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Airplane People
How many airplane people do we have amongst us? Anybody into antiques and classics?
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34 Replies
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Hey John,
you can count us as one who has too struggle with do we fly our Piper Meridian or drive the Liberty Coach from Florida to Colorado once a Month!
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Hello Scott,
I thought it might be fun to get together the folks in the group who are airplane people and aviation enthusiasts as maybe a little sub group who might enjoy getting together at sport aviation events occasionally. I’ve been in it all my life for work as well as play. Now that I’m retired again, for the third time (well, mostly), I’m mostly involved with antique and classic types of airplanes. I have a 1950 Cessna 195 and a 1946 Globe Swift. My partner and I have a grass strip airport on the top of the South end of Lookout Mountain in the Northwest Corner of Georgia and I have just bought a lot on a private airport in Naples Florida where I plan to build a hangar home. Every year the weekend before Halloween we have a Fly-In at the place in Northwest Georgia (Hog Jowl Airfield, GE11). It started out as a Cessna 195 Fly-In but has now evolved into all types of airplanes from the late ’20s to present day. It’s called “The Center Of The Universe Fly-In”. The center of the universe is wherever you happen to be. People stay in local B&Bs, camp and some come in motorhomes. The peak of the leaf season in the North Georgia Mountains is about this time of the year. We don’t have hook-ups, but the weather is usually good for dry camping this time of the year. Folks start showing up usually on Wednesday and stay ’til Sunday. We smoke some dead meat on Saturday and enjoy a day of flying and bar-b-que. We even pitch horse shoes.
The runway is 2800 feet long and150 feet wide with good approaches. We’ve had large airplanes, a Lockheed Lodestar, and turboprops (King Airs and a Pilatus) in and out with no problems. We even have one friend who shows up with a Eurocopter.
Just a thought about getting the airplane enthusiasts identified and maybe together. We’ll see how it works out. Maybe a faction called “The Flying Bus Drivers” or something of the sort.
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There are a number of current and former pilots and plane owners and I would bet an aviation special interest group would have no problem finding members.
Just make sure that as a requirement for membership all pilots become members of Pilots N Paws and do some animal rescue flights.
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Sign me up.
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We own a very nice Cherokee 235, usually put about 75 to 100 hrs a year on it flying back and forth to Laramie or down to Las Cruses to visit Judy’s mom. With the purchase of the Prevost though, I’m betting the times go down this year.
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John, I have been looking for a 195 for a year or so. I have eased up a little because I have a Daughter getting married this year, and it has eaten into my airplane fund. Are you coming to the 195 club flyin at Chino this year?
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John,
There are indeed numerous aviators in the group. Even a few antiquers. We’ve owned quite a few antique and classic airplanes over the last 30 years or so and had a 195B that we restored and flew happily for almost 20 years. She was a favorite.
I recently lost my head and became a rotorhead. Anyone know of a Bell 47 in Florida that I could beg or buy a ride in. Like old airplanes I’m hung up on antique helos. Will be flying a Hiller in Sarasota next week. No Brantlys please.
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Lots of Pllots and current/past owners on PC, me included, but the bus took the priority spot.
If there is enough interest, we could add an aviation topic for a place to go to get your fix.
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This is cool!
Looks like we may have something here. That’s a very nice Cherokee. If I was smart I’d have something like that.
Steve, I’m not going to make the Chino fly-in. It’s a long ways to CA from GA and it’s close to the time of our gathering on the mountain. My good friend Jeff Pearson is one of the hosts and I’m sure it will be one for the records.
A close friend of mine has his 195 for sale and it’s a very nice airplane. The price is, I think, very reasonable considering the quality of it. He bought a 310 and isn’t going to keep both of them. If you would like I’ll be glad to hook you up with him. I’ve had mine for nearly 30 years. I bought it in pieces and restored it and I can’t imagine ever being without it or the Swift. I had another Swift years ago and sold it and then later bought another one. It’s the only airplane that I’ve sold and then later replaced. It’s a sweetheart.
If there’s anyone who would like to come to our October event, you’re for sure invited.
Here’s the first attempt to upload photos.
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John
We are going to be in Oshkosh for the EAA convention July 17
to July 27. We are camping at the Ashvegas RV park just across from the EAA site across I-41
highway.. If anyone is interested please email me. -
John,
Good looking Swift, but I spent most of my hours in one of those things in your picture behind the Swift. Wife and I were planning on heading out to the Casa Grande, AZ fly-in so she had me a tee shirt made with a photo of my J model Bonanza on it. I then took it back to the tee shirt shop and had them add “Bonanza Pilots Like Two Pieces of Tail”.
We were walking around and a lady saw my shirt and made a really twisted face. Now, my wife can hear a mouse wee-weeing on a cotton ball at 100 yards and overheard the lady complaining to her husband about my obscene tee shirt. He dutifully walked her over to the tie down area and started pointing at Bonanzas. Later as we were standing around, she walked by and said “I really like your shirt.” I am thinking, Yeah, you sure didn’t a little while ago.
To continue the story, one of my QB brothers walked up, looked at my shirt and said “A REAL pilot can handle three pieces of tail.”
I am now over 70 and sold out, so no longer slip the surley bonds of Earth. Enjoy your travels, I still miss it. BTW, we slipped a 180 horse with Hartzel constant speed into a 170 and slapped on a set of tundra tires. Talk about a STOL.
Again, enjoy your fly-in.
Fred
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John, I fly a B200 King Air. Only in to Classic Cars instead of planes though.
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B200 King Air…nice, very nice airplane.,
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I flew for 25+ years,had 4 aircraft
A36 Bonanza,Piper Malibu,P Baron,Citation 1 SP
really loved the Bonanza,always could count on it never cancelled a trip,really reasonable to operate and fast enough.I got really tired of going to school every year for the insurance companies,my business changed as several customers went out of business,and I purchased a bus and was just ready to give up flying.
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