Not the First GA Pilot to Land in China
IN YOUR SEPTEMBER ISSUE THERE was a small report about
“Wei Around the World.” In that report it is stated that Mr.
Wei was the first GA pilot cleared to fly and land in China.
In 1998, while flying my Kitfox EC YOY, I crossed China
and landed five times there. You published that flight in
Experimenter magazine. I don’t know if I was the first GA
pilot to land in China then, but for the sake of the truth, I
know that Mr. Wei landing in China with a GA aircraft was
not the first.
The Chinese authorities were nice, and the way I was
received at the airports was warm and very kind.
Michel Gordillo, EAA 370596
Camdo Real, Spain
We stand corrected, Michel…and we most definitely remember
you and your Kitfox arriving in Oshkosh that year as well.—Eds
Correction
After reading the “Zeppelin Over America” article in the
September issue, Dale Jewett, EAA 298666, questioned the weight
of the mast truck, which was incorrectly listed as 27,000 tons.
He wrote, “It seems to me that such a truck weighing 54 million
pounds would be impossible to move over our highways!” He’s
right. It should have read 27 tons, or 54,000 pounds.—Eds
Airport Car of the Month
THE WEEKEND BEFORE EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2011, my wife and I and
another couple flew to Port Aransas, a small beach town on Mustang Island
just north of Corpus Christi, Texas. A pilot friend and his wife own Amelia’s
Landing, a small aviation-themed hotel near the beach. He offers a free
“airport car” for visiting pilots. First come, first served.
We arrived at the airport, tied down the Lance, and called the hotel. The
lady who answered said, “Take the red and silver Subaru.” She told me where
to find the keys.
In the parking lot, we found two red Subarus: same year, same color. Keys
were hidden in the same place. What are the odds?
We packed our luggage and climbed in, checked into the hotel, drove to the
beach, went shopping, and had a peachy time for a day and a half. Before our
departure, we dutifully filled up the car and left it exactly where we found it.
We returned home to find a posting on Facebook from the owner of
the hotel: “I don’t know whose car you were driving, but I’m sure they
appreciated the full tank of gas.”
We had spent the weekend driving a stolen car! I’m not sure I could sell
the local law enforcement on the idea that I “accidentally” stole the car had I
been pulled over.
Every time we see the other couple,
the first question is, “Stolen any more cars
lately?” I’m sure we’ll have fun with this
story for a while longer.
Eddie Storey, EAA 474442
Cypress, Texas
