Shoot, I’m just tickled if Van says
“howdy” to me; if he hollers at
me I’m twice as honored!
much the cosmetics. I told ’em how I spray
painted my cowling with Krylon so I have
what’s called a “30-foot paint job.” (Looks
okay from 30 feet, but not so good as you
get closer.) It was at this time that Van hollered from the audience, “Fifty feet!”
Shoot, I’m just tickled if Van says “howdy”
to me; if he hollers at me I’m twice as honored! (Don’t burst my bubble; I’m happy in
my world.)
Couple more items of note: I mentioned that Ron is the president of
Chapter 105. Here’s the deal about him:
He gets more done with less fanfare
than anybody I know. I’m not the only
one who noticed his style and work ethic.
The chapter singled him out during the
evening and gave him a gift and a standing ovation. Such are the people that
make up EAA! Also in attendance was
Connell, one of the kids who built the
RV- 12 with the original Teen Flight project (EAA Sport Aviation, August 2011).
I was able to point him out to the
crowd and say, “This is our future.
We’re in good hands.” All clapped loudly
for him.
After the evening festivities, a band
called the Carroll Raaum Swing Orchestra
played some World War II songs. A real
band—with the big band sound! And boy,
did they ever sound good in that setting:
good people and good feelings surrounded
by old airplanes. The keyboardist and lead
vocalist, Vanessa Nelson, EAA 1052374, is
a member of Chapter 105 and owns and
flies a J- 3. I leaned over at our table and
asked Nel’s wife, Sheri, “Is Nel a good
dancer?” She gave me a raised eyebrow
and said, “I used to be a good dancer until
I met him!” Then she smiled that cute
Oklahoma smile.
All in all, it was just a wonderful evening my bride and I spent with Chapter
105. It was one of those events that as
you drove home you felt good: good
friends, good fun, good airplanes, and
good future.
LARRY TRAVER’S SPIRIT
I want to keep the “ 50 years of longevity”
theme going but, this time, bring it to an
individual level. Larry Traver, EAA 9364,
of Sturgis, South Dakota, wrote a letter to
Sport Aviation. It’s a special letter, and I
want to share some of it.
Monday, October 31, [I] flew from Sturgis,
South Dakota, to Faulkton, South Dakota,
my hometown, to give my sweet mother a
plane ride so she could be the 100th rider in
Spirit. My mom is on her 98th year in this
world. She really enjoyed it and looked at
everything. She enjoyed seeing the lakes and
the farm where she lived. She said she forgot
how much you could see from up there and
that everything was so pretty. I don’t think
she had ridden in a plane for 30 years. …
The Spirit, one of my homebuilt planes,
built the likes of a Champ, was completed in
May 2008. It’s named the Spirit because it
has the Spirit of St. Louis N number, N211.
Charles Lindbergh is one of my greatest
idols. (Also, Bob Hoover.)
It was the first ride in a plane for 24 of
the 100 riders. The oldest, first rider was
John Carlson, from Newcastle, Wyoming, of
74 years, and rode with his 14-year-old
grandson, Nathan, on his first ride. The
grandfather, John, was most fascinated by
the ride and said that he would never have
believed it could be so beautiful from up
there. It was kind of comical, though.
Nathan said, “Come on, Grampa; go with
me,” and he said, “Nope, I won’t ride in a
plane.” Then just before we left, engine running, he said, “I changed my mind, I’m
going,” and he jumped in. …
