Thanks Tony!

[CJones]

While in flashchat tonight, we were watching the radar image of the storms moving through Iowa just north of Tony and I. I commented that I was glad it was moving north b/c the RV was tied down on the ramp here and Boone. At that point, Steve felt it necessary to guide us to the 'big' picture radar showing a LARGE mass of red and yellow in Nebraska which was heading straight toward us here in central Iowa.

At that point, Tony said "I'll meet you at the airport in Ames in 20 mins so we can find you a hangar!" So Rachel and I scurry out to the airport, untie and preflight the RV and I buzz over to Ames (under clear skies with an AWESOME view of the lightning bouncing around well north of us). Tony is there waiting with a hangar for us to sneak into for the evening.

We put the plane away - hopefully avoiding the predicted LARGE HAIL tonight - and we head back home. Whew!

Thanks again Tony for offering to help us out. I would be the definition of FUBAR if I had let the plane get hammered by hail while it was on my clock! Maybe tony isn't such a bad guy after all - despite what everyone says about him.

 

[tonycondon]

heh yea every now and then i do something nice. You know I would've been crying right next to you if the RV woulda gotten dented up.

 

[KennyFlys]

Good deal! Tony, kudos for heading out there after a long day of no sleep.

I'd also hate to see anyone lose something they worked for, let alone had built. I don't know if you built the RV yourself but just the same for many pilots, that plane is part of their soul.

When Neal Boortz lost his Mooney in the hurricane that went through Orlando in 2005, he admitted to having cried a few tears. He went to Texas to watch it complete its last hours on the line before he took delivery. So it had been with him for quite a bit of adventures including a long cross-country across the United States earlier that same year.

Sometime later, I was talking with a Cessna rep while he was visiting our airport. He was in Orlando right after the hurricane. He saw Neal's Mooney in the hangar along with others that had been destroyed. Only, he left a cruel calling card... a Cessna business card on the left seat.

 

[tonycondon]

Chris and his Dad built their RV. Sleep really isnt a factor. Im past the point of being tired. I feel like Lindbergh mustve felt about the middle of the atlantic.

 

[KennyFlys]

Chris and his Dad built their RV. Sleep really isnt a factor. Im past the point of being tired. I feel like Lindbergh mustve felt about the middle of the atlantic.

Been there! Friday was an eighteen-hour day for me after only three hours sleep. By the time I was able to sleep, my body was shot and I was in no shape to fly to Greenville the next day. I did fine in the morning but my gut told me the problems would come in the return, expected to be in IMC. So, I stayed home all weekend and watched the clouds float overhead.

 

[Steve]

I hope the LARGE HAIL missed you, CJ, even if you did find shelter for the RV. I'm sure there's other planes out there wishing they had an owner that hung around the PoA chat...

 

[tonycondon]

there was nothing else on the ramp when we were out there last night. im not sure if we got hailed on or not.