Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Wild Blue Yonder!

  I like airplanes and flying!
  Over my many years as a reporter
I've had the chance to hit the "Wild
Blue Yonder" a whole lot of times!
   I said "Yes" to an invitation to
take the controls of the Met Life
Blimp for a few minutes.
   It may have been the same one
that crashed in Georgia in 2002.
   Snoppy must have been at the
controls that time! I didn't have
any problems.














  I joined the only Sea Plane
Instructor in our part of Pennsylvania
for a flight in a rare Piper Cub Seaplane.
I remember him telling me what to do
with the controls if he happen to fall
into the water while hand spinning the
propeller to start the engine! I'm so glad he
didn't!











  I was so much of a "regular" in
Chopper 22 that our "Captain", Bob
Globa, considered me his Co-Pilot.













   I actually took a  training flight
in an aircraft belonging to the Aircraft
Owners and Pilot's Association for a
story I was doing. I even got my own
Log Book with credit for an hour
instruction recorded there for all to see!












    All that said I found it a bit
disconcerting to watch as a small
"fighter plane" seemed to be diving
at me yesterday afternoon!  I suppose
I could have defended myself with a
well placed rock.
    But, as I quickly discovered, his
actual target was a rather large brush
fire burning in the woods about a mile
from my place. And, in this case, the
airplane was specially designed to
drop large quantities of water on
fires!









  I'm extremely happy his drop was
on target!  I had the top down in the
Miata and I don't think my portable
umbrella would have been of much
use!
  Hope you're high and dry...and that all your
NEWS is good!

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