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Friday, April 30, after delivering my Fairy House to the Chimney Park Festival, Gene and I head for Scottsboro, AL to meet the DC3 and its crew for the annual Scottsboro fly in. The day is so perfect and lovely that it is hard to believe there are dire weather predictions for tomorrow. We leave the interstate at Adairsville, stopping for lunch at a new place there called the Sage Cottage. It is a very well appointed white tablecloth restaurant with really good food and great service. We enjoy our cross country journey through the north Alabama mountains and through picturesque Mentone. Our host, Mike Womacks, has arranged for himself and buddies to fly formation in Russian Yaks off the wings of the Flagship and escort her in and we do not want to miss it.
Friday, April 30, after delivering my Fairy House to the Chimney Park Festival, Gene and I head for Scottsboro, AL to meet the DC3 and its crew for the annual Scottsboro fly in. The day is so perfect and lovely that it is hard to believe there are dire weather predictions for tomorrow. We leave the interstate at Adairsville, stopping for lunch at a new place there called the Sage Cottage. It is a very well appointed white tablecloth restaurant with really good food and great service. We enjoy our cross country journey through the north Alabama mountains and through picturesque Mentone. Our host, Mike Womacks, has arranged for himself and buddies to fly formation in Russian Yaks off the wings of the Flagship and escort her in and we do not want to miss it.We arrive just as Mike and his son are about to depart to rendezvous with t
he others, then meet the Flagship. We wait on the tarmac in a golf cart squinting into the northern sky until at last we see the glint of sunlight on metal and the Flagship lumbers into sight with what first appears to be a swarm of mosquitoes off each wing. Turns out to be 8 Yaks. Wow!! They do a low pass down the runway and then sweep out over town to raise awareness of the event. This is repeated twice, then each plane does an individual fly by and 
finally they come in to land.
he others, then meet the Flagship. We wait on the tarmac in a golf cart squinting into the northern sky until at last we see the glint of sunlight on metal and the Flagship lumbers into sight with what first appears to be a swarm of mosquitoes off each wing. Turns out to be 8 Yaks. Wow!! They do a low pass down the runway and then sweep out over town to raise awareness of the event. This is repeated twice, then each plane does an individual fly by and 
finally they come in to land.Blake Butler from Shelbyville, TN is in the left seat, John Thatcher from Texas in the right and Lewis Drake of Murray, KY riding the jump seat. The last two were with us in Greenville. Blake is teasing me because I seem to want to call him Burke and initially did not remember meeting him last year. He and Gene have recently bonded over their love of guns and Piper Cubs, one of which Blake owns.
This Scottsboro show is a joy to work as Mike and his fellow volunteers really take good care of the participants. Gene met Mike at the Covington airport when he came here to interview for a flying job and brought him home to spen
d the night a few years ago. He is from Dodge City, KN and worked his way through school as a rodeo rider before a career as an airline pilot. After the plane is cleaned and spiffed, we head to Mike's hanger for appetizers and liquid refreshment where we are joined by the Yak drivers and some air show volunteers. Mike's son, David and wife Carol, arrive later with copious amounts of Pizza Hut pasta a great salad and all the extras. After a great meal and some hilarious yarn swapping, our crew loads into our Suburban and repairs to well appointed (that means the fridge comes with beer) trailers at the county park for the night.
This Scottsboro show is a joy to work as Mike and his fellow volunteers really take good care of the participants. Gene met Mike at the Covington airport when he came here to interview for a flying job and brought him home to spen
d the night a few years ago. He is from Dodge City, KN and worked his way through school as a rodeo rider before a career as an airline pilot. After the plane is cleaned and spiffed, we head to Mike's hanger for appetizers and liquid refreshment where we are joined by the Yak drivers and some air show volunteers. Mike's son, David and wife Carol, arrive later with copious amounts of Pizza Hut pasta a great salad and all the extras. After a great meal and some hilarious yarn swapping, our crew loads into our Suburban and repairs to well appointed (that means the fridge comes with beer) trailers at the county park for the night.Saturday morning there is a lot of anxious weather watching as we pig out on br
eakfast at the airport. Looks like we may have dodged the bullet, at least for several more hours. Today the volunteers are decked out in shirts the exact color of neon yellow hi liter. We head to the plane and set up shop under the wing in case of rain. Skies are grey and the wind goes from breezy to "grab that tee shirt." Our son, Richard, arrives from Birmingham for his first view of the Flagship and in no time is running the store like a pro. We get only a brief sprinkle throughout the day but each time we go back to the terminal we see the havoc being wreaked on Nashville including a house floating down the interstate.
eakfast at the airport. Looks like we may have dodged the bullet, at least for several more hours. Today the volunteers are decked out in shirts the exact color of neon yellow hi liter. We head to the plane and set up shop under the wing in case of rain. Skies are grey and the wind goes from breezy to "grab that tee shirt." Our son, Richard, arrives from Birmingham for his first view of the Flagship and in no time is running the store like a pro. We get only a brief sprinkle throughout the day but each time we go back to the terminal we see the havoc being wreaked on Nashville including a house floating down the interstate.For the people of Scottsboro, the Flagship is a really big deal. This is the first plane many of them have been inside and they declare it "huge." We wonder what they would think of triple 7. Our lines get so long that the guys do the briefing outside to save time. Neon tee shirters come by to ask if we need anything. Volunteers are grilling burgers and dogs in a nearby hanger to feed the crews and we partake later in the day. The Yaks are putting on formation demonstrations and offering rides. Cessnas are taking children on their first airplane rides and a bi-plane is selling rides. A bright yellow modern bi-plane with short swept wings called a Lion H
eart thrills the crowd with hi speed maneuvers. The high pitched whine of a jet engine draws our attention to the sudden appearance of a sleek jet painted in blue, grey and cream camo pattern which puts on a daring show before landing. At day's end we are treated to a steak dinner in the main hanger complete with live music. We are pretty much wiped out though and back to our quarters before 10. We have dodged the weather bullet for now but still have to figure out how to get out of here tomorrow.
eart thrills the crowd with hi speed maneuvers. The high pitched whine of a jet engine draws our attention to the sudden appearance of a sleek jet painted in blue, grey and cream camo pattern which puts on a daring show before landing. At day's end we are treated to a steak dinner in the main hanger complete with live music. We are pretty much wiped out though and back to our quarters before 10. We have dodged the weather bullet for now but still have to figure out how to get out of here tomorrow.
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