Magic Hangars

So there I was, sitting in the office, looking up at the sky and thinking, "Geez, it would be great if....." when all of a sudden along came a pilot and the next thing I knew I was in a Diamond Twin Star flying over to Spokane on an instrument flight plan, me in the left seat as if I knew what I was doing.....


And in fact I did. I've been blessed with a significant amount of Twin Star simulator time at the company I work for, coming in very early in the morning to figure out just how to fly it according to the book. So, when I got it airborne and climbing, headed roughly in the right direction, I got a chance to ask the PIC (pilot in command) to help me work my way through all the decision making for the flight.

So off we went, he not concerned at all, as he'd been a freight dog, flying equipment far less capable than the Twin Star, and I not concerned too much either, though I wanted to stay well ahead of the airplane mentally, which is the primary task for an instrument pilot.

Shot the approach into the airport, Felts Field, which is not the current Spokane International airport, but was once, in the heyday of aviation before and during the Second World War.

Now, the purpose of the trip was for the PIC to show the airplane to a prospective customer, and I'd agreed to hang out in the cafe which every airport has, waiting until the demonstration flight was over. But, the airplane's so beautiful that the moment you land and taxi to a stop, pilots come out of the woodwork and saunter across the ramp for a chat. Since that's the whole purpose of the exercise, we were soon engaged with answering the questions......"is that the diesel version...?" (Yes), "what's the fuel burn..?" (Nine gallons per hour, total) etc.

So, the prospect showed up, they went flying, and there I was, sitting on a bench at the Art Deco airport, chatting with a young man from the FAA who seemed to have some time on his hands, when along came one of those pilots we'd been talking to who asked "do you guys have a half hour, I've got something to show you....?" and we jumped in his car, drove around the back side of the runway, to a magic hangar.

Why magic, I hope you might be asking....?

Well, because inside this hangar was what every pilot would give his left.........overs for, the only existing example of a Boeing Model 40 biplane open cockpit mail plane. It will be, when it's finished, the oldest Boeing aircraft flying.


Built some time before the start of the Second World War, in the late 1930's, it crashed three months afterward, and sat on a mountainside in ruins until this family purchased it and began the long restoration. It's obvious that it's a labor of love, and equally obvious that vast quantities of cash have been required to get to where it is at this moment.

The pictures will tell the story.

But, when we were done in that hangar, the grandson of the founder of the family aviation addiction showed us the next hangar over, and sure enough, there were two more biplanes, one a greatly modified Stearman in navy colors, and the other another mail plane whose manufacturer I don't recall. These were to die for.

On the flight home, I sat there monitoring computers onscreen, with a purple line showing me just where I was, and where I was to go. Descending through the clouds, where there's danger from ice building up on the wings, I pushed a button and de-icing fluid started weeping backwards from the leading edges, eliminating the dangerous buildup.

Now, I don't know how the mail plane actually crashed, but I can tell you that pilots flying in the Cascade mountains died in droves because of icing and being lost, and it was the mail pilots in particular who paid the price, one at least in that very airplane.

So, I said a little prayer of thanks, that I was able to fly, that I was able to fly such a magnificent machine as the Twin Star, and that I was able to see the Boeing 40 come back to fly some day with another pilot, maybe even me....

As a friend says at the end of every e-mail......

Lift!

Spring, Dammit!

I should be so lucky as to have made it this far through this unspeakable winter.

All I want now is to have a few days in the sun. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so.

Working harder than ever before, and having more fun with it. The company I work for is undergoing lots of changes, some of which are so exciting that I wish I could shout them out to the rooftops. Actually, I will, just as soon as there's a bit more certainty in the changes.

As for me, well, the weight I've gained precludes me from flying Cessna 150's, but that's ok, I'm kind of a Diamond guy now anyway. Have been having a blast with my instrument rating, and have been, true to form, ducking the written test, always coming up with some excuse or other. But, it'll happen, and happen it must, soon.

Some great fun has been had with the new car, and I am dreaming of those spring days with the top down. In the meantime, sliding back and forth to work on the motorcycle and waiting, waiting, waiting.....

Photography has been a bunch of fun. Here's some random shots....