Pine Island Airport
13350 Morningstar Lane
Bokeelia Lee County
Florida USA 33922
www.PineIslandAirport.com
1FA3
239-283-9898 Fax
239-283-8045 Cell
Frequency 123.075 26 39' 28N
82 07' 10W
Local Weather
Humor &
History
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Links
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Gone West
YouTube.....Pine
Island Airport
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My new Dream - Ultralight Helicopter
PT Boat 658 - The only functional, restored, PT boat left in the world!
Opposed-Piston-Opposed-Cylinder
The Making of Florida One - "Big Plane"
When Two Heroes MetThe Besler Steam Powered Airplane (1933)
Besler Steam Airplane
What could we do with today's technology ?
How do they modify for slow flight?
A government big enough to
give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you
have.'
-Thomas
Jefferson -
Earth From Above
Is
the result of the aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand's
five-year airborne odyssey across six continents. It's a spectacular
presentation
of large scale photographs of astonishing natural landscapes.
There are rumors of an oil spill. Supposedly a record spill. Oil Spills of old times
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Here's your P-51 cockpit in all its 360º glory!
P51 Mustang Cockpit
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Vivid memory of a P-51
Old Aviators and Old Airplanes.....
This is a good little story about a vivid memory of a P-51 and its pilot by a
fellow who was 12 years old in Canada in
1967. You may know a few others who would appreciate it.
It was noon on a Sunday as I recall, the day a Mustang P-51 was to take to the
air. They said it had flown in during the night from some U.S. airport, the
pilot had been tired. I marveled at the size of the plane dwarfing the Pipers
and Canucks tied down by her. It was much larger than in the movies. She
glistened in the sun like a bulwark of security from days gone by.
The pilot arrived by cab, paid the driver, and then stepped into the
flight lounge. He was an older man; his wavy hair was gray and tossed.
Looked like it might have been combed, say, around the turn of the century. His
flight jacket was checked, creased and worn - it smelled old and genuine. Old
Glory was prominently sewn to its shoulders. He projected a quiet
air of proficiency and pride devoid of arrogance. He filed a quick flight plan
to Montreal (Expo-67,
Air Show) then walked across the tarmac.
After taking several minutes to perform his walk-around check the pilot returned
to the flight lounge to ask if anyone would be available to stand by with fire
extinguishers while he "flashed the old bird up, just to be safe."
Though only 12 at the time I was allowed to stand by with an extinguisher after
brief instruction on its use -- "If you see a fire, point, then pull this
lever!" I later became a firefighter, but that's another story.
The air around the exhaust manifolds shimmered like a mirror from fuel fumes as
the huge prop started to rotate. One manifold, then another, and yet another
barked -- I stepped back with the others. In moments the Packard-built
Merlin engine came to life with a thunderous roar, blue flames knifed from her
manifolds. I looked at the others' faces, there was no concern. I lowered the
bell of my extinguisher. One of the guys signaled to walk back to the lounge.
We did.
Several minutes later we could hear the pilot doing his pre flight run-up. He'd
taxied t o the end of runway 19, out of sight. All went quiet for several
seconds; we raced from the lounge to the second story deck to see if we could
catch a glimpse of the P-51 as she started down the runway. We could not.
There we stood, eyes fixed to a spot half way down 19. Then a roar
ripped across the field, much louder than before, like a furious hell spawn set
loose---something mighty this way was coming. "Listen to that thing!" said the
controller. In seconds the Mustang burst into our line of sight. Its tail was
already off and it was moving faster than anything I'd ever seen by that point
on 19. Two-thirds the way down 19 the Mustang was airborne with her gear going
up. The prop tips were supersonic; we clasped our ears as the Mustang climbed
hellish fast into the circuit to be eaten up by the dog-day haze.
We stood for a few moments in stunned silence trying to digest what we'd just
seen. The radio controller rushed by me to the radio. " Kingston tower calling
Mustang?" He looked back to us as he waited for an acknowledgment.
The radio crackled, "Go ahead Kingston ."
"Roger Mustang. Kingston tower would
like to advise the circuit is clear for a low level pass." I stood in shock
because the controller had, more or less, just asked the pilot to return for an
impromptu air show!
The controller looked at us. "What?" He asked. "I can't let that guy go without
asking. I couldn't forgive myself!"
The radio crackled once again, " Kingston ,
do I have permission for a low level pass, east to west, across the field?"
"Roger Mustang, the circuit is clear for an east to west pass." "Roger,
Kingston, I'm coming out of 3000 feet, stand by."
We rushed back onto the second-story deck, eyes fixed toward the eastern haze.
The sound was subtle at first, a high-pitched whine, a muffled screech, a
distant scream. Moments later the P-51 burst through the haze. Her airframe
straining against positive Gs and gravity, wing tips spilling contrails of
condensed air, prop-tips again supersonic as the burnished bird blasted across
the eastern margin of the field shredding and tearing the air.
At about 400 mph and 150 yards from where we stood she passed with the old
American pilot saluting. Imagine. A
salute! I felt like laughing, I felt like crying, she glistened, she screamed,
the building shook, my heart pounded.
Then the old pilot pulled her up and rolled, and rolled, and rolled out of sight
into the broken clouds and indelibly into my memory.
I've never wanted to be an American more than on that day. It was a time when
many nations in the world looked to
America as their big brother, a steady and even-handed beacon of security who
navigated difficult political water with grace and style; not unlike the pilot
who'd just flown into my memory.
He was proud, not arrogant, humble, not a braggart, old and honest, projecting
an aura of America at
its best. That America will return one day, I know it will.
Until that time, I'll just send off this story; call it a reciprocal salute, to
the old American pilot who wove a memory for a young Canadian that's lasted a
lifetime.
(Forward to your Pilot Friends) And anyone who would enjoy a good story!
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The Charlie Brown Story
Look carefully at the B-17 and note how shot up it is - one engine dead, tail,
horizontal stabilizer and nose shot up.. It was ready to fall out of the sky.
Then realize that there is a German ME-109 fighter flying next to it. Now read
the story below. I think you'll be surprised.....
Charlie Brown was a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton, England . His B-17 was called 'Ye Old Pub' and was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and fighters. The compass was damaged and they were flying deeper over enemy territory instead of heading home to Kimbolton.
After flying over an enemy airfield, a German pilot named Franz Steigler was ordered to take off and shoot down the B-17. When he got near the B-17, he could not believe his eyes. In his words, he 'had never seen a plane in such a bad state'. The tail and rear section was severely damaged, and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was all over the top of the fuselage. The nose was smashed and there were holes everywhere.
Despite having ammunition, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked at Charlie Brown, the pilot. Brown was scared and struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane.
Aware that they had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180 degrees. Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane to, and slightly over, the North Sea towards England. He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe.
When Franz landed he told the CO that the plane had been shot down over the sea, and never told the truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and the remains of his crew told all at their briefing, but were ordered never to talk about it.
More than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to find the Luftwaffe pilot who saved the crew. After years of research, Franz was found. He had never talked about the incident, not even at post-war reunions.
They met in the USA at
a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 people who are alive now -
all because Franz never fired his guns that day.
Research
shows that Charlie Brown lived in
Seattle and
Franz Steigler had moved to Vancouver ,
BC after
the war. When they finally met, they discovered they had lived less than 200
miles apart for the past 50 years!
True
http://www.snopes.com/military/charliebrown.asp
THIS WAS
BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN THERE WAS HONOR IN BEING A WARRIOR...THEY PROUDLY
WORE UNIFORMS, AND THEY DIDN'T HIDE IN AMBUSH INSIDE A MOSQUE, OR BEHIND
WOMEN AND CHILDREN, NOR DID THEY USE MENTALLY RETARDED WOMEN AS
SUICIDE BOMBERS TO TARGET AND KILL INNOCENT CIVILIANS......HOW TIMES HAVE
CHANGED.....
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Oldest Boeing Airliner In Flying Condition
This is as it
should be - passengers in closed cabin, pilot in open cockpit so he will stay
awake.
The airplane is in Spokane , WA , and is the oldest flying Boeing in the World.
After 8 years of repair and rebuilding and 8,000 hours of toil the Boeing 40C
rolled out last winter as a finished airplane.
They had to wait a few weeks for the snow to melt to fly this baby. They
received their Standard Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA and completed the
engine pre-oil and fuel flow tests for the first of the taxi tests.
Facts for the Boeing 40 project:
221½ gallons of dope/reducer and 120 yards of 102 ceconite fabric. 12 gallons of
polyurethane paint for the sheet metal. The wings have 33,000 individual parts
in them. The airplane weighs 4080 lbs empty, has a gross weight of 6075 lbs. It
is 34 ft long and 13 feet tall with a wing span of 44½ feet.
Wing loading is 10 lbs per sq ft and power loading is 10 Pounds per HP. It
should cruise at 115 mph using 28 GPH, and 32 GPH at 120 mph. It carries 120
gallons of fuel in three tanks.
350 - 2 inch brushes were used to apply 6 gallons of West Systems epoxy, and 181
rolls of paper towels for cleanup.
There were a total of 62 volunteers who worked on the project to some degree. 21
of the volunteers did a significant amount of work, and 9 of the volunteers
worked continuously during the 8 year project.
Interstate
The Eisenhower interstate system
requires
that one mile in every five must be straight.
These straight sections are usable as airstrips
in times of war or other emergencies.
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Pine Island History
ABOUT BERT'S BAR on Pine Island:
Most of
Florida's tiny fishing towns are disappearing and giving way to McDonald's, high
rises and hotel chains. But not Matlacha. Here you still find cozy cottages, bed
& breakfasts, fishermen tending their nets, bait shops and shrimp boats.
Matlacha housing started in the 20's. The bridge to Pine
island was completed in 1927. Fishing shanties and squatter shacks appeared on
the Island. Many of them have survived to present day. The area around the
Matlacha Bridge was made famous by Ft. Myers author, Richard Powell, in his
book, Pioneer Go Home. This book was made into an Elvis Presley movie called
"Follow that Dream".
Bert's Bar is composed of two buildings. The original
building was the bar near the road. It was built in the 30's as a "Sweet
Shoppe". Then in 1941 the "hotel" building was built. It consisted of eight
sleeping rooms.
During WWII, army bases were set up at Page Field and many of
the soldiers would come out for a weekend to Matlacha to go fishing off the
"fishingest bridge in Florida" at Matlacha Pass. They became regular customers
of the hotel and bar.
Stories abound that the hotel had the reputation of "ill
repute" and ladies of the night. Imagine that. Some time after WWII the bar
became known as "Mother's"
In the seventies, the bar became known as the Tri Dilly Inn
and then Harry's Barge Inn. The hotel continued to operate up to the 70's.
It was the home to many a local fisherman. Shrimp boats were
parked out back of the Inn. We still have deep water at the end of the dock as a
result of that.
Later the place was purchased by Bert Clubb, a famous Lee
County bar operator. Hence the name Bert's. Bert's became the bar of choice for
many people from all over Lee & Charlotte County.
It has even been said that there were "Dancers" in the back
room (formerly the hotel). Bert operated the establishment for many years and
then sold it to a long time employee.
In 2000 the establishment was sold again, the name stayed and
the legend lives on. Over Sixty years. Bert's has had a colorful sixty years of
history and is the home of many stories of its past. If the walls could only
talk.
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Boeings High Tech Phantom Eye in the Sky
F-35b
Fighter
Seaplanes at Lake Union
This is a really cool video about the history of seaplanes on Lake
Union.
Lana Kurtzer was still alive when we worked for Kenmore. He was a
legendary figure in the seaplane world
Lake Union Seaplane History
This is not just interesting, but very educational A wonder outside the world Space Station and How it was built
A very good Free subscription all Pilots should have Pilot Workshops
http://oldfortyfives.com/thoseoldwesterns.htm
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Great Pictures of Key West and the Keys from the air
http://www.edtruthan.com/tileproxy/keys/floridakeys.htm
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A Real OH! Moment...
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Moose Hunters
Two Irish hunters persuaded a pilot to fly them to Canada to hunt moose. They managed to 'bag' six. As they were loading the plane to return, the pilot said the plane could take only four moose.
The two lads objected strongly. "Last year we shot six. The pilot let us take them all and he flew the same plane as you do."
Reluctantly, the pilot gave in and all six moose were loaded.
However, even on full power, the little plane could not handle the load and went down.
Somehow, surrounded by the moose bodies, Paddy and Mick survived the crash.
After climbing out of the wreckage, Paddy asked Mick. "Any idea where we are?"
Mick replied, "No, but I think we are pretty close to where we crashed last year."
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Actual
exchanges between pilots and control towers.
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Tower: "Delta
351, you have traffic at 10 o'clock, 6 miles!"
Delta 351: "Give
us another hint! We have digital watches!"
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Tower: "TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 degrees."
TWA 2341: "Center, we are at 35,000 feet.. How much noise can we make up
here?"
Tower: "Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits
a 727?"
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From an unknown aircraft
waiting in a very long takeoff queue: "I'm f...ing bored!"
Ground Traffic Control: "Last aircraft transmitting, identify yourself immediately!"
Unknown aircraft: "I said I was f...ing bored, not f....ing stupid!"
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O'Hare Approach Control to a
747: "United 329 heavy, your traffic is a Fokker, one o'clock,
three miles, Eastbound."
United 329: "Approach, I've always wanted to say this...I've got the
little Fokker in sight.."
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A student became lost during a solo cross-country flight.. While attempting
to locate the aircraft on radar, ATC asked,
What was your
last known position?"
Student: "When I was number one for takeoff."
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DC-10 had come in a
little hot and thus had an exceedingly long roll out after touching down.
San Jose Tower noted:
"American 751, make a hard right turn
at the end of the runway, if you are able. If you are not able, take the
Guadeloupe exit off Highway 101, make a right at the lights and return to
the airport."
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My favorite.
A Pan Am 727 flight, waiting for start
clearance in Munich , overheard the following:
Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in
English): "If
you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in
English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in
Germany . Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice
from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because you lost the bloody war!"
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Tower: "Eastern 702, cleared for takeoff, contact
Departure on frequency 124.7"
Eastern 702: "Tower, Eastern 702 switching to Departure. By
the way, after we lifted off we saw some kind of dead animal on the far end
of the runway."
Tower: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff behind
Eastern 702, contact Departure on frequency 124..7. Did you copy that
report from Eastern 702?"
Continental 635: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff, roger;
and yes, we copied Eastern... we've already notified our caterers."
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One day the pilot of a Cherokee 180 was told by the tower to
hold short of the active runway while a DC-8 landed. The DC-8 landed,
rolled out, turned around, and taxied back past the Cherokee. Some
quick-witted comedian in the DC-8 crew got on the radio and said,
"What a cute little plane. Did you make it all
by yourself?"
The Cherokee
pilot, not about to let the insult go by, came back with a real zinger: "I made it out of DC-8 parts. Another landing
like yours and I'll have enough parts for another one.."
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The German air controllers
at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a short-tempered lot. They not only
expect one to know one's gate parking location, but how to get there without
any assistance from them. So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am
747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control
and a British Airways 747,
call sign
Speedbird 206.
Speedbird 206: " Frankfurt , Speedbird 206! clear of active
runway."
Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha
One-Seven."
The BA 747
pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.
Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are
going?"
Speedbird 206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate
location now."
Ground (with
quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt
before?"
Speedbird 206
(coolly): "Yes, twice in 1944, but it was dark, -- And I
didn't land."
******************************************************
While taxiing at London's Airport, the crew of a US Air flight departing
for Ft. Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with a United
727..
An irate female ground controller
lashed out at the US Air crew, screaming:
"US Air
2771, where the hell are you going? I told you to turn right onto Charlie
taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right there. I know it's difficult
for you to tell the difference between C and D, but get it right!"
Continuing her
rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically: "God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll
take forever to sort this out! You stay right there and don't move till I
tell you to! You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an
hour, and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and
how I tell you! You got that, US Air 2771?"
"Yes, ma'am," the humbled crew responded.
Naturally, the ground control
communications frequency fell terribly silent after the verbal bashing of
US Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance engaging the irate ground controller in
her current state of mind.. Tension in every cockpit out around Gatwick
was definitely running high. Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence
and keyed his microphone, asking: "Wasn't I married to you once?"
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Aviation Videos
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos My videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1pG9LylhzQ Air Cam
http://www.aopa.org/oshkosh/oshkosh09/articles/090801a380.html?WT.mc_id=ebrief%20 OshKosh 2009
http://www.pilotworkshops.com/public/207.cfm Doug Stewarthttp://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid626910413?bclid=9230910001&bctid=33194964001 AirVenture OshKosh
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=584_1251673527 Low Pass
http://www.tailsp.in/aircraft-carrier-uss-john-c-stennis-launching-aircraft
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WISDOM FROM TRAINING MANUALS
'If the enemy is in range, so are you.'
- Infantry Journal-
'It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just
bombed.'
- US. Air Force Manual -
'Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword, obviously never
encountered automatic weapons.'
- General MacArthur -
'Tracers work both ways.'
- Army Ordnance Manual-
'Five second fuses last about three seconds.'
-
Infantry Journal -
'Any ship can be a
minesweeper. Once.'
- Naval Ops Manual -
'Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.'
- Unknown Infantry Recruit-
'If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up to him.'
- Infantry Journal-
'Yea, Though I Fly Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Shall
Fear No Evil. For I am at 50,000 Feet and Climbing.'
-
Sign over SR71 Wing Ops-
'You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3.'
- Paul F. Crickmore (SR71 test pilot)-
'The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.'
-Unknown Author-
'If the wings are travelling faster than the fuselage it has to be a
helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe.'
- Fixed Wing Pilot-
'When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane, you always have
enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash.'
-Multi-Engine Training Manual-
'Without ammunition, the Air Force is just an expensive flying club.'
-Unknown Author-
'If you hear me yell;” Eject, Eject, Eject!", the last two will be
echoes.'
If you stop to ask "Why?", you'll be talking to yourself, because by
then you'll be the pilot.'
-Pre-flight Briefing from a Canadian F104
Pilot-
'What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots?
If a pilot screws up,
the pilot dies; but
If ATC screws up, .... the pilot dies.'
-Sign over Control Tower Door-
'Never trade luck for skill.'
-Author Unknown-
The three most common
expressions (or famous last words) in military aviation are:’ Did you
feel that?' 'What's that noise?' and 'Oh S...!'
-Authors Unknown-
'Airspeed, altitude and brains . Two are always needed to successfully
complete the flight.'
-Basic Flight Training Manual-
'Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a
person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything
about it.'
-
Emergency Checklist-
'The
Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely
kill you.'
-
Attributed to Max Stanley ( Northrop test pilot) -
'There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime.'
-Sign over Squadron Ops Desk at Davis-Montham AFB , AZ -
'You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full
power to taxi to the terminal.'
-
Lead-in Fighter Training Manual -
As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft,
having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash
truck arrives.
The rescuer sees the bloodied pilot and asks, ‘What happened?'
The pilot's reply: 'I don't know, I just got here myself!
Pilot Philosophy
The difference between a duck and a copilot? The duck can fly.
A check ride ought
to be like a skirt.
Short
enough to be
interesting, but
long enough to cover
everything.
Speed is life. Altitude is life insurance.
It only takes two things to fly: Airspeed, and money.
The
three most dangerous things in
aviation:
1. A Doctor or Dentist in a
Cirrus.
2. Two captains
in a DC-9.
Aircraft
Identification:
If
it's ugly, it's British. If it's
weird, it's French.
If it's ugly and
weird, it's Russian.
Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another very expensive flying club.
The similarity
between air traffic controllers and pilots?
If a pilot
screws up, the pilot dies.
If ATC screws up, the pilot
dies.
New FAA motto: 'We're not happy, till you're not happy."
I give that landing a 9 . .on the Richter scale.
Basic
Flying Rules:
1. Try
to stay in the middle of the air.
2. Do not go near the edges of it.
3. The edges of the air can be recognized by the
appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and
interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly in
the edges.
Unknown
landing signal officer (LSO) to carrier pilot after his
6th unsuccessful landing attempt:
"You've
got to land here son. This is where the food is."
The three best things in life are: A good landing, a good orgasm, and a good bowel movement.
A night carrier landing is one of the few opportunities to experience all three at the same time.
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FIRST FA-22 FIGHTERS DELIVERED
TO
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE.
.jpg)
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The Aircraft flying along with the FA-22 in the last of these photos is The F-15, which will be replaced by The FA-22 which is several times Better.
In Actual In-flight (simulated) Combat Operations against the F-15, Two FA-22s were able to operate Without detection while they went Head to head against (8) F-15s. The FA-22s scored Missile Hits (Kills) Against all the F-15 Aircraft and the F/A-22s were never detected by Either the F-15s or Ground Based Radar. Maj. Gen. Rick Lewis said: 'The Raptor Operated Against All Adversaries with Virtual Impunity; Ground Based Systems Couldn't Engage and NO Adversary Aircraft Survived'!
FA-22 -- America 's Most Advanced Fighter Aircraft for the 21st Century! They're a titanium and carbon fiber Dagger. They're so advanced that if Their on-board locator is switched off Even our own satellites can lose track Of them. They're the first military Aircraft ever built that is equipped With a 'black-out button'. What that Means is this: The best conditioned fighter pilots are Capable of maintaining consciousness Up to in the vicinity of 15+ G. The Raptor is capable of making 22+ G Turns. If someday an adversary builds A missile that is capable of catching Up to one of these airplanes and a Raptor pilot sees that a strike is Imminent, he hits the 'b.o.b.' and the Airplane makes a virtual U-turn, Leaving the missile to pass right on by.
They know that in the process he will Temporarily lose consciousness, so the Raptor then automatically comes back To straight and level flight until he Wakes back up.
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FLYING WEST
I hope there's a place, way up in the sky,
Where pilots can go, when they have to die-
A place where a guy can go and buy a cold beer
For a friend and comrade, whose memory is dear;
A place where no doctor or lawyer can tread,
Nor management type would ere be caught dead;
Just a quaint little place, kinda dark and full of smoke,
Where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke;
The kind of place where a lady could go
And feel safe and protected, by the men she would know.
There must be a place where old pilots go,
When their paining is finished, and their airspeed gets low,
Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young,
And the songs about flying and dying are sung,
Where you'd see all the fellows who'd flown west before.
And they'd call out your name, as you came through the door;
Who would buy you a drink if your thirst should be bad,
And relate to the others, "He was quite a good lad!"
And then through the mist, you'd spot an old guy
You had not seen for years, though he taught you how to fly.
He'd nod his old head, and grin ear to ear,
And say, "Welcome, my son, I'm pleased that you're here.
"For this is the place where true flyers come,
"When the journey is over, and the war has been won
"They've come here to at last to be safe and alone
From the government clerk and the management clone,
"Politicians and lawyers, the Feds and the noise
Where the hours are happy, and these good ol'boys
"Can relax with a cool one, and a well-deserved rest;
"This is Heaven, my son -- you've passed your last test!"
Author: Capt. Michael J. Larkin
Dedicated to: Capt. E. Hamilton Lee