Today's Message Index:
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1. 09:23 PM - Serendipity on Father's Day--RV-10 fluff story (Sheldon Olesen)
2. 10:06 PM - Re: Kiwi RV-10 #2 (Tony Woods)
Message 1
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| Subject: | Serendipity on Father's Day--RV-10 fluff story |
This story is absolutely true and is only marginally RV-10 related. I
wrote it for a newspaper audience so references pilots would know are
spelled out for the general public. I have no idea what the odds of
this occurring but they must be astronomical. It reminds me of the time
I was driving down the Interstate in NE and the car in front of me had
the same license plate number as my car--just a different state. If
only some of those astronomical odds would work for the lottery.
Sheldon Olesen
N475PV 175 hours
On Father's Day my wife, son and I decided to go out for a flying
breakfast as is the case on most summer Sundays. The destination chosen
was Hutchinson (KHCD). My Dad, before he died, was active in the Hutch
Civil Air Patrol which sponsors a flying breakfast and a pork chop
dinner every Father's Day . My Dad was the ticket seller and money
collector for each event and he did that for many years.
We got there about 10:30 and had breakfast. While we having breakfast,
I noticed an airplane like the kind ('65 Citabria) I learned to fly in,
taxi in and park next to mine. I was kind of disappointed that there was
no one there that I knew. So we hung around for awhile and finally
decided to leave. When we got out to the plane I looked at the
neighboring plane and my jaw dropped. Not only did the plane look like
one that I learned to fly in--it was the plane, that in 1967, I learned
to fly in! The number was N11xxx and you never forget the airplane
that you learn to fly in. The color scheme was different but there was
no mistaking that plane's number. So next to each other on ramp at the
Hutchinson airport where I learned to fly, was the plane I learned to
fly in at age 18 and the plane I just spent 5 years building-- its'
number a memorial to my Dad. He died on 4/7/05 and the plane's number
is N475PV. The PV part of the number is "Pappa Victor" when speaking on
the radio. We looked the plane over and noticed that the pilot had his
name on the outside, "Crazy Jerry." I decided I had to try and find
Crazy Jerry. I figured if he had his name on the outside of the plane he
would have some kind of clothing identifying him as the pilot of the
plane. So back to the hanger to search for something to identify Crazy
Jerry with. I found Jerry wearing a hat with N11xxx embroidered on it.
I introduced myself and my son, Paul, and told him why we were
interrupting his breakfast. He was very gracious. Jerry is a retired
Viet Nam vet and he runs a charity that sends vets to DC to see the Viet
Nam Memorial. People give him old cars which he sells to raise money. He
said he has collected 39,000 cars and has raised about $800,000. We
discussed the history of the plane and I found out that he didn't buy
the plane from my Dad. He bought the plane from a guy named Mike T., who
bought it from my Dad. This is where it gets even weirder. I know Mike
T. because he has the hanger next to mine in Siren (KRZN). So there you
have it. We go to Hutch to an event important to my Dad on Father's Day,
his old airplane flies in and parks next to mine, I recognize it, find
the pilot who tells me he bought it from the guy with the hanger next to
mine at Siren. An eerie reunion with an airplane from my flying infancy.
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Message 2
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And in the beginning, there was a crate. The novice looked at the crate,
and saw that it was good.... ;-)
The novice now knows what a cleco is too...
tony
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