ApacheBob
Cleared for Takeoff
This afternoon, I was talking to my neighbor about July 4 plans. After a few minutes, his wife said that "every time we see a plane go by, we wonder if it is you."
I was flattered.
So I said to my neighbor, "Do you want to go flying today?" He was thrilled.
So I took him and his two little girls up to Aurora and showed them the Cherokee 140 (N1477X). They had never been in a small plane. One of the girls wanted to go real bad. The other was scared.
I told her, you don't have to go. I was honestly willing to scrub.
But little sister and dad begged her and away we went. Our destination was Rockford. We were delayed by reasonably steady traffic at Aurora.
It was hazy, but no thunderboomers like yesterday. Just some cumulo stratus at 6000 feet.
Rockford vectored us for spacing, but I did not hear anyone in front of us land for 10 minutes before we touched down. We went to North American Jet at Rockford, IL. It worked out pretty good that North American has complimentary cookies, ice cream and soda pop.
Landing at Rockford a few minutes later, Jay said that he did not even feel the gear touch the ground (he said it, honest).
Brandon, the young man working behind the desk, was polite. He said that we are the second general aviation aircraft that has been in there in a week.
AvGas is a dollar cheaper at Janesville. North American is charging $5.70 per gallon of 100 low lead. But I decided not to complain as I ate another cookie.
The girls walked around the 7 L-39s parked inside the North American hanger. They were excited. The younger sister kept telling her 9 year old sibling, "I told you it would be fun!"
On the way home, we flew over their house. The sunset was spectacular at 3000 feet. We landed just as the tower closed at 9 pm. Not as soft as the Rockford landing, but close.
Jay's business has been slow, so this was a fun change of pace for them.
In the car on the drive home, the girls kept saying, "I hope we can go, again!"
I was flattered.
So I said to my neighbor, "Do you want to go flying today?" He was thrilled.
So I took him and his two little girls up to Aurora and showed them the Cherokee 140 (N1477X). They had never been in a small plane. One of the girls wanted to go real bad. The other was scared.
I told her, you don't have to go. I was honestly willing to scrub.
But little sister and dad begged her and away we went. Our destination was Rockford. We were delayed by reasonably steady traffic at Aurora.
It was hazy, but no thunderboomers like yesterday. Just some cumulo stratus at 6000 feet.
Rockford vectored us for spacing, but I did not hear anyone in front of us land for 10 minutes before we touched down. We went to North American Jet at Rockford, IL. It worked out pretty good that North American has complimentary cookies, ice cream and soda pop.
Landing at Rockford a few minutes later, Jay said that he did not even feel the gear touch the ground (he said it, honest).
Brandon, the young man working behind the desk, was polite. He said that we are the second general aviation aircraft that has been in there in a week.
AvGas is a dollar cheaper at Janesville. North American is charging $5.70 per gallon of 100 low lead. But I decided not to complain as I ate another cookie.
The girls walked around the 7 L-39s parked inside the North American hanger. They were excited. The younger sister kept telling her 9 year old sibling, "I told you it would be fun!"
On the way home, we flew over their house. The sunset was spectacular at 3000 feet. We landed just as the tower closed at 9 pm. Not as soft as the Rockford landing, but close.
Jay's business has been slow, so this was a fun change of pace for them.
In the car on the drive home, the girls kept saying, "I hope we can go, again!"
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