Thursday, February 28, 2008

Bum-Biddy-Bum-Biddy-Bum-Biddy-Bum-BONANZA!

I did it. After 30+ years of agonizing over the ads in Trade-a-Plane, agonizing over money I didn't have to buy the Airplane Of My Dreams, then agonizing over the realization that the money I had saved to buy the AOMD wasn't enough or was a few years lagging the market, I found myself face to face with The Airplane ... at the right time ... at the right price ... and, amazing to me, the decision was hard in coming. Finally, faced with the prospect of losing it to another buyer, I took the plunge.





I'm still in semi-shock. The airplane belonged to a former Naval Aviator, a World War II ace in the Pacific. What a wonderful guy. He and his wife and sons flew the airplane all over the Southwest for 19 years and took beautiful care of it. The Southwest is VFR territory and the airplane is a VFR airplane, but it is a Bonanza! and now it's mine!


Willie Loman said it best: "A man's gotta dream; it comes with the territory." Sometimes, I can tell you, dreams do come true.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Sweet Dreams

This is once upon a time ... there is a little grass airport, nestled in the shadow of Islip's Long Island MacArthur Class C airspace. It is a happy place, where antique airplanes and antique pilots engage in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ....







They meet, they enjoy the Wednesday afternoon gatherings,




they enjoy working on projects together,



And sometimes they work long hours alone.




To keep the action going, there are field trips ...



And memories of fly-ins ...


and lines of little airplanes ...

and sweet dreams of flying.




Spring will come. The cold wind will turn warm and the runway will be ready. We practice, we read, we talk, we dream.



And eventually it will be time to fly again!