mechanic friend named J.R. Rutkosky
who took better care of the Cheetah than
I did. And only someone who’s owned an
airplane a long time can truly appreciate
the incalculable value of that. Livermore
also has a very active EAA chapter, and
I was finally getting to know some of
the members (including one who’s also
the assistant concertmaster of the San
Francisco Symphony!). In short, the
Cheetah and I both had a lot of support at
Livermore that I was going to miss.
Then there was the weather/sunshine
thing, which I was also going to miss. But one
of the primary lessons that flying teaches is
the importance of learning to let go. Planes
don’t get far off the ground if you can’t let go of
the comfort of your tie-down spot. And lives
don’t move forward if you’re never willing
to let go of the comfort of where you were in
order to explore where you might still go.
The good news is, I got really lucky in a
couple of respects. First, I stumbled upon a
shockingly good home for the Cheetah, north
of Boston. After an initially chilly reception
at the Beverly, Massachusetts, airport, I
got a tip from someone to call this retired
firefighter named “Ace Chase,” who owned
a hangar and some tie-down spots, tucked
away in a corner of the airfield.
“Sho-wah, we got tie-downs!” a booming
Boston accent greeted my call. “Hey, where’d
you say you were from? California? Hey…
Of course, change is the only
constant in life. And I’ve
devoted a tremendous number
of words, over the years, to
touting all the wonderful
benefits that change brings—or
can bring—on its coattails.
you like wine? ’Cause I love that Napa Valley
wine. My wife and I fly out every year to
stock up. I keep a bunch of it at the hangar,
you know, but most people around here drink
beer. Hard to find someone who appreciates
California wine!”
Of all the gin joints in all the world, I’d
walked into the one Massachusetts hangar
owned by a guy with a penchant for the
California wine country. It seemed like a sign.
I took the tie-down.
In truth, Ace’s place is more of a flying
club than just a place to keep an airplane,
with an open-door policy, an honor system
on the fridge, and a lounge overlooking the
airport, complete with a telescope powerful
enough to keep tabs on what the guys in the
tower are eating for lunch. He’s also proved
a wonderful source of assistance for the
airplane. In fact, he’s the one who put me in
touch with Rich, the flight instructor who
was asking me about winterization kits. But
more about all that, later.
