Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 04:48 AM - Re: Winston Salem Airshow (Lenleg@aol.com)
2. 04:50 AM - Re: Winston Salem Airshow (Lenleg@aol.com)
3. 08:50 AM - Good screw source (fasteners, not the other screw) (Speedy11@aol.com)
4. 09:03 AM - Re: New guy (bertrv6@highstream.net)
5. 09:40 AM - Re: New guy (Lenleg@aol.com)
6. 11:27 AM - INT Times (Lenleg@aol.com)
7. 04:08 PM - FW: SERV Ocracoke Trip report (Larry Bowen)
8. 04:39 PM - Re: FW: SERV Ocracoke Trip report (Steve Glasgow)
9. 08:13 PM - Re: FW: SERV Ocracoke Trip report (sportav8r@aol.com)
Message 1
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| Subject: | Re: Winston Salem Airshow |
--> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: Lenleg@aol.com
In a message dated 9/8/2005 9:01:27 PM Eastern Standard Time,
cartaire@hotmail.com writes:
Looking forward to meeting you all, and to starting the empennage, and to
the WS airshow.
Carter
See you on Saturday and welcome again to the South !!
Len
Message 2
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| Subject: | Re: Winston Salem Airshow |
--> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: Lenleg@aol.com
In a message dated 9/8/2005 10:34:08 PM Eastern Standard Time,
rwayne@gamewood.net writes:
Carter:
Great to hear from you! I'll be glad to help in any way I can. I'm on my
second RV (an RV9A), although a little slower with the second.
Wayne
Danville, VA
And he is also rewiring a friend's panel ... I think ????
Len
Message 3
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| Subject: | Good screw source (fasteners, not the other screw) |
--> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: Speedy11@aol.com
FYI, I've had very good service from microfasteners.com for ordering various
screws and their prices are 30-50% cheaper than Van's or Aircraft Spruce. An
actual human answers the phone when you call and it's not an Indian named
"Floyd." You don't have to push 1 for Spanish and 2 for English or listen to a
litany of choices only to be hung up on when none of the choices meet your
needs. Tell them you're building an airplane and need 100 degree (if buying flat
heads). They even have 100 degree SS Torx head screws. I especially like the
#8 Torx. (On the web, you have to look under "socket screws")
I have no connection to this, or any other, company. I am passing this along
to fellow builders as info I've found to be useful. I've found both Van's
and Aircraft Spruce, along with other companies, to be very responsive, so I am
not suggesting they aren't fine hardware sources.
The only drawback to Microfasteners is they sell in lots of 100 whereas at
Van's or Spruce, you can buy one if you need to.
Example of prices.
Phillips Pan Head Machine Screw, Stainless Steel, 8-32 x 5/8
Van's (plain steel, not stainless) .07 each $7.00 per hundred
Aircraft Spruce .10 each $10.00 per hundred
Microfasteners $4.20 per hundred - in paintable 3/4" black oxide, $3.80
Microfasteners is the only place I've found 100 degree Torx (6 lobe) screws.
They are much more expensive ($14.50/100 for 5/8"), but I've found they don't
strip out like Phillips. Personally, I much prefer the Torx head.
I thought the new builders would be interested in this info.
Stan Sutterfield
Message 4
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| Subject: | Re: thEast-List:New guy |
--> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: bertrv6@highstream.net
Quoting BOB MARTIN <libertyva@msn.com>:
> --> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: "BOB MARTIN" <libertyva@msn.com>
>
> Carter,
> Congrats to leaving NYC.....welcome to the south!!
> You might rethink the 8 in favor of the 7, or 9.......
> But you can't go wrong with a Vans design.
> Hope to meet you one day soon.
> Regards,
> Bob Martin
> Louisa Va
> RV-6
Carter:
First, have you fly in an RV8?,,I have and did not liked it
it was kind of crowded in the back...all I could see was the bold head of
the pilot....But if this is what you like, go for it.
I do prefer side by side, it is nice to have some one to talk with
and also it can be of help if needed..
The seven, is a beautiful thing...
I like my rv6a...
Bert
Do Not archive
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Carter Wright<mailto:cartaire@hotmail.com>
> To: rvsoutheast-list@matronics.com<mailto:rvsoutheast-list@matronics.com>
> Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 9:00 PM
> Subject: RE: RVSouthEast-List: Winston Salem Airshow
>
>
> --> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: "Carter Wright"
> <cartaire@hotmail.com<mailto:cartaire@hotmail.com>>
>
> New guy, introducing himself.
>
> My name is Carter Wright (cartaire on the VAF forums), and I have recently
> relocated to Winston-Salem from Manhattan. I'm here with my wife, two
> girls
> (Isabel 2 and Olivia 4), and Henry - our outrageous canine. I have been
> pouring over RV related websites (including SERV) for years - but just
> couldn't figure a way to build in our tiny NYC apartment.
>
> Well, all that's changed now, and as soon as I finish this "training" kit,
> I'll order an RV-8 empennage. My workshop is coming along nicely. I have
> corresponded with a few of you over the last months, and am looking forward
> to meeting everyone in person. I even made my way to an EAA meeting at RUQ
> last month. I would like to stop by Len's hangar at the airshow on
> Saturday
> to say hi.
>
> When I figure out how, I'll post a bazillion RV photos on the SERV photo
> gallery - mostly from visits to Spruce Creek fly-in in Daytona Beach and
> Sun-n-Fun. Some cool photos taken from the back seat of a Rocket flying in
> formation with 3 RV-8s.
>
> Looking forward to meeting you all, and to starting the empennage, and to
> the WS airshow.
>
> Carter
>
>
Message 5
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| Subject: | Re: thEast-List:New guy |
--> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: Lenleg@aol.com
In a message dated 9/9/2005 12:04:15 PM Eastern Standard Time,
bertrv6@highstream.net writes:
> --> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: "BOB MARTIN" <libertyva@msn.com>
>
> Carter,
> Congrats to leaving NYC.....welcome to the south!!
> You might rethink the 8 in favor of the 7, or 9.......
> But you can't go wrong with a Vans design.
> Hope to meet you one day soon.
> Regards,
> Bob Martin
> Louisa Va
> RV-6
Carter:
First, have you fly in an RV8?,,I have and did not liked it
it was kind of crowded in the back...all I could see was the bold head of
the pilot....But if this is what you like, go for it.
I do prefer side by side, it is nice to have some one to talk with
and also it can be of help if needed..
The seven, is a beautiful thing...
I like my rv6a...
Bert
Another point of view ...
I knew that the RV would be the closest to a "fighter" I would get ... I
love the centerline flying .... my wife flies in the back and loves it ... her
own space.
Len Leggette, RV-8A
Greensboro, NC N910LL
380 hrs
Message 6
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--> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: Lenleg@aol.com
James & Others:
The airport is planning to shut down arrivals and departures between 11:00am
and 5:00pm.
Len
Message 7
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| Subject: | FW: SERV Ocracoke Trip report |
--> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: "Larry Bowen" <Larry@BowenAero.com>
Forwarding from the MARV List
=========================================
Or: What I Did This Summer, submitted by Bill "Stormy" Boyd
Our most enjoyable Ocracoke Labor Day weekend began Friday afternoon
with arrival of Larry and Pam Bowen in N130WN and Steve and Lynne Gasgow in
N123SG, cleared direct through the restricted area over Pamlico Sound. They
checked into the B&B and went out exploring, while Stormy and Miriam in
N30YD flew the dog-leg down from Virginia and ran the OBX southwestward.
They had a near mid-air with a twin climbing out of MQI, but after getting
their hearts out of their throats, it was smooth flying from there. Len and
Donna Leggette were the last to arrive, but Len got bragging rights along
the way when the Cherry Point controller told an Areo Commander inbound to
W95 that the experimental behind him was closing at 50 knots! Of course,
Len by this time had begun his descent from FL095, and had the nose pointed
almost straight down. Still, braggin' rights are braggin' rights. (For
all his moaning about his Barrows engine being weak, we agreed that Len's
plane is faster than he wants to admit, and we stuck him with the call sign
"Lowball" for the rest of the weekend.)
Once we had all found the B&B and checked into our rooms, the
consternation about transportation logistics set in. Steve and Lynne wanted
to walk everywhere; Len and Donna thought doubling on a single-seat bike
would be fun, and Larry and Pam managed to talk the innkeeper out of the
house bikes for the weekend. The Glasgows ended up renting a tandem bike so
Lynne could sit behind Cappy and fuss the whole time, just like in the RV8.
Over the course of the weekend it would become plain that Lynne didn't much
like two-wheeled transportation. Her shins took a bruising from the pedals
whenever her feet got out of sync with the Captain's pedaling. Donna looked
comfortable, at first, perched atop Len's handlebars, legs crossed over the
top of the bicycle basket (we have a photo to prove this). It wasn't long
before this position lost its charm and fanny fatigue set in, but nurse
Donna had brought along a personal vibrator for just such emergencies, and
we assume she got all the kinks ironed out. By the next day, Donna had her
own bike.
Our first night on the Island we had dinner at a benefit fish fry
for the local community center. We were enjoying deep-fried, breaded mullet
fillets with all the trimmings, until Len remarked that, where he came from,
mullet is a bait fish. It tasted different after that. We ended up at an
outdoor bar, watching the twilight steal across the harbor at Silver Bay,
with Len and Stormy stationed at opposite ends of the picnic table, puffing
on Puerto Rican cigars to repel the mosquitos, who were doing their best to
drain us of all our blood via the ankles.
Saturday was beach day for those who wanted to enjoy the surf and
sand, and island shopping and exploration time for those not so inclined.
It didn't take us long to settle into "Island time." We lunched together at
the Fig Tree deli, then had more beach time. Your humble reporter deployed
his homebuilt spam-can ham station at the surf's edge, antenna hung from
collapsible fishing poles, and conversed in Morse code with radio operators
in Chicago, NY and NC. Dinner that night was at the fabulous Back Porch
restaurant, followed by a very pleasant evening of chat in the parlor,
before settling into bed.
Come Sunday morning, the aviators couldn't stand it anymore, so we
decided to fly to Hatteras and back, in order to prevent rust build-up in
the Lycomings. Besides, Donna was having a birthday (she's 29) and Len was
going to treat her to her first barrel roll, if she was willing. With Larry
staying behind to act as photographer, three RVators and Donna took off for
a trail ride and some rolls over the ocean. Len announced, "Donna says
she's ready!" Over they went, and we heard delighted squeals on the radio.
Then Donna keyed the mike for her birthday proclamation to everyone on the
frequency, "Hey, y'all; I've got BALLS!" (For what it's worth, Donna, of
the eight people on our trip, only four have done a barrel roll in their RV,
and you're one of them. Welcome to the club!) The three-ship returned to
the airport and made a low pass, with Leggs pulling smoke over the runway.
Stormy couldn't resist keying the mike and saying, "Hey, Lead, you're on
fire. I've always wanted to say that." Larry got some nice videos of our
landings, and we all later shared a good chuckle watching the footage of
Len's impact with the runway. We lunched in the shade at an outdoor park,
eating fresh Thai carry-out, and bequeathed our leftovers to Michael, our
innkeeper, who was Michael the butler before he left New York for the Outer
Banks and Michael the Brit before he came to the States. He took care of us
(sort of), so we took care of him.
Sunday afternoon allowed time for more exploration of the island's
shopping and historic sites, so we went our separate ways until dinner, the
mandatory excursion to that venerable Ocracoke institution, Howard's Pub.
Bill tossed his antenna wire into the trees at the Inn and snagged a few
shortwave contacts into the Rockies, Virginia and Florida, giving Len his
big chance to say "Just when I was starting to think you might be normal,
Stormy." I should note that we also passed a lot of our afternoon leisure
time sitting together on the porch chatting, reading books and newspapers,
knitting, etc. There was no TV and, alas, no WiFi connection to be had.
Having told everyone in the group how great the crab-bite appetizers
with raspberry pepper dipping sauce were at Howard's, I was disappointed to
see them no longer on the menu. The waiter confirmed my fears: they no
longer carry the famous crab balls; we'd have to order crab cakes as a main
course and share. Go figure; Donna had balls now, but Howard's didn't.
Even so, it was good just to be in the Pub and soak up the atmosphere it's
well-known for. I tried to imagine what it would be like to ride out a
hurricane inside Howard's. They are open 365 days a year, even during the
worst of weather. I think I'd rather take shelter there than in the
Superdome. We lingered too long inside Howard's to see the sunset over the
sound, so we'll have to do that some other time. Cappy has the perfect spot
picked out, a third-floor balcony bar where Silver Lake, the Ocracoke
lighthouse and a hundred sailboat masts are silhouetted by the setting sun.
Our departure from the island on Labor Day was not without an
interesting twist. Monday morning the weather briefing called for more of
the same perfect weather we had enjoyed all weekend. Miriam and I packed
our bags and said our farewells. Len offered to help portage our bags to
the airport on bikes, which we accepted gladly. As we pedaled northeast
against a stiff headwind, we were passed by three Ocracoke VFD fire engines
with red lights flashing but no sirens. These turned off ahead of us onto
the airport ramp. The fire and rescue people turned us back at the gate,
saying they were awaiting a helicopter med-evac flight. The chopper was
about thirty minutes in coming, and the patient, when he finally arrived,
was a two-year-old who had swallowed a partial bottle of Tylenol syrup but
was otherwise in great shape. Once I heard that, I knew we were looking at
a worried young family, a toddler who was going to be fine, a very expensive
and probably needless helicopter ride, and a frustrating departure delay for
us, all rolled into one. Still, it was great excitement for the locals.
Our flight home was uneventful, with a stop in Fredericksburg (KEZF) to see
son Kevin and his new bride Danielle. George the Autopilot did his duties
without complaint. In just over two flight hours form the Outer Banks, we
were back at our mountain home, and the warm "grandma's house" ambience of
the Crew's Inn and Ocracoke's island charm were already fading into pleasant
memory. We will definitely want to do this again someday.
I'm sure Larry plans to post some enlightening pictures on the SERV
site, so take a look there for the illustrations to this story.
-Stormy
Message 8
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| Subject: | Re: FW: SERV Ocracoke Trip report |
--> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: "Steve Glasgow" <willfly@carolina.rr.com>
Great Job Stormy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cappy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Bowen" <Larry@bowenaero.com>
Subject: RVSouthEast-List: FW: SERV Ocracoke Trip report
> --> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: "Larry Bowen"
> <Larry@BowenAero.com>
>
> Forwarding from the MARV List
>
> =========================================
>
> Or: What I Did This Summer, submitted by Bill "Stormy" Boyd
>
> Our most enjoyable Ocracoke Labor Day weekend began Friday
> afternoon
> with arrival of Larry and Pam Bowen in N130WN and Steve and Lynne Gasgow
> in
> N123SG, cleared direct through the restricted area over Pamlico Sound.
> They
> checked into the B&B and went out exploring, while Stormy and Miriam in
> N30YD flew the dog-leg down from Virginia and ran the OBX southwestward.
> They had a near mid-air with a twin climbing out of MQI, but after getting
> their hearts out of their throats, it was smooth flying from there. Len
> and
> Donna Leggette were the last to arrive, but Len got bragging rights along
> the way when the Cherry Point controller told an Areo Commander inbound to
> W95 that the experimental behind him was closing at 50 knots! Of course,
> Len by this time had begun his descent from FL095, and had the nose
> pointed
> almost straight down. Still, braggin' rights are braggin' rights. (For
> all his moaning about his Barrows engine being weak, we agreed that Len's
> plane is faster than he wants to admit, and we stuck him with the call
> sign
> "Lowball" for the rest of the weekend.)
>
> Once we had all found the B&B and checked into our rooms, the
> consternation about transportation logistics set in. Steve and Lynne
> wanted
> to walk everywhere; Len and Donna thought doubling on a single-seat bike
> would be fun, and Larry and Pam managed to talk the innkeeper out of the
> house bikes for the weekend. The Glasgows ended up renting a tandem bike
> so
> Lynne could sit behind Cappy and fuss the whole time, just like in the
> RV8.
> Over the course of the weekend it would become plain that Lynne didn't
> much
> like two-wheeled transportation. Her shins took a bruising from the
> pedals
> whenever her feet got out of sync with the Captain's pedaling. Donna
> looked
> comfortable, at first, perched atop Len's handlebars, legs crossed over
> the
> top of the bicycle basket (we have a photo to prove this). It wasn't long
> before this position lost its charm and fanny fatigue set in, but nurse
> Donna had brought along a personal vibrator for just such emergencies, and
> we assume she got all the kinks ironed out. By the next day, Donna had
> her
> own bike.
>
> Our first night on the Island we had dinner at a benefit fish fry
> for the local community center. We were enjoying deep-fried, breaded
> mullet
> fillets with all the trimmings, until Len remarked that, where he came
> from,
> mullet is a bait fish. It tasted different after that. We ended up at an
> outdoor bar, watching the twilight steal across the harbor at Silver Bay,
> with Len and Stormy stationed at opposite ends of the picnic table,
> puffing
> on Puerto Rican cigars to repel the mosquitos, who were doing their best
> to
> drain us of all our blood via the ankles.
>
> Saturday was beach day for those who wanted to enjoy the surf and
> sand, and island shopping and exploration time for those not so inclined.
> It didn't take us long to settle into "Island time." We lunched together
> at
> the Fig Tree deli, then had more beach time. Your humble reporter
> deployed
> his homebuilt spam-can ham station at the surf's edge, antenna hung from
> collapsible fishing poles, and conversed in Morse code with radio
> operators
> in Chicago, NY and NC. Dinner that night was at the fabulous Back Porch
> restaurant, followed by a very pleasant evening of chat in the parlor,
> before settling into bed.
>
> Come Sunday morning, the aviators couldn't stand it anymore, so we
> decided to fly to Hatteras and back, in order to prevent rust build-up in
> the Lycomings. Besides, Donna was having a birthday (she's 29) and Len
> was
> going to treat her to her first barrel roll, if she was willing. With
> Larry
> staying behind to act as photographer, three RVators and Donna took off
> for
> a trail ride and some rolls over the ocean. Len announced, "Donna says
> she's ready!" Over they went, and we heard delighted squeals on the
> radio.
> Then Donna keyed the mike for her birthday proclamation to everyone on the
> frequency, "Hey, y'all; I've got BALLS!" (For what it's worth, Donna, of
> the eight people on our trip, only four have done a barrel roll in their
> RV,
> and you're one of them. Welcome to the club!) The three-ship returned to
> the airport and made a low pass, with Leggs pulling smoke over the runway.
> Stormy couldn't resist keying the mike and saying, "Hey, Lead, you're on
> fire. I've always wanted to say that." Larry got some nice videos of our
> landings, and we all later shared a good chuckle watching the footage of
> Len's impact with the runway. We lunched in the shade at an outdoor park,
> eating fresh Thai carry-out, and bequeathed our leftovers to Michael, our
> innkeeper, who was Michael the butler before he left New York for the
> Outer
> Banks and Michael the Brit before he came to the States. He took care of
> us
> (sort of), so we took care of him.
>
> Sunday afternoon allowed time for more exploration of the island's
> shopping and historic sites, so we went our separate ways until dinner,
> the
> mandatory excursion to that venerable Ocracoke institution, Howard's Pub.
> Bill tossed his antenna wire into the trees at the Inn and snagged a few
> shortwave contacts into the Rockies, Virginia and Florida, giving Len his
> big chance to say "Just when I was starting to think you might be normal,
> Stormy." I should note that we also passed a lot of our afternoon leisure
> time sitting together on the porch chatting, reading books and newspapers,
> knitting, etc. There was no TV and, alas, no WiFi connection to be had.
>
> Having told everyone in the group how great the crab-bite
> appetizers
> with raspberry pepper dipping sauce were at Howard's, I was disappointed
> to
> see them no longer on the menu. The waiter confirmed my fears: they no
> longer carry the famous crab balls; we'd have to order crab cakes as a
> main
> course and share. Go figure; Donna had balls now, but Howard's didn't.
> Even so, it was good just to be in the Pub and soak up the atmosphere it's
> well-known for. I tried to imagine what it would be like to ride out a
> hurricane inside Howard's. They are open 365 days a year, even during the
> worst of weather. I think I'd rather take shelter there than in the
> Superdome. We lingered too long inside Howard's to see the sunset over
> the
> sound, so we'll have to do that some other time. Cappy has the perfect
> spot
> picked out, a third-floor balcony bar where Silver Lake, the Ocracoke
> lighthouse and a hundred sailboat masts are silhouetted by the setting
> sun.
>
>
> Our departure from the island on Labor Day was not without an
> interesting twist. Monday morning the weather briefing called for more of
> the same perfect weather we had enjoyed all weekend. Miriam and I packed
> our bags and said our farewells. Len offered to help portage our bags to
> the airport on bikes, which we accepted gladly. As we pedaled northeast
> against a stiff headwind, we were passed by three Ocracoke VFD fire
> engines
> with red lights flashing but no sirens. These turned off ahead of us onto
> the airport ramp. The fire and rescue people turned us back at the gate,
> saying they were awaiting a helicopter med-evac flight. The chopper was
> about thirty minutes in coming, and the patient, when he finally arrived,
> was a two-year-old who had swallowed a partial bottle of Tylenol syrup but
> was otherwise in great shape. Once I heard that, I knew we were looking
> at
> a worried young family, a toddler who was going to be fine, a very
> expensive
> and probably needless helicopter ride, and a frustrating departure delay
> for
> us, all rolled into one. Still, it was great excitement for the locals.
> Our flight home was uneventful, with a stop in Fredericksburg (KEZF) to
> see
> son Kevin and his new bride Danielle. George the Autopilot did his duties
> without complaint. In just over two flight hours form the Outer Banks, we
> were back at our mountain home, and the warm "grandma's house" ambience of
> the Crew's Inn and Ocracoke's island charm were already fading into
> pleasant
> memory. We will definitely want to do this again someday.
>
> I'm sure Larry plans to post some enlightening pictures on the SERV
> site, so take a look there for the illustrations to this story.
>
> -Stormy
>
>
>
Message 9
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| Subject: | Re: FW: SERV Ocracoke Trip report |
--> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: sportav8r@aol.com
Thanks, Larry. I was wondering why it hadn't appeared; I did forward it again
last night from Word straight to the RVSoutheast-List via my address book. That's
TWICE the thing has disappeared into cyberspace from here... I'm starting
to get paranoid now. Strange things are going on here :-)
-Stormy
-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Bowen <Larry@bowenaero.com>
Subject: RVSouthEast-List: FW: SERV Ocracoke Trip report
--> RVSouthEast-List message posted by: "Larry Bowen" <Larry@BowenAero.com>
Forwarding from the MARV List
=========================================
Or: What I Did This Summer, submitted by Bill "Stormy" Boyd
Our most enjoyable Ocracoke Labor Day weekend began Friday afternoon
with arrival of Larry and Pam Bowen in N130WN and Steve and Lynne Gasgow in
N123SG, cleared direct through the restricted area over Pamlico Sound. They
checked into the B&B and went out exploring, while Stormy and Miriam in
N30YD flew the dog-leg down from Virginia and ran the OBX southwestward.
They had a near mid-air with a twin climbing out of MQI, but after getting
their hearts out of their throats, it was smooth flying from there. Len and
Donna Leggette were the last to arrive, but Len got bragging rights along
the way when the Cherry Point controller told an Areo Commander inbound to
W95 that the experimental behind him was closing at 50 knots! Of course,
Len by this time had begun his descent from FL095, and had the nose pointed
almost straight down. Still, braggin' rights are braggin' rights. (For
all his moaning about his Barrows engine being weak, we agreed that Len's
plane is faster than he wants to admit, and we stuck him with the call sign
"Lowball" for the rest of the weekend.)
Once we had all found the B&B and checked into our rooms, the
consternation about transportation logistics set in. Steve and Lynne wanted
to walk everywhere; Len and Donna thought doubling on a single-seat bike
would be fun, and Larry and Pam managed to talk the innkeeper out of the
house bikes for the weekend. The Glasgows ended up renting a tandem bike so
Lynne could sit behind Cappy and fuss the whole time, just like in the RV8.
Over the course of the weekend it would become plain that Lynne didn't much
like two-wheeled transportation. Her shins took a bruising from the pedals
whenever her feet got out of sync with the Captain's pedaling. Donna looked
comfortable, at first, perched atop Len's handlebars, legs crossed over the
top of the bicycle basket (we have a photo to prove this). It wasn't long
before this position lost its charm and fanny fatigue set in, but nurse
Donna had brought along a personal vibrator for just such emergencies, and
we assume she got all the kinks ironed out. By the next day, Donna had her
own bike.
Our first night on the Island we had dinner at a benefit fish fry
for the local community center. We were enjoying deep-fried, breaded mullet
fillets with all the trimmings, until Len remarked that, where he came from,
mullet is a bait fish. It tasted different after that. We ended up at an
outdoor bar, watching the twilight steal across the harbor at Silver Bay,
with Len and Stormy stationed at opposite ends of the picnic table, puffing
on Puerto Rican cigars to repel the mosquitos, who were doing their best to
drain us of all our blood via the ankles.
Saturday was beach day for those who wanted to enjoy the surf and
sand, and island shopping and exploration time for those not so inclined.
It didn't take us long to settle into "Island time." We lunched together at
the Fig Tree deli, then had more beach time. Your humble reporter deployed
his homebuilt spam-can ham station at the surf's edge, antenna hung from
collapsible fishing poles, and conversed in Morse code with radio operators
in Chicago, NY and NC. Dinner that night was at the fabulous Back Porch
restaurant, followed by a very pleasant evening of chat in the parlor,
before settling into bed.
Come Sunday morning, the aviators couldn't stand it anymore, so we
decided to fly to Hatteras and back, in order to prevent rust build-up in
the Lycomings. Besides, Donna was having a birthday (she's 29) and Len was
going to treat her to her first barrel roll, if she was willing. With Larry
staying behind to act as photographer, three RVators and Donna took off for
a trail ride and some rolls over the ocean. Len announced, "Donna says
she's ready!" Over they went, and we heard delighted squeals on the radio.
Then Donna keyed the mike for her birthday proclamation to everyone on the
frequency, "Hey, y'all; I've got BALLS!" (For what it's worth, Donna, of
the eight people on our trip, only four have done a barrel roll in their RV,
and you're one of them. Welcome to the club!) The three-ship returned to
the airport and made a low pass, with Leggs pulling smoke over the runway.
Stormy couldn't resist keying the mike and saying, "Hey, Lead, you're on
fire. I've always wanted to say that." Larry got some nice videos of our
landings, and we all later shared a good chuckle watching the footage of
Len's impact with the runway. We lunched in the shade at an outdoor park,
eating fresh Thai carry-out, and bequeathed our leftovers to Michael, our
innkeeper, who was Michael the butler before he left New York for the Outer
Banks and Michael the Brit before he came to the States. He took care of us
(sort of), so we took care of him.
Sunday afternoon allowed time for more exploration of the island's
shopping and historic sites, so we went our separate ways until dinner, the
mandatory excursion to that venerable Ocracoke institution, Howard's Pub.
Bill tossed his antenna wire into the trees at the Inn and snagged a few
shortwave contacts into the Rockies, Virginia and Florida, giving Len his
big chance to say "Just when I was starting to think you might be normal,
Stormy." I should note that we also passed a lot of our afternoon leisure
time sitting together on the porch chatting, reading books and newspapers,
knitting, etc. There was no TV and, alas, no WiFi connection to be had.
Having told everyone in the group how great the crab-bite appetizers
with raspberry pepper dipping sauce were at Howard's, I was disappointed to
see them no longer on the menu. The waiter confirmed my fears: they no
longer carry the famous crab balls; we'd have to order crab cakes as a main
course and share. Go figure; Donna had balls now, but Howard's didn't.
Even so, it was good just to be in the Pub and soak up the atmosphere it's
well-known for. I tried to imagine what it would be like to ride out a
hurricane inside Howard's. They are open 365 days a year, even during the
worst of weather. I think I'd rather take shelter there than in the
Superdome. We lingered too long inside Howard's to see the sunset over the
sound, so we'll have to do that some other time. Cappy has the perfect spot
picked out, a third-floor balcony bar where Silver Lake, the Ocracoke
lighthouse and a hundred sailboat masts are silhouetted by the setting sun.
Our departure from the island on Labor Day was not without an
interesting twist. Monday morning the weather briefing called for more of
the same perfect weather we had enjoyed all weekend. Miriam and I packed
our bags and said our farewells. Len offered to help portage our bags to
the airport on bikes, which we accepted gladly. As we pedaled northeast
against a stiff headwind, we were passed by three Ocracoke VFD fire engines
with red lights flashing but no sirens. These turned off ahead of us onto
the airport ramp. The fire and rescue people turned us back at the gate,
saying they were awaiting a helicopter med-evac flight. The chopper was
about thirty minutes in coming, and the patient, when he finally arrived,
was a two-year-old who had swallowed a partial bottle of Tylenol syrup but
was otherwise in great shape. Once I heard that, I knew we were looking at
a worried young family, a toddler who was going to be fine, a very expensive
and probably needless helicopter ride, and a frustrating departure delay for
us, all rolled into one. Still, it was great excitement for the locals.
Our flight home was uneventful, with a stop in Fredericksburg (KEZF) to see
son Kevin and his new bride Danielle. George the Autopilot did his duties
without complaint. In just over two flight hours form the Outer Banks, we
were back at our mountain home, and the warm "grandma's house" ambience of
the Crew's Inn and Ocracoke's island charm were already fading into pleasant
memory. We will definitely want to do this again someday.
I'm sure Larry plans to post some enlightening pictures on the SERV
site, so take a look there for the illustrations to this story.
-Stormy
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