Thursday, June 22, 2017

Will Fly For Food

In the mid 90s I worked with a guy that had a T-shirt with the slogan WILL FLY FOR FOOD printed on the front of the shirt.  It was a humorous reference to the aviation enthusiast penchant for spending $90 in avgas searching for a $10 hamburger.  The outfit we were flying for was a little charter airline headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia called Private Jet Expeditions. "Pee Jay" (our ATC call sign) operated 727s and MD-83s to vacation destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico.  It was my third airline, after Eastern and Pan Am.  Jim, the guy with the T-shirt, was a former Continental Airlines pilot. We were all ex someplace; slowly working our way down the airline food chain.  The irony of Jim's T-shirt did not go unnoticed.  Flying for food was pretty much what we were doing.

Twenty-four years (and four uniforms) later the airlines are making money, and I'm back at the top of the food chain.  The future looks bright, and for that I am thankful.  As for Jim's shirt; it's still out there.  I see WILL FLY FOR FOOD T-shirts for sale at every fly-in and airshow I attend.  I'm reluctant to buy one.  The reality of the slogan hits too close to home.  I am, however, more than willing to fork out $90 in avgas searching for a $10 hamburger, or a $20 pork plate. 

Lunch At Triple Tree Aerodrome


Triple Tree Aerodrome held their annual Fabric and Tailwheel Luncheon on Saturday, June 10th.  A $20 pre purchased ticket opened the hangar door to a slice of pork loin that was easily the best I have ever tasted.  What else can I say?  The weather was perfect! EAA Chapter 961 was well represented with seven airplanes in attendance.  Behold, the pictures!

Photo by Dick Kruse

N558, Jellystone Air Park's very own Pontiac Red and Sun Valley Ivory Hatz CB-1 Biplane. The second airplane to depart the Rock Hill-York County Airport, the third (of our gaggle) to arrive at Triple Tree Aerodrome.  I was solo for this outing, Brother Barbeau was in Pocono, Pennsylvania, working his weekend NASCAR King Air trip.

Colin & Joe Baker

After sister Emma, and "Father Joe," Colin is the third member of the "Baker Flying Circus" to learn how to fly in the family's 1947 Luscombe 8A, NC1143B.


John Roberts' Skyote, last to depart Rock Hill (KUZA), first to arrive at Triple Tree (SC00.)


The only entry slower than the Hatz, Dick Kruse's 1946 Champ.


If you have to park somewhere, it might as well be next to a Cabin Waco!  


The view to the southwest. . .


. . . and back to the northeast. . .


. . . and from the top of the hill next to the tower.  In the background you can see 1/3 of Triple Tree Aerodrome's 400' X 7000' putting green runway.


All of the usual suspects were on hand.  


Brian Rosenstein's Stearman.  Brother Baker has been in this one too!  Folks are starting to get jealous.


Speaking of being jealous. . . Yes, it sounds as good as it looks!


The sole Call Air Cadet resides in Hendersonville, North Carolina.


Read all about it at LETS GO FLYING!


On the bus to the chow hall with Brother Baker.


The view from the chow line. . .


. . . and of the hangar/chow hall---and the point in time when I stowed my camera and commenced chowing down.

When Pigs Fly!


Since Brother Barbeau missed out on Triple Tree we decided to forage for food in Shelby, North Carolina a few days later.


Brother Barbeau in the Hatz.


A short walk (or ride if it's hot outside) from the FBO terminal.

NC1143B on the ramp at Shelby, NC (KEHO.)

As I said at the start of the post, I'm more than willing to fork out $90 in avgas searching for a $10 or $20 lunch.  I'm just not going to buy the T-shirt!

Friday, June 16, 2017

Hot Fun In The Summertime!

York, South Carolina, May 31, 2017.

"End of the spring and here she comes back, Fly Fly Fly Fly there. . ."

My apologies to Sly & The Family Stone.

Springtime in the Carolinas is usually pretty nice.  Not this year.  Regular ground bound folks in the area may disagree---but they weren't trying to fly light weight airplanes in the windy (and bumpy) conditions that prevailed for most of April and May.  Sure, a couple of days were nice, but I was out of town.  The old adage, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, was delayed a couple of months.  When the winds died down at the end of May the Jellystoners hit the trail. . .

Who wants ice cream?

Who doesn't?  The really good stuff is yours for the asking at the Bush-N-Vine Produce Stand in York, South Carolina, just ten nautical miles northwest of Jellystone Air Park.  The Jellystoners are regulars throughout the summer.  Our first visit of the season was on May 31, 2017.


Strawberry-vanilla swirl made with fresh Bush-N-Vine strawberries.  Brother Barbeau and I got there first, we couldn't wait.  Thirty seconds before this picture was taken Brother Baker called and said he was ten minutes out.


We sat on the front porch until we heard the roar of Four Three Bravo's mighty Continental 85. . .


 There he is!


Doesn't that look nice!


Transit Aircraft Parking at the Bush-N-Vine Produce Stand.


The Great Barbeau!


While Brother Barbeau was "Commanding the Sky" I was able to enjoy the scenery and take a few pictures.

Reunion at Unity Airfield.

The next adventure began the following morning with a trip to see our good friend, Les Kanna, at Unity Airfield, twenty-one miles southeast of Jellystone Air Park.

Unity Airfield, Unity, South Carolina, June 1, 2017.

Brother Barbeau was out of town so I bummed a ride with Brother Baker in Four Three Bravo.


Joe got a ride in Les' Grumman.


While Les and Joe were out and about Unity resident Ed Lee stopped by in his Corvair powered Sonex.


Great logo!


A short while later John Roberts was overhead in his award winning Skyote Biplane.


This airplane is stunning!  You may have heard about it. . .


EAA Sport Aviation, March 2017.

It's been in all the magazines.

Photo by Jay Selman

Brother Baker got to fly it back in the fall.  You can just see the top of his head in this picture by aviation photographer, Jay Selman.


Here's John with his masterpiece (and the well deserved Bronze Lindy from AirVenture 2016) back in April at the South Carolina Breakfast Club meeting that was hosted by EAA Chapter 961 at the Rock Hill-York County Airport.

Photo by Joe Baker

There I was . . . in the company of greatness . . . and I forgot to suck in my belly! 

"Them summer days . . . Those summer days. . ."

Unity Airfield, June 9, 2017

In my opinion this is the perfect summertime picture.  A biplane next to a grass runway on a warm summer day.  It doesn't get any better than this!  The picture was taken at Les' place last Friday.  It was a text message to my wife---so she would know I might me late for dinner.