faithful, which is not as faithful as it once was. Folks tell us it may be 35 more minutes and so we go and explore the old lodge, then return to sit on the benches that circle halfway around the site. There are other small geysers in the area. And so we sit and sit and are teased by steam that waxes and wanes and another geyser that sputters and is taken as a sign. In fact, Old Faithful itself send up a half hearted spurt and then goes back to steam. We decide we have come on the day that Old Faithful gives up the ghost and quits, when at long last it does its thing. Couple of surprises: it makes no sound and the water is so very, very silvery white.
By this time, it is after 5PM and we are along way from home. So off we go taking a more direct, but no less scenic, route home. Around 9PM we find ourselves on the patio at the local Mexican restaurant. Soon, David Gorrell and his friend, Rick Smail, arrive from Salt Lake City. Rick is a prospective new pilot for the Flagship. We have a good dinner and enjoy getting to know Rick. We fall into bed exhausted again after a long day but are very grateful to Zane for being the driver and tour guide on a 12 hour tour.

Show Time

2011-08-19T07:26:00.008-05:00

The four troopers were up and out to the airport at 6:30 AM, hauling what seemed to be an endless pile of luggage and totes. We do not seem to travel light. Jack Grenier joins us shortly as does Mark Uriarte, the American Airlines GM at Denver. Mark is just a delightful young man, we all think too young for such a big job. It is obvious as the day goes on that he cares about his people and they for him. We take off about 8;30 for the short flight to DIA and upon landing are greeted by Zane and Deanna Lemon, just in from Dallas.
Before we can even unload things to set up a display table, we are inundated with enthusiastic people wanting to see the plane. There are not only AA employees, but Frontier, British Airways, United, and more....airport employees, firemen, police, TSA and several retired flight attendants. One of these, Jane Meyer Reilly, flew with Jack and many photos are taken of them. Everyone wants a photo of Peggy in her vintage get up too and she complies, even smiling through the pain of a recalcitrant neuroma in her foot.
The day is hot but the AA people take very good care of us, providing water, ice, hamburgers and even ice cream. We all stay with the plane all day except for bathroom breaks. Ninety-three year old Jack is right there with us, even helping to sell tee shirts. He is a big hit, and so is the plane.
The folks in cowboy dress are airport volunteers. And Peggy is in there third from the right. So fun to be among people who appreciate aviation and its history. Mark is also there with us almost all day and loving it. Mark even has an air conditioning hose run into the plane to make it tolerable for those inside. Jack leaves us around 2PM as he has another engagement. And it is not long after that we start to pack up. People just keep coming and we finally have to tell them we are about to start the engines to call a halt. We have sold 23 shirts, in spite of the fact that we are out of the most popular sizes. Jeff Selby had shipped some smaller sizes in and we sell the bulk of them also.
We blast off, feeling a little out of breath, both from the altitude and our hasty packing while still running people through the plane. Good thing the aisles were wider in the 1930's! The land we fly over is desolate. I see no buildings and no roads for most of the way and yet, there is Peggy chatting on her cell phone. I cannot even get a signal in my living room!! On occasion there is a stream or river and agriculture adjacent to it and there are signs of irrigation.
Word comes from David Gorrell that there is a mix up on hotel rooms and we have none. Actually, there is to be a dedication of a memorial at a former Japanese internment camp this weekend and the proprietor decided that taking paying customers was better than comping them to the air show. The next thing we hear is that there is a room with three beds. Hmmmm. What will we do for the Flagship?
After about three hours we land at Powell, WY. This could be described as prairie. There is pretty much nothing except golden fields ending in mountains on one side and the horizon on all the others. There is a welcoming committee and a nice fellow named Bill ferries us to the restrooms in his truck. The organizer of the show is there also and takes off to find us the van we will use while we are here. While we wait on the tarmac with our luggage, we cut the tops off empty water bottles to make cups and share a bottle of pre-mixed margaritas with Bill.
Soon our van appears and we are glad it holds 7 as that last place is needed for the overflow of our stuff. We are off to Cody where a room has been secured.
Cody is a larger town with more restaurants and things to do. It is 9PM again when we get to the Proud Cut, where we eat some really good food. Then we fall into bed.

Free Time

2011-08-18T23:49:00.009-05:00

Steve, Gene and Sheryl are the crew members remaining in the area until our station visit in Denver to take place on Thursday. We have decided after a week in Colorado that perhaps this would be great place to avoid the brutal heat of summer in our home states. The view of the Rocky Mountains is breathtaking and the weather is lovely. The thermometer will read 90, but as long as you are in the shade, you are comfortable. The sun, however, can do some real damage in the thinner air at this altitude.
On Monday, after a week on the road,there were things to attend to, like washing clothes and dealing with the financial details of the weekend. Namely what to do with all the cash we took in. The plan was to drive up to Boulder later in the day. Well, those chores seemed to go on and on. When we finished it was 4PM and we decided to postpone until the next day. For the second night in a row we dined at a Brewpub, which is part of a chain. One would not expect it to have great food, but this one does.
Tuesday the three of us made the short drive to Boulder and looked around. There were a lot of nice vintage homes of various styles that we enjoyed. We went to the airport where the guys looked at a vintage Beech 18 and we watched sailplanes soar. This was right at the foothills of the mountains. We enjoyed a bison burger at Ted's Montana Grill before coming back to pick up Peggy Fairchild from the airport bus that stops a block from our hotel.
Peggy, who wears the vintage stewardess uniform, has flown in from Jupiter, FL. She is so animated and full of fun and will add a lot to our little group. And perhaps we can talk about something other than airplanes and guns at dinner. Tonight we went to a Bistro in Arvada housed in a former gas station complete with pull up doors. A rather compact place but the food was very good. Larry Jamison had recommended it to us and he was right.
Wednesday morning we head for the hills to the west to check out two mining towns, Idaho Springs and Georgetown. Idaho Springs has a nice sized downtown with more restaurants than anything else. It also has a visitor's center with some very good displays that tell the history of mining in the area. At one shop, the lady proprietor showed us her home which she had built onto the back of the store. She had health problems and needed to sell. She had the equivalent of an urban style loft there which made for plenty of conversation later. We had lunch at a place she recommended and enjoyed the food. Then we drove a but higher into the mountains to Georgetown, which proved to be smaller, but more quaint. There is a small railroad there that hauls passengers back and forth to Silver Plume. We arrived as the last train was leaving, but got to see the departure and follow its upward progress and trip across a very small and very high trestle.
Again, we had a very nice dinner at one of the nearby restaurants, fueled the car and packed for our early departure to Denver the next morning.

A Tail Dragger

2011-08-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

The DC3 is called a tail dragger because it sits back on a rear wheel unlike modern airliners that sit level. Today is a tail dragger of a day for the three ragged crew members. After two very long days we all wake feeling sore and unrested, but we nevertheless push forward and open the plane about 10AM. The weather is uncharacteristically warm and humid...in other words, uncomfortable. We are soon joined by Larry Jamison who is our local guy for this stop. Larry has had house guests and has not been with us much, but is with us the whole day and is a welcome addition. He brought drinking water and filled the cooler with ice. He also took over the cock pit tour for a good long spell.
The traffic is a bit slower than yesterday but fairly steady. Both yesterday and today we have had one "unusual" person who has stayed for hours and said things we didn't quite connect with. Both obviously aviation buffs but not at the top of their game, shall we say. When you do events where no admission is charged, this often happens.
Sheryl's cousin, Allen Boddie, is a visitor and joins the Foundation even with no prospect of a heritage flight. Allen is an aviation buff and wants to join us on some of our adventures in the future. Sheryl and Allen have not seen each other in 30 years.
The hot weather soon gave way to breezy overcast and we began watching rain storms over the mountains to see if they were coming our way. The target time for close down was 4 PM and, as if on cue, the crowd went away about 3:30 and we begin to stow our gear. Just as we were finishing, it began to blow and then sprinkle rain. We took this as an omen that we had done enough.
However, even on this slow and short day we took in over $400. Not bad.
Larry and Allen had both told us where to find good restaurants in the area and tonight we went to a brewpub between the airport and our hotel for an early repast. The food was quite enjoyable and we would be happy to eat there again, but we also spotted a couple of other places to try. We were happily back at the hotel by six and looking forward to three days off before we head to Denver on Thursday and then Powell, WY that same afternoon. Tomorrow it is time to wash clothes and run errands among other things.
It was a good three days, but we are ready for a respite.

Let the Fun Begin

2011-08-14T21:15:00.005-05:00

Everyone is pleased with our accommodations at Hampton Inn which knows how to do it right. The employees introduce themselves and ask if your stay is enjoyable. They say do not hesitate to ask if you need anything and smile sincerely. We are impressed. They have an extensive breakfast menu with changing entree. We had omelets the first morning. Today it was southwest style steak and eggs with tortillas. They were very tasty.
Back to the airport and we do a more complete set up with merchandise since today was advertised in the local paper. We have a light but steady crowd all day and sell more things that I dreamed. Most importantly about eight 2X shirts which I had loudly proclaimed would never sell. The people are intelligent and interesting as well as very interested in the airplane. They have cute and well behaved children. This is a good gig.
Again the weather is perfect. It is windier and cooler than the day before. Jane and I have to get out from under the wing from time to time to warm in the sun. Gosh, that is a unique feeling!
Jack Greiner, the 90 year old, had flown this plane for American in 1943 and 1944 confirmed that Eleanor Roosevelt was a frequent passenger when she was first lady and always sat on the last seat on the right. Jack said he would come back to chat with her. He was giving a talk the previous evening, but has a long visit with us today. He and his wife join us for the evening flight.
Another good day for memberships and we end up with eleven happy souls flying with us. One group is the Moen clan, a ranching family who show up in boots and spurs straight from a riding competition. We ask them to remove the latter before entering the plane. One man has received the flight as a surprise birthday gift. We make a pass by Jack's home airport where an EAA meeting is going on. There are about 30 people out waving and taking photos. We make another pass by Jack's house so his neighbors can see this plane he used to fly. The remainder of the flight is a scenic tour north to Fort Collins and back, flying just to the east of the mountains. These passengers are really excited and happy. Many of them express their appreciation and tell me what a bargain this is. Peter Johnson, AA employee, has treated his grandson Dustin, who is having a really good time. Peter says he will be helping to cook BBQ on Thursday at the Denver airport where we will be the main attraction for Employee Appreciation Day. Again, we are landing just at sunset. And again we are 9PM seeking dinner and 10:30 getting back to the room. We bid farewell to the Gorrells as they are headed home in the morning to await our arrival in another week.

The Clan Gathers

2011-08-14T20:50:00.007-05:00

Now begins the continuation of our western tour which was interrupted two weeks ago. On Thursday, August 11, Gene and Sheryl head up from Colorado Springs where they have been tourists for a couple of days and scoop up Steve Jacobson from DIA on the way.
It was just the prettiest of days and all of us are so appreciative of the cool dry air. The Rockies were clearer that morning than before or since. The remainder of the day was taken up with gathering data from the plane, transmitting it, getting rooms, turning in one rental car and securing another. We had a nice dinner at a place within walking distance of the hotel and a nice margarita. (Somehow the theme of this group has become to compare margaritas from one state to another.)
Friday the three of us went out to the plane, which had been sitting at the Broomfield terminal for two weeks. We set up a table in shade of the wing and started giving tours. The opening had not really been advertised for that day, but there is a popular lunch spot in the terminal so we had a modest but interested number of people come by. Jane and David Gorrell joined us in early afternoon coming in from Park City, UT. They had not been expected but knew we would welcome a few more folks since there were only three of us. Larry Jamison, our local guy, had house guests and was forced to be absent. There was a cool breeze blowing, and being sheltered from the sun, it was a perfect temperature.
We were to do a fly by at the Longmont airport at 7 PM in honor of Jack Grenier who lives there and who flew this very plane for American in the 1940's. He is now 90 years old and still flying. Pretty impressive. That is Jack in the photo on the right with David Gorrell. There had been some publicity for today and we ended up with 10 passengers. Ten is not so many for most of our flights, but at this altitude, the plane was not happy with that many plus five crew. It was fun to see the people out by the runway with cameras and waving when we did two low passes. We arrived back at Broomfield just in time to silhouette ourselves in front of a magnificent sunset over the mountains.
By the time we deplaned and closed things out, it was 9PM when we arrived at a restaurant to eat. Some of us had had a late lunch of sorts, but Gene had not eaten since breakfast, so devoted is he to his duty. After a pleasant meal and a lot of chatter we retired and fell into bed exhausted.

Rocky Mountain High

2011-07-31T08:03:00.004-05:00

Thursday weather was clear and breezy as we prepared to depart the Air National Guard base for the short flight to Rocky Mountain airport. Again there were helpful soldiers in golf carts around to lend assistance, if needed.
The FBO at Rocky Mountain is situated with a perfect view of the majestic, snow capped Rocky Mountains with Denver sitting in valley below. The place is pristine, with lush green grass, and tables on a patio in the shade of a tree. Larry Jamison met us, having flown back the night before with his friend. Larry spends half the year at a home near here and he is to provide airport transportation. But first we have a nice lunch at the cafe in the FBO. Larry then takes half the group to a nearby bus stop and returns to take the remainder to the airport where we all regroup.
Things do not look good for riding passes today as American has canceled one of the flights to Dallas and so the remainder end up heavily oversold. Never fear, Buff, Zane and Jeff are working on solutions and soon we are all headed home on Frontier Airlines. This proves better for Lewis and the Christians as there are direct flights to Atlanta and Nashville. This was an easy and fun filled trip. We will meet here again in two weeks for the rest of this Western adventure. Join us!

Air Power

2011-07-31T07:33:00.005-05:00

Because we had a large crew, half went to the show early and the remainder were to follow an hour later. The late group ran into problems, not knowing that the participant gate closed at 9 AM and we had not left the hotel until well after that hour. OOPS! A policeman pointed us to another gate which we were sure did not exist until it did which some of our soldiers were guarding. They summoned a golf cart which led us through the "back alleys" to get us back to where we needed to be. Thanks guys!
We got there just in time to see the Thunderbirds take off. Unfortunately their show was held at another location, but they did do one maneuver over the field for us to see. The show was well attended and we had a line of 20-30 waiting to see the Flagship all day. The people were very interested, and the children were well behaved. There were plenty of us to take turns at all the positions and to relieve one another for the hot dog and hamburger lunch provided by the show.
As we were headed to our cars one of the organizers invited us into the welcome center for a drink. As we sat there, the rain that had threatened all afternoon finally came. Perfect timing.
Dinner was again at the Bunkhouse and this time we were joined by Lee and Susan Robinson who are life members of the Flagship organization. Lewis and Buff had met them at a previous airshow and ended up spending several days at their home when there was an accommodation glitch. Lee and Susan are very nice and friendly folk and we enjoyed meeting them. They might just join us at the Grand Canyon next month. Tonight we were seated in the room with the band and enjoyed watching the cowboys and cowgirls dance. Later one of the the cowboys started dancing with the women in our group. We were just sure that he had a ranch over the hill, but it turns out he had a doctorate in psychology. Never judge a book by its cover.

Getalong Little Dogie

2011-07-27T08:11:00.009-05:00

This mission is Air Power in Cheyenne held at the Air National Guard Base there. Crew consisted of Zane Lemon, Tom Taff, Jeff Selby, Lewis Drake, Gene Christian and Dave Buffington. Cabin Service provided by Deanna Lemon, Marti Taff and Sheryl Christian.
Much preparation went into this trip as there was a 30 hour inspection that had to be done and several minor maintenance items to attend to. Zane, along with American mechanics Carl Weber and Greg Petty, had been working on these things in the days leading up to the trip. On Monday, Zane, Dave, Lewis, Gene and Jeff worked long hours in the 100+ degree heat to tighten up bolts on the engines in an effort to reduce the loss of oil. Then they had to replace the engine cowlings. As always, these things take longer than anticipated and it was past supper time when the task was completed.
Everyone assembled at the plane at 6:15 and we launched at 7:30. Temps in the cabin were warmish, but not uncomfortable. We refueled at Hobart, OK where it was cooler, overcast and breezy. The land we passed over was sad, dry and barren. Most all of the stream beds were dry. The land was yellow or brown. Drought was evident.
Several people had brought food and upon leaving Hobart, we fell on it with reckless abandon. Great sandwiches, fruit, snacks and especially those cookies. It was only 10:30, but our breakfasts had been in the wee hours. The cabin temperature cooled down and it seemed to be naptime (except for those flying, of course). In no time at all we landed in Cheyenne where the weather was pleasant.
There we were met by scads of male and female soldiers in dashing flight suits at our beck and call. Some of the show participants were practicing their air moves. The one that astonished us was a plane that had smoke trails on each wing, leaving a double trail in the sky. These trails then broke up an formed smoke rings which he would come back and fly through. I saw him go through a stack of four of them.
We cleaned and spiffed the plane inside and out, then made off to the Holiday Inn. Larry Jamison has joined the group, having flown in with a friend who was participating in the air show. Dinner was at the Bunkhouse Bar and Grill, a real authentic rustic eatery about 17 miles outside of town, where some had eaten on previous trips here. Food was good and there was a band. Clientele were real Wyoming ranching type folks complete with hats and boots. The vistas across the rolling countryside were lovely. The sky here is very, very big with no trees to break up the view and the colors were subtle and wonderful with blues, lavenders and purples in the sky. After dinner, most of us retired early, but a group led by Buff went out to prowl the streets of Cheyenne.

Carry Me Back to Old Virginny

2011-06-30T06:15:00.004-05:00

The mission: FAA inspection in Richmond, VA. Gene Christian picked up his crew at Hartsfield on Sunday morning, June 26. Then it was back to Covington and a quick lunch before launch. Crew were Bob Gross, Tom Taff, Don Kos, Gene Christian and Riley Gross, 13. They were a little rushed due to a line of weather coming our way. A local member of the organization happened to be on approach and saw the Flagship in her turn after take off and said it was one of those moments that would stay with him the rest of his life. Yes, she is quite a sight.
Riley is learning to fly and got his log book signed for some instruction in the DC3. He looks quite professional in the left seat, doesn't he? Next generation coming on strong. That will be a story for him to tell in his later life. Captain Gross was able to log quite a few hours. Tom Taff's last two landings were incredible. Gene says the best he's ever seen, but I am wondering if he is remembering the one Jake made on the West Coast trip. Hmmmm, that was pretty slick, too.
After the inspection the plane made a visit to Shelbyville for fuel and lunch with George, then it was on to Ft. Worth, landing just before dark. It was a long day of flying and the guys were beat. The next morning Bob and Gene were up and out to the airport to catch flights home before daybreak.
Coming soon: Cheyenne....stay tuned.

Miami Spice

2011-06-14T14:27:00.006-05:00

On Thursday, June 9th at a very early hour the Flagship launched on her latest mission. Captain Bob Gross was joined by a crew consisting of Riley Gross (age 13), John Thatcher, Gene Christian, Tom Taff and Mark Martin. The mission is opening of a new international terminal in Miami and a station visit to the Miami employees.
First stop was Bay Minette, AL where there was a rumor of cheap gas. The Air Force uses that airport for training folks in the Beechcraft single engine turbo prop AT-6II. There were plenty of them around to gather and admire the Flagship. Soon they were on their merry way, destination Opa-Locka, just to the north of Miami International. Arrival was just at Miller Time- but wait. During the last leg of the journey the right engine was using a lot more fuel than the left and upon arrival they went to check it out. No mystery here, the engine driven fuel pump had failed and was spewing fuel at a lively rate. No Millers for now.
One positive note was that George Dennis met the plane and was able to participate in this mission. Three other things dampened the disaster to a wrinkle 1). there was a spare on board, 2) there was a mechanic on board (Bob Gross) and 3) there were a crew of willing helpers. Yeah, it was hot and uncomfortable, but it got fixed and would not delay tomorrow's mission.
One driving factor for the new terminal was to make room for the giant Airbus 380 which holds 800 passengers. So the next morning the Flagship, representing the birth of the modern airliner, took off, followed by a restored Eastern Airlines DC-7, representing modern international jet flight. They were followed by a Lufthansa Airbus. Also on board the Flagship for this leg were Ground Operations Ramp Service Manager Mitch Segermeister and Scott Winder, American Airlines Chief Pilot in Miami. We are wondering if Scott has stopped grinning yet.
The Airbus arrival had been touted by local media and on final the crew noticed that all the roads bordering the airport were choked with traffic and people were out of their cars hanging on the fence to see the three planes come in. The three planes taxied to the new terminal amidst a water cannon salute and were parked together at the new terminal.
The ramp was swamped for several hours with airport and airline personnel, police and firemen touring the planes. After some time, the Flagship went to the American Airlines area to allow the American people access to the plane. It was also quite popular there.
Tours were closed off and it was back to Opa-Locka. Another long day and a late dinner.
On Saturday morning, George was there to bid the group farewell as he was working in Miami. Then it was a short hop up the beach to North Palm Beach Airport, where Bob and Riley disembarked. The remaining crew headed north to Covington, GA where they were met by Sheryl Christian and a small group of Gene's pilot buddies. Two of his friends, Jim Jones, a Swift pilot, and Wade Corbett, a Delta Captain, joined the foundation and the flight while Gene, Tom and Mark became current with a few take offs and landings. Then it was off to Hartsfield to get the guys back to their respective homes. The Flagship will remain in Covington until it goes to Richmond for annual inspection. Meanwhile Gene fusses over it like an old mother hen.
Side note: Stopping by the airport Monday evening to retrieve something from the plane, we noticed a darling red Pitts special in an odd position just off the runway. We went over to offer assistance and ended up jumping him off. While we waited for the battery to get some juice, the young owner asked about the Flagship and then said he lives about 12 miles from Alliance!

Tulsa Mission

2011-04-28T13:55:00.011-05:00

The Flagship's next mission is to Tulsa, OK where American Airlines employs over 8,000 people in their maintenance facility. American spends $72 million a year for local goods and services and has an estimated $2.6 billion impact on the local economy. This facility was established in 1946.

Hey, doesn't she look like a movie star in this photo? Definately in the spotlight!! And for a lot of folks to see.

The purpose is three fold. To celebrate the opening of a new maintenance hanger, to appear at a fund raiser benefiting the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and to get buffed.

The original plan was to go up on Tuesday, April 26th, but the Noknowhengo Tribe was active and the trip actually started on Thursday, the 28th. Airplanes damaged by the tornado in St. Louis a few days prior were now in Tulsa for repairs and so there would be no buff job.

This new hanger cost $9.8 million. It is 81,400 sq. ft, measuring 370 ft. by 220 ft. and 70 ft high, a bit longer than a football field. There are two doors 66 ft tall by 190 wide. There are two bays that will accommodate a wide bodied airplane in each. The immediate use of it will be for MAUI or Mid-life Avionics Upgrade Initiative on 124, 757s.

Today's crew on the trip from Alliance are Steve Jacobson, Dave Buffington, Gene Christian and Tom Taff. After a sumptuous breakfast at The Snooty Pig, the crew headed to Alliance. John Thatcher with help of an Alliance mechanic had previously done a 30 day inspection and Jeff Selby was on hand to aid in getting the mission launched.
Upon arrival in Tulsa, Tom Taff did a few touch and gos to practice his landing skills. There was a tv camera on a firetruck filming the action. Then at 1PM the Flagship did a scheduled fly-by for the media. After landing, 13 people loaded up for a PR flight, after which the plane was taken to an AA hanger for the night. Paul Crider, managing director of this base rode the jump seat during this flight. Museum board member, Lee Hubby, was also on the flight.

The mission on Friday and Saturday was to try to sell flights using the Sparks Aviation FBO as base of operations. It seemed that the media coverage of the event failed to mention that the plane was available for tours and flights and so the anticipated crowds did not materialize.
Jim Gentry was our "man on the scene," seeing to all the needs of the crew. He found hanger space and was involved in the daily movement of the plane back and forth to the FBO. Jim is involved with the Commemorative Air Force and a crew member of its B-29. On one of the trips to the FBO, Jim was invited to taxi the plane. He claims that it ate his lunch, but was assured by the three retired 777 pilots on the scene that he had out performed their first attempts at this task. That's him hugging the prop.

The Crew Dwindles

2011-04-19T14:06:00.001-05:00

If this post seems out of order, it is because it is. This is the story of Friday, April 8. Like Jimmy Buffet and his brand new tatoo, how it got here, I haven't a clue.
Mary's son has picked her up Wednesday night to take her back to San Jose and the Gorrells have flown back to Utah on Friday morning. Gene and Sheryl opted to arrive at the airport a little later this morning as did Peggy after the late night. Deanna is there with her suitcase trying to catch a flight to Dallas. She would head out to a gate and then 30 minutes later return until the next flight. Then she would repeat the whole scenario. Finally, late afternoon, she left and did not return. There really are a lot of us for the work that needs to be done. We picked up 13 new foundation members including Sailesh's family and three people that he talked with at the gala the night before. Steve's sister, Mary Claire, is also a new member, as is Zane's nephew.
We continue giving intermittent tours of the plane. These are a little difficult because most of the people have to have an escort to the ramp. We get six Air Canada pilots in handsome uniforms to tour and there are several American Airlines employees too. A former Lufthansa stewardess comes by but does not have time to tour. She flew on DC3's in the 50's. She still has the glamorous and stylish look. At 2PM the plane flies with 7 of our new members on board and all of the crew except Buff, Lewis and Patti.
Peggy has revived the old routine of serving candy and mints. She borrowed a tray from the Admiral's Club and talked them out of a bag of hard candy too. There are 8 of us remaining. After flight we pack up and head to the hotel. We eat a casual meal of mostly salads and sandwiches in the bar. This has been the easiest of our days. (Good thing as Friday was a bear!)
Gene and I have had an orientation difficulty after so many hotels of popping out of the elevator or the hotel room and heading in the wrong direction. Here at the Hilton, this is made more difficult by the fact that there are elevators on two walls, hence sometimes you go left and sometimes you go right. One good thing about today was that the wind died for the first time since we have been here and though the day was cooler, it felt a whole lot warmer.

The Last Leg

2011-04-12T07:52:00.004-05:00

True to the nature of this herd of cats, plans change moment to moment. Dave Buffington and Zane Lemon have non rev'd back to Dallas as both are leaving on trips again on Wednesday. The first plan is for a leisurely Mexican lunch in San Angelo. But Jacob needs to get back to school tomorrow in Kentucky and needs to get to DFW in time to catch a flight to Nashville. So, the plan changes to a quick lunch in El Paso. After we are on the plane, Peggy checks the flights and finds that there are three evening flights that are wide open. Then the plan changes to no lunch, push on through non stop. (Again, Patti, thanks for the snacks.) Sheryl and Gene decide to also try to get out that night and sleep in Nashville before picking up their car in Shelbyville.
So off we go into the cold and bumpy sky. I think this is our bumpiest ride yet. Jacob again sleeps in the aisle and risks real bodily harm as the others step around and over him while holding on for dear life. It also seems to be our coldest leg, though it may be just the longest sustained cold. Steve suggests we invest in lightweight sleeping bags for the future. There are a lot of snowy mountains as we head out of California and into the desert.

As we pass over a tiny town, Lewis gets a signal on his iphone and arranges for rides to the airport and for Steve and Peggy back to Ft. Worth. The time change means we lose two hours today. Bump, sway, bump. The pilots come back from time to time to advise of progress and Peggy and Sheryl take turns on the jump seat for a better view. There are a lot of wind farms and oil wells in West Texas, but very little else.

At long last we are on final at Alliance. Steve Jacobson makes such a wonderful landing that we area not sure we are down until we feel the tail wheel fall. He gets a standing ovation when we roll to a stop.

Buff and Zane are there to ferry us to our destinations. After a delay to get Gene listed on Peggy's pass list and to list folks on flights, we are off to the airport. We all get on the first flight in F/C and after some problems are only an hour late arriving. A successful mission accomplished. A good time had by all. Some friendships revisited and new bonds forged. Come to Tulsa in two weeks and join in the fun!!

On the Road Again

2011-04-11T14:28:00.008-05:00

As on all the other mornings, we gather at the special DC-3 check in area and get TSA clearance passes. Zane has does some negotiating and arranged for our bags to be checked. And so we get through TSA process without a hassle. Anil Kumar is there, as he has been everyday, to escort us to the plane. He is sick and has been on duty for 13 straight days so once he gets us in the air, he plans to go home. Meanwhile, he is as pleasant and helpful as ever.

The engines are running now, about 10AM, so I guess I am about to lose signal. The destination immediately is Chino to an air museum, then somewhere near Tucson for overnight. As soon as we are airborne, everyone is again into the snacks and thankful especially for the bagels Patti provided.

The flight to Chino is about three hours and en route we pass more snow covered mountains than we did on the flight out. It seems even colder in the cabin than ever and the passengers are huddled under layers of coats and blankets. Most of them are asleep and Zane jokes that sleep is what comes just before you freeze to death. Captain Buffington flies this leg and makes a wonderful landing. Steve Jacobson is co-pilot.

At Chino, the air is cool and pleasant. The first thing we see is a neat row of very attractive, large hangers in front of the plane. We ask for bathroom facilities and are directed to a porta-potty quite a distance away. Young Jacob takes off at a run, followed at a much slower pace by Sheryl and Peggy. Along the way, they ask more passers-by for more suitable facilities to no avail. The stench of the potty is pretty bad, but Peggy bravely heads in. Too late to save her, a golf cart magically appears and a nice man offers Sheryl a ride to a "real potty." He takes her and Steve to Les Whittlesey's hangar where there is the most pristine and shiny Lockheed 10 one has ever seen. He says that they had parked next to our plane at Sun and Fun two years ago and so knew who we were when we landed. He and another man then ferry the group to the Planes of Fame Museum.

The museum is very well done, covers a lot of ground and a good number of their planes can and do fly. It is a toss up with the Pima in quality. There are many, many planes and hangers and a real nice gift shop. They are in the process of restoring a B-26 bomber.

At 3PM Sheryl's phone rings and summons her group of four back to the plane where the others await. WHAT? No lunch?? Thank you again, Patti, for the snacks.... 'cause that is what saved us from starvation as no one had taken time for breakfast. While we were here, the temperature has warmed considerably and the interior of the plane is hot. It takes awhile, but at some point, everyone is bundled again. Jacob stretches out in the aisle and sleeps the whole next leg with the other passengers stepping over and around him.

Just at sundown we land in Tucson. The Executive FBO there has the best service of any we have encountered on our trip and we tell them so. They are immediately at our side with a large van to load our luggage and take us to our hotel. We opt for the hotel restaurant where the server not only remembers us, but remembers that Zane drinks diet soda.

Well, folks the question from an earlier post is answered. Pilots either do run out of flying stories, or they run out of steam, because not a single one is told. This group of warriors are road weary. The core group has been together and on the road for 26 days. About half are one day from the barn, but the other half have "more miles to go before they rest."

Hitting a Home Run

2011-04-10T09:17:00.008-05:00

We will be in the new terminal Saturday as it is Friends and Family day. There is some confusion and we move twice before finally getting set up at a gate where our plane is clearly visible. There are a lot of people streaming in. Stages are set up at various points with various types of entertainment. Tables and booths are all over with things to give away, things to sign up for, and things to buy. All the shops and restaurants are also open. Tyler Florence is signing copies of his book.
Even though we are over in a corner, we get a lot of attention from the crowd. Unfortunately we have trouble getting people to the ramp to tour as no one has been through security and the TSA forbids it. Some AA employees with ramp badges do go through the plane. We have a number of people pre-registered for a 2PM flight and we add more to fill the flight. When an announcement is made to come see our plane take off, we suddenly are mobbed. Only Patti and I are at the table and we are overwhelmed with questions and people wanting flights. Before we know it, we have filled a second flight and are working on a third. In the end we have sold 38 new memberships to the foundation and given three flights. The last one lands about 6PM which is later than we thought we would be here. Patti, Buff and I load up our things and take them to an office in the old terminal. Anil gets the things that have been stored for a week and takes then to the tarmac. I have no clue how our set up things make it through security, but they do and are on the scene also. We dump the cooler and add ice for tomorrow's trip and again form a bucket brigade to load all our set up boxes, signs and merchandise boxes, then fuel the plane and head for the hotel via shuttle. It is 8:30 before we gather for dinner. The show is over and we are winding down. Tired but happy for our successful day. It is 11 before we leave the restaurant.

Into the City

2011-04-09T10:38:00.007-05:00

On Thursday, Rich Wood, is out front with two vans to get us back to the plane. Starship One had shared the hanger last night and we are hopeful to get there in time to see our two planes together. Alas, Rich was delayed by a wreck in getting to us, and the Starship is gone when we arrive. Then we are delayed by a hydraulic leak. Here, in the maintenance hanger is a good place for that to happen and workers swarm all over, working, cleaning and polishing. It turns out the leak was just caused by a strain on the controls while fighting the wind the day before. When we finally taxi to the terminal, about ten ground crew men ride with us and are as thrilled for the taxi ride as most folks are for a flight.
Today we are set up back in the old terminal, giving a few tours of the plane and manning the table where we hope to sell memberships, which come with a ride. It is decided that rides will only be on Friday and Saturday due to the wind. With no flight today, Gene is now free (he has to be aboard all flights) and we decide this is the day to head to the city. The Gorrells, Lemons, Mary and Patti will stay to man the display and the remaining seven will go into San Francisco. Steve lived here for fifteen years and will be the tour guide.
First step is catching a shuttle back to the hotel, where we put on warmer clothes and walking shoes. Second, we ride the shuttle back to the airport to catch the BART train. Figuring out how to get a ticket on BART from the automated machines proves almost too much for us. One looks at a chart of destinations and prices, then presses a button that starts you with a $20 ticket. From there you press buttons that add or subtract dollars and nickels until you get the amount you want, then you print and a card pops out. The card is inserted into a turnstile and pops out the other end. Finally we are underway. Most of the trip is underground, but we catch glimpses of the distinctive San Francisco style townhouse dwellings sprawling across the hills. After about a 30 min ride we disembark and ride an escalator up to the surface, popping right into the center of a very busy city. It is a shock. All around there is much hustle and bustle and wonderful buildings and strange people. Sidewalk performers are everywhere working for tips and some panhandlers approach begging for money. One black man with dreadlocks is singing opera so well that until I see him, I think it is a recording. Others are doing acrobatics of a very professional nature.
We head up the street at a rapid pace until locating a trolley car. It is an antique, and interesting in itself, but we also have the scenery to take in. The trolley takes us to Pier 39. There we walk through a myriad of shops until Steve directs us down a narrow passageway. On the other side we see a group of platforms anchored at water's edge crowded with sea lions. They are basking in the sun, but from time to time, one will become dissatisfied and begin bellowing and thrash around to find a better position. This generally upsets the others and they all express their opinions quite loudly. Someone asks if I had noticed Alcatraz, and sure enough, there it is, off to our right, and closer than I thought it was from the mainland. Between it and the sea lions is the Golden Gate Bridge. So right here is a flavor of San Francisco. We go up to the second level to Neptune's Landing and have tasty appetizers. We are right by a window and the view is breathtaking. There are seagulls riding the wind within inches of the glass. We celebrate eating real San Francisco sour dough bread.
After this interlude it is back on the street into the wind for a walking tour. We go by Cannery Row, most of the old buildings transformed into residences or offices. We see the Maritime Museum. Then we get to Ghirardelli Square, which used to be the home of the chocolate factory. At the chocolate store, they are giving a free sample just for stopping by. At the back of the ice cream parlor, there is a display showing the different steps of making chocolate and that was quite interesting. Next stop is a wine shop which also has gifts. Peggy and I admire two reasonably priced grasscloth totes which have zippers and are roomy. We decide they must belong to us. She gets lime, I get red. Seventeen year old Jacob seems to be having fun hanging with six sixty somethings. Then it is uphill and on and on a trek to locate the No Name Bar, enjoying a peek at how residents of the Bay Area live. Steve decides it is easier to herd cats if you do it from the rear of the pack. There is much meowing and "Here, kitty, kitty." It really does have a name, just no sign outside. An old haunt of Steve's. We arrive to find it very cozy and charming with lots of dark wood and stained glass. We are nestled in a corner. Somehow the conversation goes to a line from a Robert Frost poem about miles to go before I rest and Peggy Googles it and then reads it. The waitress waits patiently until she is finished and then tells us she was an English major. Our second mini meal is again appetizers.
Unfortunately it is dark and cold when we emerge and the next destination is to find a cable car. After a long, long, long walk we get to a cable car stop only to find it closed for maintenance. We give up and take cabs back to the BART for the ride back to the hotel. A real good and quick taste of San Fran.

The Big Event

2011-04-08T11:18:00.011-05:00

We meet in the lobby this morning, making quite a splash with Zane in his Captain's uniform, Peggy and Jane in their stewardess uniforms, and the rest of us in colorful shirts bearing the Foundation logo. This morning there is a special check in point at the end of the American counter marked "DC-3 Check-In" with a large photo of the plane. There we receive our TSA clearance documents and are escorted through security as VIPs. We set up at a gate in the old terminalwith help from two American guys. There we meet Patti McMillan, an American flight attendant, and member of the Foundation who has taken vacation to be with us for these four days. We await the press who will take a sight seeing trip around the bay. Gene will be the pilot, Steve will co-pilot, the three uniformed members will be the cabin crew. Buff will be the ground crew, directing the plane in and out. The rest of us will man the table. Twelve members of the press arrive, many from aviation publications. We have them sign waivers, fill out a manifest, and get them to sign a slip of paper for a prize. The prize is the opportunity to sit in the jump seat during the flight, getting a panoramic view and hear the pilots talk on the radio. Gene later says it was most scenic flight he has ever participated in.
Unfortunately, the view of the plane is blocked by two jet ways and people have to walk down to the next gate to see it. Several passengers and American employees come by to see what we are about.

The event today is the opening of a new terminal to be occupied by American Airlines (and Virgin America) and so the flight will leave from the old and arrive back at the new. Once the passengers go down to the plane, our two helpers show up again and pack all our things on a cart. Sailesh comes to escort his herd of cats from the old building to the new one. We have to go out on the sidewalk and as we do, the Flagship appears to our left, taking off against the blue, blue sky.
The new terminal is a beehive of activity, the grand opening is on Saturday and folks are scurrying to get things done. There are several restaurants where food is being cooked, but they are serving it only to designated tasters and trainees. Down at the end chairs and tables are being set up for a gala event for the evening. There were conflicting messages about whether we were invited to it, and in the end we opted not to come back to the airport.

As we are setting up, Deanna looks at a passerby and blurts, "Bobbie Flay!" Sheryl says, "No, wrong color hair." Deanna explains that it was the only name she could come up with but she swears he is a Food Network Star. Sheryl takes off in pursuit and sees him disappear into one of the restaurants. As she comes abreast of it, she sees the name on the back wall, "Tyler Florence." And then there he comes right at her. So she tells him she admires his work and invites him to come and tour the plane. He is very gracious and asks her name, and shakes her hand. We later hear that Cat Cora will also be on hand.

Buff asks Sheryl to go back to the old terminal and meet Lewis Drake and his grandson, Jacob, who are arriving from Kentucky. Patti comes along as she is familiar with the terrain. With that done, we now number 13 folks. There is now a small stage and podium set up right next to our area and a platform plum full of press photographers in front. Just as our flight returns, politicians and dignitaries begin to speak. One person in attendance is Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon. Mary and Deanna approach and get their photo taken with him. Then Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin America, is introduced. Peggy has been dying to see him, but we cannot find her. When she returns, Sir Richard has gone into the crowd but she Jane and Zane, in their uniforms head in that direction. In a few minutes I see camera flashes and spot them along with two flight attendants also in vintage uniforms with Sir Richard in the center. Mission accomplished.

The only way to see the plane is to go into the nearby Admiral's Club. We go to take a look and find there is food. Small turkey sandwiches, cookies and a vegetable tray. The first of us grab a bite and go to tell the others, but alas most of it is gone and not replaced. Meanwhile all the important people and the press have also gone. Tours of the plane are being given to employees and the table crew talks to a few interested parties, but most people are here to work.

Then word is passed to us that the winds are so brisk that the plane is in danger and will be moved to a hanger along with Sir Richard's WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. We must pack up and board quickly. Soon we taxi out and it is evident that it is all Gene can do to control the plane in the wind, but before we know it, we taxi into a huge AA hanger. Buff remarks with a laugh that is the first time he has ever taxied into a hanger. Looking out of the plane I can see the ground crew's clothing whipping around them in the strong wind.

There we meet Rich Wood, Maintenance Shift Manager, a really nice person who proves to be very helpful to us. Rich has two vans brought up to ferry us to our hotel and promises to have them there again in the morning to get us back to the hangar to taxi her to the terminal.

Peggy, Steve and the Gorrells go into San Francisco for dinner while the rest of us go to Kincaid's, a nice place next to the hotel with a stunning view of the bay. We are almost blown away getting there, but enjoy another excellent dinner before returning to the hotel and falling into bed.

City of Angels

2011-04-08T11:16:00.015-05:00

We are fortunate to have the American Airlines people pick us up in vans and bring us to the Flagship via the employee route. We clear TSA security there and we are rather amazed when they look under the hood of the van. They then open the back, take one look at the mountain of luggage and after verifying who we are and what we are carrying, they slam it shut!
The pilots are off to attend to the plane and the escort of the ladies takes us on a little tour of the tower, this is an American Airlines ramp tower, where they monitor the traffic at the gate area. He then takes us to the Admiral's Club for awhile. We are waiting for a 777 to leave for Japan so that the Flagship can be brought up to that gate. In the Admiral's club we enjoy refreshments and chat. We have a good vantage point looking down on "our" gate and see the Japan plane leave and the Flagship arrive right behind it. We then go down to the gate and get escorted to the plane (we always have to have an escort to go out on the ramp and to return to the building from the ramp) Our escorts are very nice and very patient people.
For the next few hours we enjoy having the American employees tour the plane, they are very excited about it. This makes it so much fun for us. There is one American employee who has her father's log book and shows us an entry where he flew this very plane in 1945. WOW! Once the dignitaries have arrived, we close the plane and go back to the terminal to observe.

The whole gate area is decorated with flowers, balloons and Japanese lanterns, the dignitaries are making speeches in English and Chinese, and there is Chinese musical entertainment taking place. There is also a buffet set up and a view of the Flagship just beyond it. The gate area is crowded with passengers, onlookers and the press. Zane and Peggy are getting a lot of attention in their vintage-style uniforms. People in the crowd approach to ask us if they can tour the plane (they know us by our Flagship shirts), so we go down and open it up again. Suddenly a little after 2PM we are given a hurry up signal to get ready for departure as we will taxi our behind the 777 to Shanghai which leaves at 3. So we all start readying while still touring people through. One group of handsome fellows are the Los Angeles Firefighters who will form an arch of water over the 777 as it taxis out.

Steve Jacobson has spent a lot of hours on flight planning and done an excellent job for this leg and the one preceding it. Zane Lemon is on the phone constantly as a liaison between us and the American Airlines people. American is generously paying for our hotel rooms and gas for the plane to have us here.
Then, off we go again...out to wait departure between two jumbo jets. As we pull out, we notice the two gate balconies crowded with AA employees waving and clapping for us. As we go down the taxi way, it is lined with ramp vehicles all stopped while the drivers are cheering us and taking pictures. We are really feeling so good about L.A. These folks have made us welcome and appreciated this ship we love.

The trip north along the coast is a breathtaking one. Dave Buffington is from Santa Barbara and he plays tour guide, telling us where we are. There are three tiers of mountain ranges on the land side, so green, so beautiful. There are homes nestled in the hills. This is our most scenic leg of the journey to date. The wonderful thing about flying the DC-3 is that we are low and slow, affording one a great view of the ground below. When we get to the San Francisco area, traffic is stacked up and we circle several times over the bay, but do not see the Golden Gate.

We taxied to the old terminal where we were met by our guide, Sailesh Narain, who proves to be invaluable. We had been leaving some luggage and merchandise on board, but this time we had to completely empty the airplane, so it took some time. But now we have four females and the task goes more quickly...we form a bucket brigade and pass things down the aisle. The men then pick it up at the door and load it. Sailesh suggests that he take the luggage through to the baggage carousel but the former American people do not trust that system. The wind is whipping like a gale and cutting through our thin clothes. Just as we think we are leaving the area, the gas truck comes and the men start fueling the plane. The women beg to be taken somewhere out of the wind and we are led on a lengthy walk with all the luggage in tow that ends in the baggage claim area where we are finally warm and out of the wind. After the men come, we all gather luggage again and go out the front of the terminal again into the cold wind to await a shuttle to our hotel. The wait seems awfully long, but right at 8PM it shows and ferries us to the Hilton. Buff remarks that this is our last "bag drag" for four days, we cheer.

We have been receiving texts since we landed from David Gorrell, who has arrived with his wife, Jane, from Utah. Jane is still working as a flight attendant, but also has a vintage style uniform in blue that she made. When we go into the hotel lobby, the Gorrells are there to greet us. Due to the late hour and the cold wind, we decide to eat in the hotel. There are ten of us now. After the meal, Zane presents Mary with her Lifetime Membership plaque and there are toasts. There is always at least one toast at each meal we share. And I might note here, that like a close family, there is usually sharing of food and drink with folks sampling each other's fare. The food on this trip has been wonderful! We have a 7AM departure so no one lingers long after dinner.

California Here We Come

2011-04-05T11:38:00.006-05:00

No need to hurry this morning, so we meet at 9AM for the shuttle to the airport. But for some reason we take a looooong time to get in the air, it is 11 before we blast off. In the meantime, it is the loveliest of mornings. Clear blue sky, cool temps, the wind has stopped. As we are running the engines up, three fighter jets taxi by after landing. As they pass, each young pilot swivels in his seat and salutes our grand old lady....Peggy and I tear up.

After take off, she and I are instantly hungry and get into the snacks. Gene comes back to check on us and gets into the food too. We never know when our next meal will be and sure enough it is nine hours later. We are going to fly high today to check our engine performance at high altitude and so we nestle in under our blankets as it gets colder in the cabin. The terrain is different today. The color scheme is beige, taupe and black with occasional white salt deposits. Once I saw an area of blue tinge. Again very dry and more mountains. And even fewer signs of human habitation.
As soon as we cross into California, there is a lot more green, even on the mountains. We go over Palm Springs and see many golf courses. There are also snow capped mountains. Then we are in wall to wall humanity. Ick~ sure wouldn't want to live here.

Zane offers one of us a seat in the cockpit for landing and I send Peggy. Dave Buffington is in the left seat.
Then the fun begins. Steve calls L.A. a logic free zone. There are a series of odd maneuvers that I do not understand. Steep descents, climbs and a circle over the ocean before finally landing. I find out that air traffic control brought us in way, way too high and a missed approach was declared. They again demanded the same altitude but the plane was unable to get that high that quickly before the next approach and so we go in 1000 feet lower, but still too high. It is a strain on the old plane and on the engines. And the guys are all upset about the very odd instructions from Air Traffic control that caused the missed approach. We taxi to the old American Airlines hanger where the plane will be kept overnight.

Meanwhile a contingent of American managerial types and ground crew have gathered around the plane. And after some finagling, we get backed partially into a hanger. We have been assigned a TSA agent to watch us...we are told that if one of us goes anywhere then all must go as we all must be within her sight at all times. The baggage is unloaded and the cleaning begins. Peggy and I work on the interior, stowing things out of sight, putting the display pictures out and generally spiffing, while the men seriously work on the outside. They are all over the plane, cleaning, buffing and polishing. We are told that the Chancellor of China will be on hand tomorrow, maybe the CEO of American, the mayor, maybe the governor.

We then load up again and are driven to a gate where we enter and then exit the terminal and catch a bus to our hotel. On the way we stop at an airline gate and pick up Zane's wife, Deanna and her sister, Mary who will continue on to San Francisco with us. American Airlines is putting us up at the Embassy Suites where they overnight their crews. The hotel is mission style, beautifully landscaped on the exterior. The entrance is all tile and decor and flowers. The atrium is the same but with the addition of falling water and fish ponds filled with fish, turtles and ducks. Our rooms are true suites with living and sleeping areas. A sink and vanity in the room as well as the bath. A door to the atrium and a balcony on the other side. Really, nice..

The gang meets for happy hour and then for dinner in the restaurant. Tonight is Gene and Sheryl's wedding anniversary and Steve orders champagne for the occasion. The dinner is delicious and we have excellent service. We know we are getting road weary as when Deanna and Mary ask questions about the trip, we cannot remember. Where are we, how did we get here, what day is it? Somehow the subject of the Seven Dwarfs come up and we can only name six. Zane finally nails it: "Bashful!"
Pick up is not until 10 on Tuesday. This is quite a relief for us. The hotel has an excellent hot breakfast. The tension of the day is whether we will have to go through airport security to get back to the plane as we all have non regulation things in our bags. We are told that it will be handled and hope this is correct. So now it is SHOWTIME.

On to Tucson

2011-04-04T10:16:00.006-05:00

Another early departure to try to avoid bumpy air, but mostly so the men have plenty of time to spend at the Pima Air and Space Museum. Skies are clear and blue. The land around Midland is flat and only scrub brush grows on it. For awhile the terrain stays like that, but soon the ground has bumps on it, sort of like skin eruptions, then it changes to billowy hills and ravines. The tops of these hills are flat as are the mountains on the horizon. This is really desolation. There are very few roads and the ones we see seem to go on and on to nowhere. There are even fewer signs of habitation. The whole world down there is yellow ochre and brown. Every once in a great while there are signs of irrigation and there will be a startling rectangle of kelly green. Sometimes these fields are round, which brings to mind the rotating irrigation bars I have seen that go on a circle.

As we near El Paso/Juarez everyone gets into the cockpit for our first real look at civilization. There is the Rio Grande, there is the fence on the border. We are right there on the border. There is a mountain range that seems to bisect El Paso, and the city looks much larger than I had imagined it to be.

Then there is more flat lands, salt flats, more mountains. At long last we see another city ahead, Tucson. Looking out, I am startled at the acres and acres of airplanes I see. I did not know that this is where airplanes go to die. Soon we are on the ground and find the weather pleasantly mild, but the wind is blowing a gale. We get a warm welcome by the ground crew and invite them aboard along with two men from a nearby jet. Hats are awarded to our admirers. We are also greeted by Eric Gorrell, son of Fred, nephew of David. He works at the airport and attends college here and saw us go over. What a surprise and how fun!!

We continue to have good attention and in no time have been transported to our hotel and then to the Pima Museum where we find a nice cafe to have lunch. They even serve beer. Peggy's brother lives in Tucson and has joined us at the museum. This is a very large and well done facility. There are lots of veterans around to help and give commentary if needed. There are many planes in hangers, some on stands to let smaller ones nestle under, some hanging from the ceilings. Then there are a lot of planes outside. It is pretty hot and dusty out there. And the wind at times gets rather fierce, blowing up a sandstorm. Nevertheless, the guys are all having a great time. We have gained two hours in time zone change so this seems to be a very long day where the clock will not move.

Peggy leaves with her brother for dinner and a visit with his family. The rest of us go back to the hotel where we meet for dinner and more flying stories. The hotel has given each of us two coupons for free drinks and these are enthusiastically cashed in. My second one and Peggy's are bartered. The food is good, as is the service. There will be no big rush tomorrow and so we are to meet for a ride to the airport at 9. Destination: L.A.

The photos seen here are our intrepid warriors shown by the planes they flew in the Viet Nam war.

Midland, Ho!

2011-04-02T21:31:00.009-05:00

On Friday, Gene and Jake drive to Alliance with most of our luggage. There they meet up with Zane Lemon, Robert Stack and John Thatcher to complete a 30 hour inspection of the plane and do last minute prep for departure.

Saturday morning we are truly at Alliance at dawn....see photo. Today's crew are Zane Lemon, Dave Buffington, Steve Jacobson and Gene Christian. Cabin attendants: Peggy Fairchild and Sheryl Christian. We are in the air at 8 AM and on the ground in Sweetwater, TX one hour later where the fuel is cheap. We are treated royally. They are so happy we are there though the place is modest and the landscape sparse. This is a goodwill tour and so we treat everyone to free Flagship hats. The weather is pleasant and breezy. This was training base for the WASPS in WWII. They call someone to open the museum for us and we have a tour. It was a fascinating story of young women who were real pioneers in aviation in that day. The Flagship was here three years ago for a WASP reunion and they will have another in May. Steve Jacobson flies most of the trip. We flew over airfields where Zane and Buff had trained as cadets and they recalled those days.

This unexpected treat has put us behind schedule for Midland, but we arrive after a bumpy one hour flight to find it hot and windy. All we saw on the way over was wind farms and oil wells. We arrive about 1PM and are not treated royally. We have no help parking, no help with luggage and give out no hats. However, the FBO is spacious and well decorated, featuring metal sculptures of oil and ranch life. We are pretty hungry but the restaurants at the terminal and FBO are closed on weekends. So we catch a shuttle to our hotel where we find the restaurant is closed on the weekend. Apparently the Midland diet is you do not eat on the weekend. We shuttle back to the airport and get a taxi to the Commemorative Air Force Museum.

This museum is large, spacious and modern. The exhibits are very well done, many have audio and video enhancements. There is a nice water conservation garden. The guys area a little disappointed that many of the planes are not there. We guess they are out doing air shows. One really neat thing is their collection of WWII nose art saved from scrapped bombers. The paintings are pretty racy and revealing, with suggestive titles, but they are such a big part of the life of that day and how wonderful that someone thought to save them. The artists, many of whom were just GIs, often copied pin-up art of the day, sometimes removing the clothes from the clothed originals or making other changes. They have undergone restoration and look like new. Photos are not allowed in the gallery.

Finally, finally at 3PM we arrive at Texas Roadhouse for a very satisfying meal, along with libations, laughter and more flying talk. Today the topic is life behind the scenes working for the airlines and we hear some interesting stories. Our taxi returns us to the hotel for a little rest before the men again meet up for beer and yet more flying talk. The plan is to leave early again tomorrow to avoid some of the bumpy air. Destination: Tucson.

Noknowhengo

2011-03-30T09:07:00.004-05:00

This is the Indian name Peggy has given to this rag-tag band of Flagship devotees awaiting the next leg of the journey. This is our 4th day of hanging in Cowtown waiting for the adventure to begin. All is not lost as Gene and Sheryl have enjoyed having Peggy and Steve as tour guides in Fort Worth. We have walked the downtown area, enjoying the architecture and the food. We have visited the stockyard area. We will be here three more days before heading to Los Angeles. Steve was brave to invite Gene and Sheryl to spend a week in his condo and they are grateful and hope that they do not start to smell like three day old company is said to do. It has been so cold and damp here that it seems like we went to Seattle after all. The weatherman tells us that is will leap frog from 49 yesterday to 65 today to 80 tomorrow. What a change!

Monday afternoon we headed out to Alliance to clean and reorganize the plane only to get a phone call when we were within sight telling us that it was on the wash rack and unavailable. That turned out to be a blessing as this was the only time we had sunshine and we took the opportunity to visit the stockyards.

Tuesday morning early it was back to Alliance to find the Flagship shining like a new dime after a wash and buff. We are grateful to Zane Lemon and Jeff Selby for the work they have done before us in unloading and cleaning the plane. Jeff, our ever devoted man on the scene, had been there at 7AM, after getting off work at 10PM, to tow the plane back into the hanger from the wash rack. One employee had worked through the night to wash and buff it. The "boys" got to work loading a tow bar, rearranging the cargo hold, oiling the plane and other chores while stopping to give tours to American employees and visitors who happen by. The two guys who built the galley come by to see how we liked their handiwork. Meanwhile the "girls" unload things that will not go to the west coast and sort and reload the things that will. The Flagship has a parts locker and a storage room here to keep extra supplies. We recover the boom box so we can play 40's music during our events while Peggy does her "stewardess" thing. We will not be selling but we take hats and some shirts to give away. It is after three when we finally get things in order but feel good about what was accomplished.

John Thatcher will be out on Friday to do a 30 hour inspection on the plane. And George Dennis is constantly working in the background wherever he might be from Miami to Singapore making arrangements and greasing wheels to make this operation work.

On Saturday the journey to the west coast begins.

Westward Ho!

2011-03-27T07:32:00.005-05:00

Friday dawns cold. We know it will be even colder aloft and so everyone dons layers of clothing. Dave remarked that he had no further use for his suitcase as he was wearing everything he brought. There is frost on the roof of the cabin and some concern about the wings of the Flagship. We meet for a hearty breakfast at the Midway, not knowing when we will eat again.

George, Kay and Kyle Dennis are already at the airport when we arrive. It has warmed up enough that frost is no longer an issue. Some rather boorish guy is sauntering over to the Flagship and enters with a cup of coffee without asking anyone. Gene cautions him about the coffee. He tells us that is his Citation over there. We are under impressed. Then he asks us what the Flagship is worth. I tell him that you cannot put a price on history, the Flagship is priceless. Amazing how quickly this guy got under our skin!

Kay Dennis took a wonderful group photo and then we launched. And, yes, it was cold. We did have a couple of blanketss on board that were very welcome. We also had a strong head wind which ended up making the trip an hour longer than we had thought. We stayed a bit low as the wind was worse aloft but that made for a pretty bumpy ride. Peggy goes into flight attendent mode distributing snacks and water along with the banter.

As we got further west, it became warmer and first we jetisonned the blankets, then the coats. About an hour from our destination, the plane suddenly looked like a strip club as clothes started flying everywhere and we all get down to short sleeved T-shirts. First stop was Meachum Field where we dropped Steve and Peggy and their luggage. They were to get transportation to his condo, get his car and come to pick up Gene and Sheryl at Alliance. We were supposed to alert Jeff Selby of our impending arrival, but forgot. Jeff was hard at work when he heard a familiar sound. Hmmm, he thought, that sounds like radial engines. He peeked around the corner of the building and sure enough, here we came. So he was quickly on the scene with a tug to tow us into the hanger. We met one of the guys who built the galley and his pride and love of the plane was obvious.

Jeff traded the tug for a golf cart, loaded us up and ferried us to the front of the mainenance facility where we sat on the steps amidst our luggage awaiting our ride. Dave Buffington's wife had already collected him and Fred, who they were taking to DFW to try to get a flight home. We got a lot of strange looks from the people going in and out of the parking lot.

Peggy and Steve arrive and first stop is a Mexican restaurant as we are all hungry and parched. For some of us, the last liquid was morning coffee. Then off to Steve's condo, the view from which is pictured here. Now we await the next leg of the journey and prepare the Flagship for that.

Winding Down

2011-03-25T07:26:00.004-05:00

Day two of ground school. Students: Blake Butler, Dave Buffington, Bud Cushing, Tripp Drake, Steve Jacobson and Mark Martin. They head up to Nashville to practice approaches and drop Tripp, Mark and Tom off to catch rides home. Then they did some take offs and landings in Smyrna before returning to Shelbyville for a late lunch at an Italian place on the square. Then it was more of the same until dark. The decision it to launch for Alliance on Friday due to weather concerns so the airplane is fueled and oiled. Then it is off to Ruby Tuesdays for dinner, wine and more frivolity. Can you tell that Dave Gorell is telling a flying story in that photo? A moment before, both he and Gene had their hands in the air in that same motion. George joins us and there are eight of us: Dave and Fred Gorrell, Gene and Sheryl Christian, Peggy Fairchild, Steve Jacobson and Dave Buffington. David Gorrell will drive to Nahville in the morning to catch a flight. Bud and Patti Cushing will leave in their motor home for Sun and Fun in Lakeland and the rest of us will go to Alliance with the Flagship.
The morning plan is to meet at the Midway Diner for breakfast. On the flight will be Dave Buffington, Fred Gorrell, Sheryl and Gene, Peggy and Steve. Finally got a picture of the new galley. Hard to tell perspective because it is so shiny. Will try to take one at an angle later. We have run into technical difficulties as Peggy has taken lots of good photos but we cannot find any way to get them to my computer. (ok, David, I know, but her card will not fit in anyone's card reader and no one's cable will hook to her camera)

Ground School

2011-03-22T17:24:00.005-05:00

The area around Shelbyville, TN is one of the prettiest in the U.S., especially in the spring. The drive coming from the interstate goes through Bell Buckle, a historic little town with a lot to see and do and an excellent home cooking restaurant. This is is Tennessee walking horse country and there are GREEN, GREEN pastures, many with white board fences. Some are home to cattle and some to horses. Between the two towns, most of the way, there are thick clumps of daffodils lining the road.
Monday was supposed to be Newbie day at ground school, but no one showed. Not to fret, as others were arriving for the next day and there was plenty of catching up to do amongst these fly boys. Pilots never run out of tales to tell. And then there are those doughnuts.
Tuesday, the school convenes in the conference room at the airport at 8 AM and runs until around 6 PM. Gosh !! The odd thing is that when it is over, many of the participants stay and chat, so I guess they were not dying for it to end. Participating are: Tripp Drake, Dave Buffington, Tom Taff, Dave Gorrell and his brother, Fred, Steve Jacobson, Mike Martin, Joe Roberts, Bud Cushing, Blake Butler and George Dennis.
George reports that although he has been on the phone a good bit of the day trying to find a way to save it, the Seattle leg of our journey is dead. We are all disappointed. Current plan is to stay here until Saturday and then go back to Ft. Worth and stay until time to go to Los Angeles.
Eleven of us, including Peggy Fairchild and Sheryl Christian, adjourn to Legends restaurant for dinner and frivolity. (Believe me, if you have not participated in any road trips with the Flagship, you have not lived!) Somehow, we seem to boggle the staff at the restaurant, the food is good, but there are delays with some items, mis cues and whatever, but everyone is still having a good time.
Some folks live locally, some are in a motel, and some are staying in what is laughingly referred to George's "double-wide." This translates as a four bedroom, four bath log "cabin" about ten miles out of Shelbyville overlooking a lovely meadow which has a grass strip down the middle of it. Blake's house is on the next hill over.
On Wednesday, there is a morning briefing, pre-flight and then they are off to give some folks some "stick time." Well, up they go and very soon, down they come...uh oh. Seems a bracket on a cowl flap has given up the ghost.(See photo of diagnostic inspection) Luckily, George is on site and within minutes has a mechanic on the job. Before you know it, they are up and at 'em again. Time is off the essence as the clouds have moved in and storms are on the way, the wind is whipping.
On this day, Gene is mostly in the left seat and Tom Taff, Bud Cushing, and Fred Gorrell each get their three landings. David Gorrell gets four. Rumor has it that Gene pulled an engine out on one pilot, who detected a problem and did all the right things, but did not realize at first that it was an engine out. There was also a "bounce" incident on one landing which Gene takes responsibility for because he should have been more vigilant.
While the guys are working, Peggy and Sheryl are playing with an interesting tour of historic Bell Buckle. They have a long talk with the owner of an antique shop. Seems his parents bought the building 40 years ago (and he just turned 40) for $750 and made a living with it for years. Now he is running it and his folks are running the ice cream parlor around the corner. Lunch at the local eatery is a real treat....good ol southern cooking. Then it is off to Murphreesboro to Publix. We are cooking steaks at George's Blackberry Ridge home tonight. There are about 14 of us including Patti Cushing and George's son, Kyle. Kay Dennis is in Huntsville visiting the 7 week old grandson, Mason. Peggy does a wonderful job in an unfamiliar kitchen of creating a lovely dinner complete with appetizers. Tom Taff is a top notch kitchen assistant. Another great evening.

Thunder Day two

2011-03-21T11:32:00.008-05:00

Saturday night folks wanted to try something different and so Steve Jacobson chose a place called Meritage from a brochure at the hotel. We called ahead to make sure they could take a party of nine and they could. When we parked out back they called down to us from the balcony and had a table all set for us out there. Faye Simmons, the owner, treated us royally and her daughter, Ashley, the chef cooked up some wonderful food. This was the night of the larger full moon and we had a great view from our table. A good time was had by all.

True to Bob Gross's prediction, Sunday morning is much cooler and overcast. At first this is welcome until you add the wind and sitting outside under the tent. Around noon the sun came out and warming was rapid, the wind stayed, we almost lost the tent at one point but got it secured.

Forgot to mention yesterday that the latest new thing is a galley in the Flagship. Jeff Selby and his father removed one from a derelict "3" in San Antonio, but it was too far gone to use. The nice folks at American Airlines used it as a pattern and built us a shiny new one. I will get a pic of it on here before all this is over.

The crowd on Sunday was sparse at first, but it picked up around noon. And at 2, when we had to close up shop to fly, we were having to beat them away from the door. Bad timing. Just before we closed, Chef Ashley from Meritage came to see the plane and stayed with us through the flight.

When the flight was over, the plane went to the fueling area where the remainder of the crew joined her. Sheryl ferried Zane and Jeff to the main terminal and then drove to Covington. The remaining crew flew to Shelbyville. Bob Gross got a ride to Nashville to get a flight home. The remaining crew will stay in Shelbyville until the flight to the west coast on Friday. More members will be arriving for recurrent training to take place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Just at sunset Blake took Peggy up in his super cub, see the photo.

Thunder in the Valley

2011-03-19T16:42:00.005-05:00

The Detroit left Ft. Worth at 8 A.M. Friday morning bound for Covington, Georgia with a stop in Shelbyville, TN to pick up Blake Butler. Crew were Zane Lemon, John Thatcher, Steve Jacobson, Jeff Selby and Bob Gross. Passengers were American pilot Robby Clyburn and his father and Jim Brown. All of them are new members courtesy of Bob Gross.

In Covington, John, Robby and his father deplaned while Gene Christian got on. Robby's father had pre-positioned a car in Covington and drove home. Sheryl Christian loaded up Thatch and Robby and headed for Hartsfield where Robby had left a car and John would catch a ride back to Dallas. Sheryl then headed south on I-85 to meet the Flagship in Columbus. Gene advised Sheryl to get off at exit 7B, alas, there was none, so she got off at 6 to do a U-turn. Looking to the left she spotted a smiling woman waving frantically and after seeing Gene in the back seat realized it was Peggy Fairchild who had met the plane in Columbus. They, too, were doing the U-turn. We soon found ourselves in the largest Holiday Inn we had ever seen. One needed to drop crumbs when headed for the lobby as you might never find your way through the maze.

After a brief rest, we were off to the airport again for a BBQ dinner in a hanger. It was very good ribs and pulled pork cooked right there on site and served with all the trimmings. We all sat around catching up for awhile then headed back to the bar at the hotel to swap more lies. But we turned in early as we were back at the airport by 8AM to clean the plane. At 9 we broke to enjoy a full breakfast catered by Waffle House before opening the plane at 10.

The plane was parked right by the fence along the runway with the wing hanging over and unfortunately there was a loud (really loud) speaker right there also. See the photo at top for our original position. Because our door is on the right side, we faced the fence and people had to walk around the plane to enter. This was further hindered by people setting up chairs along the fence and in any available shade which meant under our wings. The awkward set up meant we did not have a lot of traffic. Fortunately, at noon they moved us to a position facing the taxiway in preparation for flying. And so we moved our table, tent, chairs and boxes of merchandise twice. But now we were away from that speaker and our open door faced the oncoming crowd.

So things picked up for awhile, but in less than two hours, they towed the plane out for a fly-by. So we moved all the stuff again. The photo at right was taken by Bob Gross from the hatch in the cockpit where the people on duty up there could see the air show when things were slow, as they often were. There was a nice flight during which the announcer told the history of our plane while playing 1940's music. As the Flagship was turning off the runway, the air boss came on the radio and complimented Captain Gross's landing and added that an old war bird pilot on the stand with him had also commented what a nice landing it was.

When they rolled the plane back in, it was in a slightly different postion, so for the fourth time, we moved all our stuff. And finally, we moved it back into position next to the airplane. Counting setup and take down, we moved all our gear six times today. Tomorrow should be a little better as we will start in position to taxi. Thank goodness there were nine of us to do all the hauling, though most of the men were also involved in helping the tow truck by pushing the plane this way and that. Tune in tomorrow when we hope to have some photos to share.

Air Show Season starts

2011-03-17T10:55:00.002-05:00

Although the Detroit went to a February event in Laredo, the traveling circuit begins in earnest this weekend. She will leave Ft. Worth tomorrow with John Thatcher, Zane Lemon and others as crew, stopping in Shelbyville, TN to pick up Blake Butler and Covington, GA to pick up Gene Christian. John will deplane there while the others continue to Thunder in the Valley at Columbus, GA. Sheryl Christian will ferry John to Hartsfield for a flight home and continue by auto to meet the others in Columbus.
After this weekend there will be three days of ground school in Shelbyville and a week from tomorrow, the Detroit will head west. Be sure to tune in to follow this fun trip.....or get signed up and join us.

Laredo Air Show February 8-9

2011-02-26T12:47:00.002-06:00

George Dennis did such a good job of writing the piece, that I will present it mostly as he wrote it. A " man on the scene" presentation. I think they were too busy to take photos, sorry.

John Thatcher, Steve Jacobson and myself met at the Alliance airport early on Saturday morning of the one day (Sunday) event. We had plenty of time to make the two and a half hour flight and clean the airplane on arrival. We were planning to make a fuel stop enroute to find some "cheap fuel." We did not know much about what was planned for us as Zane put the deal together rather quickly.
John and Steve grabbed the best seats in the house, leaving me to serve coffee. With Capt. Jake in the left seat we broke ground around 10AM on a beautiful clear day and climbed to 2500 ft. We stopped at a little airport called Clermont about 22 miles south of Ft. Worth. On a Saturday there were plenty of lookers as Jake rolled on a smoothy on the south runway. We taxied up the the tanks and had plenty of help. All those guys drooling over the "Detroit" grabbed a pushing spot and pushed us back 50 ft to clear obstacles. Good thing, as our crew of three could not have moved it two feet!
It as a great trip except for a bit of a scare when Houston Center informed us the airport was closed for at least the next 5 hours. Just prior to leaving we were told by the airboss to come on down, there would be no problem. Turns out Houston was just following the FAA notems. It could have been interesting as there are not many airports in that part of the world. At any rate, Jake made another wonderful landing at Laredo International Airport...of course the wind was calm, who can mess up a landing when it was that nice....just kidding, Steve!
Now the real work started. Thatcher went off to get required credentials and most importantly, making arrangements for fuel and oil and getting paid. Jake stayed in the airplane getting things organized and cleaned up. I went to my favorite spot, the right wheel area and started to clean off the fresh oil off the struts that we manufactured on the trip down.
After about two hours we got in the rental car and headed to the No-Tell Motel. We were expecting something like the Motel 6, but were surprised to find a wonderful hotel on the square in Old Town Laredo. The place is, no kidding, right on the river looking across at Mexico. I was a bit nervous as there were a couple of killings the week before, but we found it to be safe and enjoyable.
The next day we met for breakfast and planned how to man the Detroit with just 3 guys. We figured not too many people would come out on a sunny Sunday in Laredo. WRONG!! We had thousands of people coming through the gates at a little after 10 AM. The official time was 11 AM, but the crowds were so large they opened early. Good thing they did as we had a line that extended from the door and around the tail for the next 8 hours. We posted ourselves as we do for every show: one in the cockpit, one at the rear, and one at the table. The problem, as you can imagine, is that we were unable to move for all that time. For every Mom or Dad that paid $3 to go in, there were 6 or 7 kids to follow. The beauty of this whole operation is this is what we are all about. I really do not know how many people visited the Detroit that sunny Sunday, but I know we had thousands of happy people when they left to go to another display. Our host for the show came up to me toward the end of the day and said, " You guys were the hit of the show." I told him that at every event I learn something and try to do better the next time. What I learned should be obvious, we will never again go to an event with only three people when the crowd is expected to be greater than 5000! As it turned out, the paper reported greater than 10,000 attended the event.
The next morning we again met for breakfast one more time prior to departing for Fort Worth and Alliance airport. Onve again, Jake took the controls and flew it back home at American Airlines after another successful outing for the Flagship Detroit DC-3. Next stop: Columbus, Georgia March 19-20, then ground school in Shelbyville. Sign up now.

Super Bowl Fly By

2011-02-14T05:22:00.005-06:00

Hmmm, does that wing look familiar? And how 'bout that stadium? Yep, that's our Flagship and that is the site of the 2011 Super Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Seems the organizers of the event chose an aviation theme and had different aircraft do fly overs on the days leading up to the game.

Lucky us. The Flagship Detroit did its fly over between 5 and 6PM on Saturday, just one day prior to the game. So more people were on hand to see us go over than the prior flights. The Captain on the flight was John Thatcher with Dave Buffington serving as First Officer and Peggy Fairchild as Stewardess. There were 17 fortunate passengers on board, mostly from American Airlines. The Flagship did its first fly by to the east, made a wide circle and came back to the west. What fun!

The first air show of the season was to be in Laredo on February 13. And starting in March there is a full schedule, including a trip to the West Coast. Be sure to check the calendar on the website and join us for a good time.

Encore

2010-12-16T15:01:00.004-06:00

After Sky Ball, the flagship had one more duty... Expo 2010 at DFW on Friday, December 10. Trippe Drake and Gene Christian left Murray, KY and Covington, GA respectively in the wee hours and were met at DFW by Dave Buffington who ferried them to Alliance Field to ready the plane for departure. Buff was unable to work the show due to a prior commitment. The plane was flown to DFW and parked in an AA hanger where it was toured by hundreds of local students. When the expo ended at 1 PM, the guys cleaned up, and flew back to Alliance where they got a ride back to DFW(there was a lot of back and forth between the two airports in the air and on the ground) to catch flights back home. It had been a long, long day for those two when they arrived at their homes that night.

And next is the upcoming inspection in January, so if you can go out and help, do so. So, until the spring air show season starts, that's all about the spinning cyclones for now.

Impromptu Air Show

2010-12-16T14:18:00.003-06:00

Gene and Sheryl Christian have longed to bring the Flagship to their home of Covington to show her off and see if they could sell a ride or two. Here was their chance! Bob Gross was getting his check ride for his type rating with a Georgia examiner. On Tuesday, Dave Buffington and Gene Christian flew the plane up from Stuart. The local press was on hand to meet the plane and both papers did great detailed articles about the Flagship and our mission in Covington. Saturday was also the day of the monthly fly-in and pancake breakfast for the local EAA group and they helped spread the word.

Gene immediately drove Dave to Hartsfield to catch a ride home and spent the next the next two day washing and spiffing the Flagship for show time. Friday afternoon, David and Tony DeSantis flew in to drop off Bob. Tony had planned to stay but was feeling poorly and the two departed soon after. That evening Bob and Gene worked on practice for the upcoming check ride. Saturday was a perfect day, but also the weekend prior to Thanksgiving and a lot of people had plans or were out of town. However, Sheryl, Bob and Gene with some help from daughter, Emily, ushered about 200 people through the plane and welcomed ten new Foundation members with a Heritage Flight that afternoon. Quite a few folks came out to see the plane fly. They love the DC-3 here, having watched a British Crew restore a derelict and then fly it to Oshkosh last summer.

On Sunday, Bob and Gene did a practice flight and studied more. Bright and early Monday they were off to Peachtree City to meet with the examiner, Bill McCure, whose father gave Gene his DC-3 check ride for his type rating back in the dark ages. When the task was successfully completed, Bob and Gene turned the nose west and headed to Alliance where the Flagship would participate in another air show and American Airlines annual Sky Ball fund raiser.

I will echo George in his latest newsletter and say: If you have not ever traveled with the Flagship or worked an air show with her, you do not know what you are missing. It is hard work but so much fun to meet the other members and to greet the public and see the delight in their eyes when they see "our" plane. The highlight of the Covington visit for me was a 2 year old boy wearing a "Flying Ace" sweatshirt and clutching the newspaper with the photo of the Flagship on the front in his chubby little hands. His father said he had not put it down since it had come out. This little fella clambored up those steps three times, he couldn't get enough of it.

Stuart Air Show November 13-14

2010-12-16T12:19:00.005-06:00

The Stuart two day show was a great success. A lot of people came through the plane and there was a lot of interest. Kent Fairchild kept the big band music of the 40'splaying outside with while his mother, Peggy, welcomed visitors in her vintage AA stewardess uniform. We had several surprise visits from Judy "Hollywood Actress" DeSantis complete with white gloves and suitcase packed for her trip to Los Angles. As she worked the crowd with her excited, "I'm so excited....I'm going to Hollywood !" routine, people gathered around to see what the fun was all about. She and Peggy added so much fun to the whole event.

Saturday night was Air Show Party night at the DeSantis home in Palm City with lots of good Italian food, beverages, music and flying stories. In attendance were the Flagship crew, four of the new Foundation members and a group of current and retired American Airlines pilots and their spouses. Thanks to Judy DeSantis for all of the planning and work putting the event together! It was a great time.

Monday morning, Nov. 15 at 10 AM, the Flagship Detroit took off from KSUA with Bob Gross at the controls, Gene Christian in the right seat and Peggy Fairchild as Stewardess. Dave Buffington and Tony DeSantis assisted as 15 people took their seats in the cabin for a 50 minute flight around the Treasure Coast. On board were 9 new Foundation members and 6 comp riders from the Air Show staff and sponsors. We flew down the coast toward Jupiter Island and flew over Celine Dion's house(with her 500,000 gallon water park in the backyard) and Tiger Woods' new home on the ocean and intercoastal waterway. From there, Bob flew us over his house in Tailwinds Airpark in Jupiter, to Lake Okeechobee and finally back to Stuart. Everyone loved the ride and thanked us profusely for bringing the Flagship Detroit to Stuart.

Disaster Averted

2010-12-16T08:02:00.003-06:00

After a year of planning, the Flagship's appearance at the Stuart Air Show (FL) almost came undone in the last week. This show attracts over 60,000 visitors and Tony DeSantis had been working hard to bring it about complete with advertising and newspaper articles. Then five days prior to expected arrival trouble arose.

Returning to AFW from Sky Ball at DFW the right engine would not idle less than 1050 RPM. A plea went out to membership for help in finding advice and a round engine mechanic, but it was the beginning of a weekend and days slipped by with no result. John Thatcher and Dave Buffington tried some suggested fixes to no avail. On Tuesday, some mechanics showed up, but again with no result....the clock was ticking. If it was a bad carburetor, there was no way to make the repair in time to get to the Stuart show. On Wednesday, Tony reluctantly informed the air show coordinator that we would have to cancel. We had already missed a scheduled event in Union City, TN and now would miss this great opportunity.
On Thursday, George convinced the mechanics to give it one more try and they found loose mounting bolts on the carburetor itself. They were re-torqued and the engine ran fine. Yay!! Tony immediately informed the show officials that we were back on and they were thrilled, as was the Flagship crew.
Thursday night, Bob Gross flew in from West Palm Beach to join Dave and John for the flight. They stopped in Covington, GA on the way to pick up Gene Christian. A few minutes after the fireworks display had ended during the "Dirty Flight Suit Party," and after a long day of flying, the Flagship Detoit appeared overhead at KSUA. Unfortunately, they had to endure one more delay as the runway was cleared of firework debris. While the free food was gone by the time our crew made it to the party area, the music was still going strong and drinks were being served. A few cold ones capped off a long day, and for John and Dave, a long and stressful week.

Air Adventure Oshkosh, WI

2010-12-14T14:12:00.010-06:00

This was the event we had all been waiting for since this year is the 75th Anniversary of the Douglas DC-3. We were anticipating a wonderful gathering, perhaps the largest gathering of the Douglas DC-3 since the 1940's. (D-Day, maybe??) As it turned out there were about 37 of them in attendance.

Torrential rains had fallen and turned the parking areas into seas of mud. The organizers were forced to find parking spaces for many planes at alternate locations until the ground dried some. As it was, the Flagship was delayed just one day since we were given a place of honor to park in Aeroshell Center along with a Buffalo Airways DC-3. The plane left from Dayton on Saturday for Wittman Field with George Dennis, Fred Gorrell, Trippe Drake and his grandson, Jacob, Dave Buffington and his nephew, Chris, and John Thatcher. The route went over Lake Michigan and Wisconsin farmlands, with the descent beginning over Lake Winnegago.

After being cleared to land, we were told to go around as a WWII fighter ahead of us could not clear the runway. At the time, we were a bit troubled with wasting the fuel required for another approach and landing, but it was a blessing in disguise for as we did the fly-by, all the show attendees got a great look at the airplane and the show announcer did an excellent job of describing the Flagship and the history of American Airlines. Jane and David Gorrell, Tony and Jeff DiSantis, Jeff Selby, John Tegtmeier, Steve Jacobson, Peggy Fairchild, Larry Jamison and Zane Lemon all witnessed this nice fly-by.

Because of the length of this show, we broke down into work crews with some opening and some closing, leaving free time for exploring other parts of the show. Lewis reports that his favorite airplane, other than the Flagship, of course, was the Esther Mae. She is one of the younger DC-3s flying, having been built under an Air Force contract at the very end of the war. She was converted at the factory into a corporate aircraft and has been her whole career. Although the interior was not open for tours her crew let our crew aboard. The interior was in 1930's Art Deco style with rich earthtones and lovely wood. The crew was dressed in sharp period uniforms. Esther Mae, the grandmother of the owner, was there with other family members.

The Flagship spent one day nose to nose with an American Airlines 737, though we were looking down on them (see photo). Trippe and David Gorrell somehow hooked up with the people at Lightspeed and managed to pull off a "trade" of several headsets complete with blue tooth in exchange for hats and tee shirts. Pretty slick, guys!! And thanks also to Lightspeed!

Les Abend did a great job of getting hospitality lunch passes for the crew each day at the Flying Magazine Hospitality Center. Each night the crew met up for an evening meal at a residence David Gorrell had secured for many of the volunteers to stay. It was fun to talk about the day's adventures and plan for the next day.

The Air Adventure folks did a super job moving and parking airplanes even with the challenge of that unwelcome 8 inches of rain just prior to the show. Tired, but happy and without too much delay, we flew back to Shelbyville after the show.

Playing Catch Up

2010-12-14T13:51:00.003-06:00

Sorry to have been gone from these pages so long. I have had technical difficulties with the on site reporters, namely that they are not reporting. They vow to send me their memories to pass on and that is as far as it goes. Recently, I was lamenting this to Dave Gorrell and he said I should just pester them more persistantly...and guess what?? It worked!

Thanks so much to George Dennis, Gene Christian, Lewis Drake and Tony DiSantis for the info and photos that I am about to share with you.

The Flagship appeared at the Vectren Air Show in Dayton Ohio on July 17-18. The team included George Dennis, Dave Buffington, Lewis Drake, John Thatcher and Dave Gorrell. The show was well organized and the people were great to work with. The plane flew everyday. One of the passengers on one flight was a free lance writer for World Airshow Magazine. He later wrote about the Flagship in a piece that was published inside the back cover of the magazine, a prime location. After this show, the Flagship stayed where she was and the crew scattered for a few days, meeting up again the next weekend in preparation for Air Adventure in Oshkosh.

The British Effort

2010-07-26T19:14:00.002-05:00

Later on Saturday night we found that it was the left engine itself that had failed because they found metal filings throughout. They immediately began to pull things apart and start cleaning. Gene went over after supper and while he was there a red pick up pulled up with a new engine in the back.

This afternoon he went over and they were almost finished. They planned to test fly tonight and hopefully be off to Oshkosh at first light. We have thunderstorms in the area, so not sure how that will affect their plans.

The outfit doing this is Edward Brothers Aviation in London. Check out their website and go say hello to this extraordinay crew who worked on a hot tarmac for 6 weeks in the Georgia sun to bring this grand old lady back to life.

Sister Ship

2010-07-24T19:15:00.004-05:00

For years a derelict DC3 has languished at the edge of the tarmac at the Covington, Georgia airport while many people were sad at her fate. Lo and behold about two months ago word was that a Brit had bought it and was set to restore it. Sure enough a team of very personable hard working British lads (like 3) descended upon her and began to work almost around the clock. The goal was to finish in time for Oshkosh. Gene has been checking on their progress and I have been out a few times also. The head guy, Clive, is very nice and seems to love to chat if he can keep on working at the same time. About two weeks ago the pilot and a couple of other workers arrived, including a woman.
Word was they might fly it last night but we live quite near the airport and heard nothing. Today Gene went out to check and around 2PM called and said that one engine was running and would I like to come out. I jumped in the car and would have sped over had I not gotten behind someone going 45 mph....so I lollygagged over.
When I arrived I was shocked to see about 60 people scattered about the tarmac, most with cameras. The plane was about to taxi. Clive's very brown arm waved to the crowd and out to the taxiway they went. The engines were very much quieter than the Flagship. Soon they taxied and took off but we saw a lot of oil coming from the engines. It was quite exciting, but alas, they circled and came back down. Seems the oil thermostat on the left engine was stuck in the closed position and the oil was overheating. And this was a brand new part. Now it is back to the drawing board, but with the delay at Oshkosh, the thing is still doable. All you folks up there, look these guys up. See photos for description. On the opposite side of the Union Jack is a logo that says "No sleep until Oshkosh,"

Adventure Number Next

2010-05-06T11:52:00.005-05:00

The skies are clear on Monday, May 3, and Lewis, Gene and I are at the Scottsboro airport at 6:30 AM. The air feels cool and dry. Our devoted host, Mike Womacks, is there to see us off, standing next the the runway and waving as we lift off into the finally blue western sky. Breakfast consists of cheese cracker and blond Oreos while en route. I play flight attendent and sit in the jump seat for the flight. We see a lot of flooded fields from the recent storm system. I have never been to Arkansas so am interested to see the landscape, but find that along our route it is largely flat, yet unplanted fields.

Mena is almost to Texas and has no ground transportation so we stop in Hot Springs for me to rent a car, then drive to Mena to pick them up. As usual, there is a minor stir and folks gather to look at the plane. One is Bill Adams, who says his pilot seniority is "fairly high" at American Airlines. Bill's parents were both with American, pilot and stewardess and very likely flew on the Flagship. He was very interested and Gene told him he should join the Foundation and get his type rating so he could be a "real airline pilot."

The drive to Mena is pleasant, through a national forest and low mountains, very little traffic on the roads. Upon arrival, we start a mad dash to Little Rock to put Lewis on a plane to Nashville until realizing that we can drive there quicker. Therefore the pressure is off and I am allowed one hour to look at Hot Springs, which is why I wanted to come on the trip in the first place. I toured a restored bath house from the early 1900's and it was quite interesting. Hot Springs is a picturesque little town with interesting old buildings and history. Then we are off to Murray, Kentucky, still existing on junk food in the car. We arrive about 11 PM which is when he would have gotten to Nashville and drop exhausted into bed. After a nice visit and breakfast (our first real meal since Saturday night) we again head out, finally back to Covington at noon on Wednesday.

Scottsboro Fly In

2010-05-05T13:25:00.015-05:00

Friday, April 30 is such a pristine day that it is hard to believe the dire weather predictions for Saturday as we drive from Covington, GA to Scottsboro, AL through scenic Mentone, AL. Our host, Mike Womacks has arranged for a gaggle of Russian Yaks to escort the Flagship in this afternoon and we are rushing to get there to see it.

We arrive in time for Gene to help Mike get his Yak out and to watch Mike and son, David head out to rendezvous with the others. In a golf cart on the tarmac, we squint and squint into the perfect northern sky until finally....a glint of silver on metal...then...OH! What a sight!! The grand old lady lumbers into view with four Yaks off each wing in formation. They make a low pass down the runway-a breathtaking sight (look for video soon), then sweep over town to bring out the crowds. This is repeated once more, then each Yak does an individual fly by and lands followed by the Flagship.

We find that Blake Butler was in left seat, with John Thatcher riding "pucker," and Lewis Drake as third crew member. The fly over has brought some folks out and the guys set about spiffing and securing the plane while taking time out to give tours.

This show is a treat to work as Mike and his fellow volunteers treat us like royalty, constantly seeing to our every need. When the work is done the crew trucks over to Mike's hanger for liquid refreshment and appetizers. We are joined by Yak drivers and some fly in volunteers. Shortly David delivers copious amounts of Pizza Hut pasta and bread sticks. His mom, Carol Womacks, arrives with gourmet salads, all the accouterments plus dessert. After a great meal and some hilarious tale swapping the Flagship crew loads up into our Suburban and heads out to well appointed (that means the fridges come with beer) trailers at the county park for the night.

Saturday morning there is a lot of anxious weather watching as we chow down on breakfast at the airport provided by our hosts. The prediction is 7 to 9 inches of rain, but a look at radar makes us bet it won't happen, at least for a good while. Today the volunteers are decked out in tee shirts the exact color of neon yellow hi liter.

We open the plane to the sweet scent of "Malathion in the Morning" and set up shop under a wing in case of rain, an extra folding table makes the display more effective. Skies are grey and winds go from breezy to "catch that tee shirt," but we only get a smattering of sprinkle during the day. Everything is weighted down with Foundation coffee mugs. Our son, Richard, arrives from Birmingham for his first look at the DC3 and in no time is running the store like a pro, having quickly picked up on our spiel. When we set the donation jar out, lo and behold, there is the same orange I put in it for weight in Greenville several weeks ago. In remarkable shape, I might add, but nevertheless it is replaced with a stone.

For the people of Scottsboro, the Flagship is a really big deal and, for many, the first plane they have been inside. They declare it "huge" and we wonder what they would think if they saw a triple 7. Neon shirters come by regularly to offer assistance and refreshments. They are grilling burgers and dogs in a nearby hanger for volunteers and we partake later in the day. The Yaks are giving rides, other planes are treating children and a Stearman is selling them for $50. Our lines get so long that the guys start doing the briefing on the tarmac to save time. When we go back to use the terminal facilities we see video of flooding in Nashville, but we have dodged the bullet.

A bright yellow modern reincarnation of the stagger wing Beech called Lion Heart thrills the crowd with high speed maneuvers. The high pitched whine of a jet engine draws everyone's attention to the sudden appearance of an L39 which puts on a daring show before landing. Anita Bates (see photo), a postcard collector, presents us with 3 cards from her collection to add to our memorabilia. One shows a flagship at a terminal and John is going to look up the tail number to see which one it was. Thanks, Anita!

Tonight's party is in the main hanger. Folks are serving up steaks, baked taters and trimmings and we have live music served from the bed of a pick um up truck. The guy is pretty good serving up some Willie Nelson and John Denver before being joined by a pretty good imitation of Hank Williams. We just cannot hold our heads up though and are back in camp before 10.

On Sunday, it is all about the weather. The mission is to get the plane to Mena, AR for a paint touch up before Oshkosh and they have an opening for us on Monday. Blake and John head out in our Suburban. John will be dropped in Huntsville to catch a flight back home and Blake will leave the car at the airport in Shelbyville. The front has actually backed up a bit and sits to our west still taunting us. We hope for a late afternoon opening but it doesn't happen and finally we check into a motel just as the rain starts and continues most of the night.

2010-04-22T14:31:00.002-05:00

The Shelbyville April weather was just perfect for introductions and re-introductions to the pleasure of flying Flagship Detroit. Here's a little video of one days excursion. /david g.

Ground School

2010-04-21T11:32:00.009-05:00

Gene drove to Shelbyville on Friday, April 9th for ground school and recurrent training. Spring has matured since his last visit, 3 weeks prior and the countryside is lush and green. He says there is no place to compare with this area in spring beauty.

Thank goodness for Dan Gable and Lewis Drake, for in spite of all precautions, including hawk and owl "scare-crows," there are still bird's nests to eradicate from around the plane. Others gathering flying that perfect afternoon were, Dan Allen, Blake Butler, Rick Owens, Bill Bronson, David Gorrell, Brian Owenby, Tony DeSantis, Davis DeSantis and Joe Roberts. The views from the place are spectacular. Some folks get to practice take-off and landings (all came out with equal number from what I am told), some got air work and others got a nice ride.

The flight ended around 7PM just as the sun was setting. Everyone adjourns to George's cabin in the landing meadow by the pond (sometimes affectionally known as "the double-wide") for dinner , drinks and comradarie. Alas, the BBQ joint of choice has closed for the evening (huh? Friday night??) So Wendy's got an unexpected large order that night, enjoyed by all. Bob Gross joins the group also.

Classroom instruction began in earnest on Saturday morning with the first session aimed at first-timers but others sitting in. Tom Taff has joined the group. While the bulk of the group was studying hard, Dan and Lewis were doing maintenance on the plane. Some guys just love getting dirty! The morning ended with a sandwich lunch on the picnic tables in the shady backyard of the terminal and then it was back to class. The spectacular day was calling and so this session adjourned early in favor of hitting the skies again. This time, George Dennis, Bob Gross, Tony DeSantis, Gene Christian, David DeSantis, Joe Roberts and Lewis were on board.

Many folks had already adjourned to the cabin for libations when late in the evening, with the day so clear, the sun so bright and low and George at the wheel, the Flagship did a fly-by for the benefit of those on the ground. Rumor has it he "beat up the crowd pretty good." Word has it someone caught the moment on video. Later, everyone enjoyed a low country boil prepared by Charlie Ingram, the goodness of which was only surpassed by the quality of the fellowship. Thanks, Charlie, for a real feast!

Sunday morning there was more ground school while some intrepid mechanics continued to tinker with maintenance. We hear that Dan and Lewis were buying 4 gallons of Marvel Mystery Oil at Wal Mart when the clerk in the auto section inquired what could they possibly do with that much of the good stuff. Dan deadpanned, "My Pinto's been smoking a bit and I heard this would fix it. I figured if a little is good, then a lot is better." or something to that effect. The clerk's jaw dropped to his navel! That afternoon the newbies, Tony, Davis, Bill went up for inital air work and had a chance to explore the DC3 stall characteristics. As night falls, Gene decided he needed to become night current and took the left seat while the others rotated through the co-pilot position. Great sport was had by all in dealing with the landing gear and flap controls while trying to read the check list by flashlight. Ask Bill Bronson about wearing his sunglasses at night. You will have to ask them how much fun they had!

When George called a halt due to the arrival of pizza and beer, only Tony's landings remained and those were accomplished Monday morning before he and David hopped in their Cirrus to make an appointment for an Angel Flight in Florida later that day.

Some dedicated souls stayed through Monday for maintenance chores and aircraft clean up before heading for home on Tuesday. A well attended school with a lot of good progress.

One More Thing

2010-04-05T17:59:00.002-05:00

When the plane arrived in Shelbyville, there was Dan Gable, who had read of its arrival on the website, jumped in his Cessna 210 and hopped on over to greet and be of help. After they got the ol' gal buttoned up, Dan went home, only to reappear bright and early on Saturday morning for the EAA Fly-In breakfast with hopes of perhaps getting some recurrent training. Alas, discretion being the better part of valor, this was not to be as the wind was at least 13 knots. He decided to come back for the April Ground School (see details below). Since the Flagship did need to be moved from its display area to the tie down area, Dan, with Gene tagging along took care of this task, Thus ended a busy 11 days.

The Flagship is resting now in preparation for her next debut at Shelbyville Ground School. This school, I believe is entitled, "Things that go bump in the night (and other horrors)." But then I could be wrong about that. Officially it unfolds like this: On Friday, April 9th recurrent flight training will be held in the afternoon. Saturday morning at 8AM (sharp) Initial Ground School (for newbies) will convene and last until noon. At 1PM Recurrent Ground School will start and last until 1PM on Sunday (with some sort of break I understand.....Miller Time, perhaps?). Sunday afternoon there will be more recurrent flight training and initial flight training, lasting over until Monday morning, if need be. B there or B square! Contact George Dennis for scheduling.

Mission complete

2010-03-27T15:32:00.003-05:00

Friday the gang heads to Myrtle Beach with Tony at the helm. Son David follows in the Cirrus, sometimes coming alongside to photograph his father on his first DC3 piloting. On arrival the wind is variable 250-300 degrees and over 18 knots. Tony's first landing was an intersting prospect. Tony and David leave the crew here and head back to Florida in their plane.
The passengers have had a good outing and are quite happy, except that the flight home turns out to be quite chilly. They are forced to fly a bit high to stay over the clouds and he mountains. The cloud tops were at 8975 ft and the Flagship was at 9000, skimming the tops. At one point John came up and told them to please get lower as everyone was freezing...a flight I think I am glad to have missed. Lewis was flying this leg to Smyrna and made the second finest DC3 landing Gene has ever witnessed.
Now it is Lewis' turn to bid adieu. He had left his car in Nashville on his trip to Texas to meet the Flagship and gets a ride back to that airport with one of our member/passengers. He has been on the road 12 days.
John Thatcher flies the final leg back to Shelbyville. They make a low pass over the runway and a low circle over town to tell everyone that the ship is back home. George Dennis is ready with a home cooked steak dinner to welcome them back.

Training

2010-03-27T15:19:00.002-05:00

Wednesday was to be a training day. And because the weather was bad the pick up in Mytrle Beach was postponed until Friday so Thursday was also set aside for training. Zane Lemon had flown in from Dallas on Tues. So he and Bill trained as well. Tony DeSantis and his son, David have flown in from Stewart, FL in their Cirrus. This is Tony's initial intro to the DC3. They practice engine starts and taxiing which is a challenge in a tail wheel aircraft. The instructor is impressed with Tony though he protests to feeling helpless.
The guy in the left seat of an airplane is called "Pilot in Command" because he is the captain of the ship just like on the ocean. His word is law. So here we have a group of folks used to being in command...all chiefs, no indians. Wednesday night Lewis gives the car keys to Gene in resignation after having all the grief he can stand from the group critisizing his driving. Gene promptly runs the car up on a curb. Now they have a new target!
On Thursday night they finally get to the Irish Pub so long awaited and find that it is within walking distance of the motel. They also find it a delightful place as advertised with horseshoes, darts and volleyball. A good time was had by all.

Jiggedy Jig

2010-03-27T07:16:00.006-05:00

Tuesday dawns clear and crisp. A wonderful spring day with promise of temps rising into the 60's. At breakfast we find that there have been four more confirmations, bringing us to 23, which means two flights. Bill likes that, as he will be able to go along and observe.
At the airport, John and I go inside to register passengers, while the others attend to readying the Flagship. Our passengers are an excited and enthusiastic group. There is a boy of 12 taking his first flight of any type. Only one female is signed up, the wife of a city employee who will be on board also. A middle aged man is treating his father to a flight. One man is a dealer in aviation memorabilia and shows a trading card from his collection depicting our Flagship. We are excited about that!! Three friends are doing it together, one of them has not seen the plane, just going cause his friends said he needed to. The airport manager and two employees are also taking the flight. When the dust settles, I have entered one person on the list twice and one does not show, so we end up with exactly 21. Yay! One full flight yields the most profit. Bill takes the news well that he will not be observing after all.
Before long they are ready to depart and the right engine starts. It billows a lot of white smoke, spits and sputters but finally roars to life, followed shortly by the left. Lewis flies left seat, Gene right and John is cabin attendent. After a seemingly long warm up and taxi, they take off and take off into the pristine blue sky.
Before we know it, they are back. The photo above is of the plane landing after the flight. Please note the smiling faces and cameras in hand. The passengers are grinning from ear to ear. The woman, Joni Morgan, runs up and hugs me, saying, "Thank you, thank you for bringing this plane here. This was a wonderful experience!" Most of the passengers got to visit the cockpit and Gene said their smiles were so wide it seemed their faces would split. Chase Hunter, a corporate pilot friend of Charlie's, has been taken out early for pre-flight, given a few minutes on the stick and follows the crew around after the flight learning more of the routine. Gosh, it is so gratifying to be a part of something that makes people so happy.
All good things come to an end. We have rented a car and head for home in early afternoon. It is an easy 3 hour drive to Covington. We will wash clothes, Gene will repack and head back tomorrow for the rest of the mission. I will continue to write with reports from "on the scene" correspondents.

And Yet More Fun

2010-03-27T06:48:00.003-05:00

Monday's weather started bad and got worse. It was in the 40's with a stiff breeze when we arrived at the plane. I set up shop outside the door and the tee shirts were trying to take flight. Today I am wearing two shirts and three jackets. My new best friend, Anita, has sent me a heavy hooded fleece jacket and it is a lifesaver, protecting my neck and head from the wind. The sleeves are such that I can nestle my hands in them like a muff. There was a photo on page 2 of the Greenville Times this morning of Gerri Ingram and her daughter touring the Flagship and we hear that the Fox affiliate did almost two minutes on it last night. And once again, we have a steady influx of people all day, most of whom saw it in the news. Charlie has made us a donation jar instead of charging $3 and this seems to work well as many folks put in $5 to $20. Flagship member, Bill Bronson, has come up from Hilton Head today and kindly offers to mind the store while I go warm up with some hot chocolate. On my way back I run into John. He has come to get me as they decided it was too cold to be outside and we are moving the goods inside the plane.
This plane is a tail dragger which means the front end sits high and the tail rests low on a small single wheel that swivels. This means the floor slants. That means everything wants to slide toward the rear. So we do our best to stow things and still halfway display our wares and the all important donation jar. So Bill, John and I stand in the rear in a permanent "lean." Lewis and Gene are mostly in the cockpit. Today we meet several more WWII vets, many of whom had their first plane ride in a DC3 when they joined the military. We meet Annabelle, who flew for United in 1953 and who still has that flare and perkiness of an airline stewardness. And many, many more. Gene and I agree that in our limited experience, this group loves our plane more than any we have seen. One woman is in there almost an hour as she reads every one of the old advertisements in the seats.
It seemed to get colder and windier as the day wore one and about mid-afternoon we even had a shower of snow pellets. We are pushing hard to sell memberships which includes a "Heritage Flight." At the end of the day, we have 28 possibles which means two flights since the capacity is 21.
At closing time, Charlie and Randy again lead us downtown for a great meal. It is Italian tonight at a place that has 72 beers on tap. Are you getting the trend on the beer? One thing about pilots is they are all instantly friends with any other pilot they meet, so here we are with all our buddies. They take me in too. Three of these guys are retired from AA and ex-military too, so they are comparing careers. They all know the exact date of career milestones such as when they went "on the line" at American. Gene is playing "who do you know" with Bill who was based in Boston where Gene flew with Digital Equipment. Bill is good at telling very funny, but also true stories from his career. They speak another language, but it is a language they all know. There is just something about these types who have the boldness to loose the bonds of earth and take flight...they inspire me and I am fortunate tonight to be "one of the guys!"
After dinner, 5 of us meet in our room, divide up the list and call to confirm flights for tomorrow. In the end we have 19 confirmed and 5 messages left.

Are We Having Fun Yet?

2010-03-26T11:06:00.003-05:00

Sunday, March 21 the forecast is for 64 degrees and 30% chance of rain. It was in the 40's and never got over 55. It at least drizzled most of the day. It was not so bad at first. It was dry and Charlie and Randy were there ahead of us, followed shortly by Tom and Anita. Tom is retired from BMW and he and Anita are hard workers and so very helpfu to us. Anita has brought still warm cinnamon coffee cake and double chocolate muffins. Both are to die for! She also brought fruit, but who cares about that when you have chocolate.
We sat up shop under the wing because we knew it would rain at some point. Rule of thumb is females run the shop, males do tours, tell about the pland, all planes and tell war stories. Problem is, shop is outside in the cold and wind and male duties are mostly inside the plane. None of us seem to have warm enough clothes due to listening to the weather folks. I was wearing two shirts, and two jackets and still freezing. Mostly hands, feet and face. Perhaps there is no such thing as warm enough, standing under the wing of an airplane in the rain and a pretty good wind.
We were surprised at how many people came. Reporters from two TV stations and one newspaper came by and we are hopeful this will bring more folks out on a Monday. Hard to estimate numbers but we had someone in the plane from 10 AM until 4:30 PM and most of them were so very enthusiastic. We sold tee shirts, hats and accepted donations. We took in about $400. We are still hoping to get enough people together to sell at least one ride. Sometimes we took a short break in the terminal to warm up but the Democrats were trying to pass the healthcare bill and it was hard to listen to that for very long. Cold and wind were preferable.
At the end of the day, Charlie followed us to our motel and waited while we freshened up, then led us downtown to a micro-brewery for dinner. Someone had told us about an Irish Pub near the motel and John wanted to go to that but it could wait. Tom and Anita are there already and she is drinking hot tea. I tell the waitress to bring me what she has as we are still cold. Charlie's wife, Gerri joins us also. For the first time since Thursday night I had a meal, and it was excellent. I heard the beer was good too.
Tomorrow is predicted to be cooler but at least not raining. Our hosts say they will send us warmer jackets to wear. Ah, the gypsy life!! Are we having fun yet?
Yes, when the 30 something tells us about Grandpa flying a DC3 and now he is seeing one for the first time. Yes, when the 84 year old WWII vet goes home and brings his war pics back to share with us. Yes,when young aviators go through the plane two and three times with stars in their eyes. And yes, watching the love of my life so excited, telling the stories again and again all day without pause and each time with the same enthusiasm as the first time. Yes, we are having fun!!

The First Leg(s)

2010-03-26T06:20:00.004-05:00

We bound(?) out of bed at 4:30 AM and head to the airport. Just as the sun is coming up, they fire up the radial engines. White smoke billows and soon there is that familiar rythmic roar that is music to the ears of DC3 fans. At 7:30 in the morning, we land in Smyrna, TN to pick up 11 golfers ( and new Foundation members) for their annual outing. We being John Thatcher, retired AA pilot, Lewis Drake, who landed for fuel one day in Shelbyville, spotted the Flagship and fell in love, Gene and me. Foundation member, David Moore, has put this trip together. Who knew golf bags take up so much room? The baggage compartment is filled almost to the ceiling. Suitcases are in the forward compartments. This airplane has been restored to its 1937 splendor. It does not have a working bathroom, nor heat, nor air and the seats are tiny. One of our passengers ends up in the jump seat as he just cannot fit in the regular seat. These folks have paid a bit more than the usual membership fee in order to take this longer flight. On the flight to Myrtle Beach, Gene pilot, Lewis is co-pilot and John is Stewardess. He gives a pre-flight orientation and continues with commentary, questions and answers during the flight. He even hands out pretzels and water and collects trash near the end of the flight. It starts out being about 40 degrees in the cabin, but gets a little warmer as we near the coast. I am freezing but some of the guys are in short sleeves and short pants, and seem comfortable. There was snow on the mountains as we flew over.
We land in Myrtle Beach, where it is warm and breezy. The men stampede for the restrooms and stand in line complaining that they have to stand in line. We munch on popcorn provided by the FBO. Luckily I had brought a couple of protein bars and Gene had a cinnamon roll in Smyrna. We are on the ground just long enough to load all the men, luggage, and golf bags into three rental vans and wave goodbye. Too bad, because this place looks interesting. On take off, we briefly go out over the ocean and it looks blue and inviting. Oh, well, we are not on our own time.
For this leg I ride in the jumpseat and Gene is also in the cockpit for most of the flight. The view is panoramic from here. Being down low means a much better view of things on the ground and the same view as the pilot on landing. A mere 36 miles later we stop for gas in Marion County cause their price is low and this baby burns 90 gallons per hour!! We bought over 500 gallons...and you think your buggy burns gas! Everyone gapes as we taxi in. A young man is there in a tiny, very red plane with "U.S. Aerobatic team" on the tail. He is headed to Lakeland, FL to practice for Sun and Fun fly-in which starts April 13. The Flagship may be there too. We admire his ride, he admires ours. Everyone admires ours. The staff of the FBO takes a tour, the aerobatic guy, another guy who wanders up and six Civil Air Patrol guys who have just landed. Oh, I forgot the UPS lady and her sidekick. They are all so excited that I dig out brochures and hand them all one. The FBO lady is going to frame hers and hang it in the terminal. The plane does not have reverse, so we recruit all bystanders to push us far enough from the fuel farm to turn around. And off we go again. This time John is pilot and Lewis is co-pilot. Gene is watchful mother-hen...he has a hard time taking off his instructor hat.
Like our camper, this plane goes slower than normal and so the 45 minutes to Greenville stretches into an hour. George's good friend, Charlie Ingram, has put together an event here for Sunday and Monday. Just come out and see the plane and maybe we can sell memberships. We also have some merchandise, but not much since the cargo space was full of golf clubs. It is almost 5 PM when we arrive and there is a small but enthsiastic greeting party. Most are friends and relatives of Charlie. Again everyone comes out of the FBO. Then a woman comes up and says, "You flew right over my house. I heard those engines and told my husband to run look as something interesting was going over!" Turns out her father was born in Porterdale, a suburb of Covington. And she is friends with Ray and Bernadette Smith, two Covington artists. All these folks immediately pitch in unloading our luggage and doing all the things one does upon landing. Chocks, gear pins, aileron something or others. They then roll in coolers full of soft drinks and beer and submarine sandwiches. "Anita, these folks have not eaten all day! Fetch the coolers!!" Charlie and his friend-since-6th-grade, Randy Mayfield, are helping turn the props through to prevent hydraulic lock, up on the wing with Gene adding oil, and they get rags and start cleaning the props and landing gear. One of the line boys joins in the endeavor. George has donated a Suburban for our use and made a reservation at a motel that is within walking distance. John keeps mentioning things we were unable to bring due to space and one or another of our hosts say, "We got it, we'll bring it!" Wow!! These are go-getter, enthusiastic people.
In our rooms we are so tuckered out that we all order room service rather than going out. I feel guilty being tired as all the guys have worked so hard. You really have to FLY this plane...not like so many that Gene flies where you turn dials and push buttons. This one requires manhandling. It takes two people just to start an engine. Luckily, we do not have to be at the airport until 9 AM tomorrow.

The Adventure Begins

2010-03-25T06:40:00.003-05:00

I am Sheryl Christian. My husband Gene is Check Airman for the Flagship Foundation. I have been to several air shows and on short local flights, but this is my first time to travel with the Flagship. On Friday, March 19, I head out from our home in Covington, Georgia to Shelbyville, TN to meet the ship as she comes in from Texas.
It was a marvelous day. Warm temps and blue skies. Around 1:30 I reached Bell Buckle which is a darling town with neat shops about ten minutes from Shelbyville airport. Hmmm. Have at least an hour until the guys are due in. And look ahere. They are having a daffodil festival. How can I pass this up? If you are ever near here, The Bell Buckle Cafe has the best down home cooking you have ever tasted. It is here I once had blueberry salad which should have been on the dessert menu! Nothing really wanted to come home with me so I headed out. Get about two blocks and there is a yard sale in front of a vintage Victorian. Interesting looking furniture. Had I been in the Surburban I would now own a Sheraton dining room table and a lyre ended coffee table. But, alas, I am in my Mitsubitshi headed to pick up 3 XL sized guys so I have to pass.
Shelbyville is nestled in lovely rolling hills and is the center of the Tennessee Walking Horse World. I am told that the real champions are never let out of the barn except under supervision so all the ones in these pastures are wannabees. George Dennis, founder of the Flagship Detroit Foundation, and his wife Kay, own a horse that was Grand Champion a few years ago.
Arriving at the airport, I am told that the plane is running an hour late. That is par for the course in this world so I settle into a rocker on the back patio with magazines and a book on tape. There is a woman with a small dog also waiting. I think about starting a conversation, but don't. An hour passes and Gene calls. Seems they stopped for fuel and he somehow taxied the plane into a position from which it could not recover. So all hands a that airport were pushing this large plane back and forth to wiggle it back out. Finally, when the sun is low in the sky, they arrive.
The woman I have been eying for several hours also approaches the plane. She is Ann Drake, Lewis' wife, who has been summoned from their home 2 hours away to ferry Dave Buffington to an airport for a flight home. Really lit into Gene and Lewis for not telling either of us that the other would be there. Man, all that good gossip time missed! Burke Butler is also at the airport by coincidence. He lives next to George's cabin and we were at this home the last time I was here.
We pile into vehicles and head for Legends for dinner and then George's "cabin," a 4BR, 4BTH log house on a grass landing strip about 15 miles from his residence. It serves as the Foundation's bunkhouse when needed. We turn in early as it is wheels up at 6:30 the following morning.

Out of the Mothballs

2010-03-24T12:37:00.005-05:00

Spring is here, or so they say....sometimes not readily evident. And here I am at o'dark-thirty on St. Patrick's Day morning driving the 45 minutes to the Atlanta airport. Gene is going to Ft. Worth to help bring the Flagship east for the start of the air show season. She had wintered, as usual, at the American Airlines Maintenance hanger at Alliance airport where volunteers have given her tender loving care. Lewis Drake is doing the same routine from Kentucky, so as to arrive about the same time. On the other end, John Thatcher will meet them and house them for a couple of days.

Many of the pilots need recurrent training and a few are getting initial instruction on this airplane. Most of these guys know all about the large passenger jets, but this, a pioneer in passenger aviation, is a whole 'nother ballgame. On Wednesday Gene did some lengthy one on one with Zane Lemon ( you should see how dashing he is in his vintage AA uniform). On Thursday he gives recurrent training to 7 pilots. This is quite exhausting. The rule is you let your student go as far as you can and still recover before correcting them so it is hard on the nerves being at the ready all day.

As the day came to a close and Gene was seeing visions of a cold beer on the horizon, he noticed something not up to snuff on the landing gear. Oh, no! Leaving tomorrow so this has to be dealt with now. The next three hours Gene, Lewis and perhaps others provide backup to an American mechanic to make adjustments to the gear. So, by the time the day is truly over they are tired and very dirty. There is no dirty like the dirty of dealing with a DC3. All sorts of liquids will spit and leak all over you, not to mention the film of oil and dirt that seems to bond to every surface.

On Friday morning Lewis, John, Dave Buffington and Gene head to the airport for the trip to Shelbyville, TN, the Flagship's summer home.