Yep, we were at the airport early. The "essential" luggage nearly filled the back of the SUV we hired to get us to the airport. Once at Alliance, we were treated like royalty rather than terrorists and another SUV drove us out to the plane where they guys immediately started preflight and Peggy and I packed ourselves into nests with all our needs within reach.
We blasted off just before 8AM and at 9:15 landed in Sweetwater, chosen for its cheap gas. They are so happy to see us! We give tours and free hats and koozies. We are on a goodwill tour now. The WASP museum is on the other side of the airport and they call people until they find s
omeone to open it for us, the local bank president, who is a delightful fellow. Too much to tell, but look up the Women's Airforce Service Pilots to learn about these brave and unappreciated young women who served in WWII. Dave bought a book about them which I have been reading all afternoon.
omeone to open it for us, the local bank president, who is a delightful fellow. Too much to tell, but look up the Women's Airforce Service Pilots to learn about these brave and unappreciated young women who served in WWII. Dave bought a book about them which I have been reading all afternoon.The cockpit picture here is called, Four Captains. The one of Gene pushing the prop is pre-flight prep, and lying on the pavement is just him resting in Sweetwater where it was pleasant when we arrived, but hot when we left.
The museum tour puts us a bit beh
ind schedule but off we go again, headed for Midland. The land below us is desolate and flat and we don't see much except oil wells and wind farms. The flight gets bumpier and bumpier. We are soon in Midland, hungry, and the wind is blowing a gale. The FBO (terminal for private aviation) restaurant is closed on the weekend, the terminal restaurant is closed on the weekend and our motel restaurant is, you guessed it, closed on the weekend. There is almost no one around and we get no help with parking the plane, no help with the luggage, so there are no tours, no free hats. But the FBO is spacious and well decorated and features some marvelous metal sculptures of oil and ranch life.
ind schedule but off we go again, headed for Midland. The land below us is desolate and flat and we don't see much except oil wells and wind farms. The flight gets bumpier and bumpier. We are soon in Midland, hungry, and the wind is blowing a gale. The FBO (terminal for private aviation) restaurant is closed on the weekend, the terminal restaurant is closed on the weekend and our motel restaurant is, you guessed it, closed on the weekend. There is almost no one around and we get no help with parking the plane, no help with the luggage, so there are no tours, no free hats. But the FBO is spacious and well decorated and features some marvelous metal sculptures of oil and ranch life.Oh, never mind, we need to see the Commemorative Air Force Museum. I really am hungry as I had opted to skip supper the night before and only ate a handful of grapes. Today a pack of crackers. But this museum is very professionally done and tells its stories with modern media of video, photo, and audio. Notably, they have a collection of bomber nose art, those pin-up girls that were painted on many of the WWII planes. They also told t
he stories of the men who painted them and showed the inspiration pieces they copied. Most of them were pretty racy and the quality of the art varies widely, but it was very interesting. There was a hanger of planes and a large and nicely appointed memorial water conservation garden. When we finished we were talking about where to eat and a girl from the visitors bureau came up to us who was in a tour and gave us a map of the city with all the restaurants on it. We opted for the Texas Roadhouse and arrived about 3PM and were surprised to see it in full swing.
he stories of the men who painted them and showed the inspiration pieces they copied. Most of them were pretty racy and the quality of the art varies widely, but it was very interesting. There was a hanger of planes and a large and nicely appointed memorial water conservation garden. When we finished we were talking about where to eat and a girl from the visitors bureau came up to us who was in a tour and gave us a map of the city with all the restaurants on it. We opted for the Texas Roadhouse and arrived about 3PM and were surprised to see it in full swing.We had an excellent meal, with mu
ch laughter and tale telling. A real meal was welcome after 25 hours. Today the topic was the inner workings of the airline industry. Returning to the hotel, Gene laid down across the bed and I curled up next to him and we slept for two hours. I never do that! But it sure felt good. Now he is off to meet the boys for more airplane tales. How many are there? An infinite number, I guess. We opted for an early start again tomorrow as hot air is bumpy air. It was 92 here but did not feel that hot with the wind. Tomorrow's destination is Phoenix, where again, it will be quite warm.
ch laughter and tale telling. A real meal was welcome after 25 hours. Today the topic was the inner workings of the airline industry. Returning to the hotel, Gene laid down across the bed and I curled up next to him and we slept for two hours. I never do that! But it sure felt good. Now he is off to meet the boys for more airplane tales. How many are there? An infinite number, I guess. We opted for an early start again tomorrow as hot air is bumpy air. It was 92 here but did not feel that hot with the wind. Tomorrow's destination is Phoenix, where again, it will be quite warm.
No comments:
Post a Comment