Flight to Natchitoches, LA

Lowflynjack

Lowflynjack

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Jack Fleetwood
Travis, Ed, Bo, and I flew to Natchitoches, Louisiana yesterday to meet up and get some good food. We wanted a good flight, and this was was roughly 2.5 hours each way for all of us. Bo had recommended Natchitoches and it lived up to all he said it was. A beautiful town on the Cain River Lake with a touch of that New Orleans vibe and cool old buildings and plenty of southern charm.

Natchitoches was established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. It is the oldest permanent settlement within the borders of the Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches was set on fire by Union soldiers who retreated through the town after their failed attempt to capture Shreveport. Confederate cavalry pursued the fleeing soldiers and arrived in time to help extinguish the flames before the town was destroyed.

On a sad note, Natchitoches was the site of the 1973 plane crash that claimed the life of Jim Croce. Croce had performed a concert on campus for Northwestern State University students at Prather Coliseum, but was killed less than an hour later in a plane crash headed to Sherman, Texas. The pilot may have suffered a fatal heart attack.

After a very filling lunch at Mama's, we wandered around the town a little while taking in the sights and headed back to the airport. When we arrived, we saw a very pretty clipped-wing Taylorcraft and talked to the owner for awhile.

Soon we were fueled up and headed home, to the West, into a setting sun on a very hazy day. Not the best part of the day, but the overall day was awesome. Great time with great friends.

Hmm, your wing seems to have my wing's shadow on it...
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Travis' son wanted to see my plane in the air, so I flew over and waved!
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Bo's plane, my plane, and Travis' plane. Ed flew in late and in a non-140 plane, so I didn't get any photos!
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Bo's plane.
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And when we got back to the airport, we saw this beauty and talked with the owner for awhile!
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Till the next adventure!
 
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Re: Flight to Natchtoches, TX

Terrific photos! But that's not Texas, you may want to double check your headline. Or your navigation...... :)
 
Thanks.

90% of my flying is in Texas! Hell, actually 90% of this flight was in Texas! Fixed it, thanks.

Volitation said:
Terrific photos! But that's not Texas, you may want to double check your headline. Or your navigation...... :)
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Re: Flight to Natchtoches, TX

You're welcome. I've confused the spellings and pronunciations of both towns for years. Still can't spell either one of them. Lol.

And those aircraft are spectacular!
 
Re: Flight to Natchtoches, TX

GREAT pics......

Now that is aircraft porn at its finest...:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Well, thought I changed it anyway! Maybe a mod can change it for me. I changed it in the first post.

Luckily before the first time I landed there, a plane ahead of me pronounced it and I copied him. I can't spell it either and have no idea how "Natchitoches" becomes "Nackadish!"

Thanks for the comments on the planes. We sure enjoy flying them and they draw a crowd!

Volitation said:
You're welcome. I've confused the spellings and pronunciations of both towns for years. Still can't spell either one of them. Lol.

And those aircraft are spectacular!
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Thanks! :)

N801BH said:
GREAT pics......

Now that is aircraft porn at its finest...:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
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Re: Flight to Natchtoches, TX

All I can say is.... Them be some sharp looking airplanes...
 
Re: Flight to Natchtoches, TX

Nice photography; awesome subject. Thanks, Jack.
 
This makes me so nostalgic for home!

Gorgeous pictures. Love your plane.
 
Re: Flight to Natchtoches, TX

Volitation said:
You're welcome. I've confused the spellings and pronunciations of both towns for years. Still can't spell either one of them. Lol.

And those aircraft are spectacular!
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My assumption as someone who grew up 90 min away (and had a fishing camp on Toledo Bend Reservoir on the TX/LA border) was that, since the area was the border between French Louisiana and Spanish Mexico, the names probably mean the same thing, but one got the French spelling and one got the Spanish spelling.

It really is a fascinating area, with a ton of lingering effects of cultural exchange. I grew up on "Natchitoches Meat Pies" and it wasn't until I went to Miami on vacation that I realized, they're basically empanadas, which must have come over the border from Spanish Mexico. Additionally, nearby Zwolle is known for it's tamales, even though it is on the Louisiana side of the border. Also, the French and Spanish argued over the proper border, couldn't decide, and so declared a swath of land in the middle as a "neutral zone" which quickly became completely lawless and attracted all sort of bandits and, shall we say, interesting types. Apparently an ancestor of mine took a hatchet to the head on his way into town one day somewhere up there.

Nice airplanes, too. :D
 
Do ya have any pics of those C140s? :D

I kid I kid! Beautiful planes, thanks for sharing.

Cajun you need to move back! :yesnod:

Spring is in the air! :goofy:
 
Thanks! It's not a plane you want to be in when you're in a hurry, but she's shiny and get's a lot of attention, which I like! Can't go anywhere without someone walking over to talk to me about her.

Cajun_Flyer said:
Gorgeous pictures. Love your plane.
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Great photos, Jack--thanks for sharing!

What did you guys do for ground transportation while you were there? Is the town within walking distance?
 
Lowflynjack said:
Thanks! It's not a plane you want to be in when you're in a hurry, but she's shiny and get's a lot of attention, which I like! Can't go anywhere without someone walking over to talk to me about her.
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Nothing wrong with not being in a hurry! I used to ride a little Royal Enfield military edition motorcycle (British bike out of India)... she was great for puttering around town and I got stopped and asked about her almost daily. Even had a cop once pull me over just so he could question me about it... asked if I would call his wife and beg her to let him have one! :lol:

I love things (and people) with character. Your plane certainly has plenty of that!

Happy flying!
 
Man alive, those are gorgeous planes.

My brother went to school in Natchitoches. Steel Magnolias was filmed there, too. He ran into Daryl Hannah in one of the restaurants... she wasn't impressed by his flirting but he said he gave it his best shot.
 
Great shots - those sure look nice lined up on the ramp!

I stopped in Natchitoches on a FL to MN xc once and remember that not one person got the name right on the radio. Was quite entertaining to listen to all of us make attempts.
 
Thanks for the pirep. Looking to take my wife sometime this year ..
 
Thanks Jim! We took a courtesy car. It is not within walking distance. They have a charge if you don't get fuel, but we got plenty of fuel between 3 of our 4 planes.

Jim_R said:
Great photos, Jack--thanks for sharing!

What did you guys do for ground transportation while you were there? Is the town within walking distance?
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No problem, glad you enjoyed it!
mulligan said:
Really cool trip. Thanks for sharing
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My plane does have character and people are always saying I do too... oh wait, they say I am a character... either way!
Cajun_Flyer said:
I love things (and people) with character. Your plane certainly has plenty of that!
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Thank you!
Lando said:
Great shots - those sure look nice lined up on the ramp!
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You won't regret it. It's beautiful there. Even the terminal is neat. It looks like it was built in the 80's, but in a cool way. I loved it!
brian];2020359 said:
Thanks for the pirep. Looking to take my wife sometime this year ..
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It was awesome, glad you liked the pics!
denverpilot said:
Looks like a great day. Nice photos too!
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Cajun_Flyer said:
I grew up in a town called Kenner, right outside of New Orleans. MSY airport is in Kenner.
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Yeah I know where Kenner is. Remember a bad plane crash there years ago, airline I think. Flown into and out of MSY a few times. Lakefront airport too.
 
Amazing photos!!!!.... But was it Nacogdoches, Tx??
Sorry my bad. Didn't realize there was a Natchitoches, LA
 
Nope, Louisiana. Pronounced completely different!

Dalyup said:
Amazing photos!!!!.... But was it Nacogdoches, Tx??
Sorry my bad. Didn't realize there was a Natchitoches, LA
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Ha! I was born in Metairie :)

I could go for a drive-thru daiquiri right now too.
 
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