On to Utah

Sunday morning we are up and out early to Heber City, UT. Timing is important as we are to rendezvous with another airplane called a Harpoon over a lake near Park City and fly in together in a formation of sorts. We stop for fuel in Riverton, WY, and as is often the case, we have erred on the side of safety and are early. We enter the FBO like a hoard of Huns, hit the facilities, pop tons of popcorn and put a strain on the drink machine. After wreaking havoc, we regroup, load up and are gone, leaving the residents to wonder....what was that all about?
The mountains in Utah are greener than the last two states we have been in and that is a surprise. Somehow Utah seemed like a place that should have tall craggy orange-red peaks. There are also more trees. Gene and David are our pilots for the morning. The passengers are watching the time for 2PM is the appointed time and sure enough, at that exact time Zane comes back into the cabin to tell us that the other place has appeared and we all rush to that side to see and take pictures. We make some passes over Park City before going on to the airport at Heber City.
We have a welcoming committee there of Tony DiSantis and Jeff Selby who have flown into Salt Lake City earlier in the day plus Jane Gorrell and several friends. This airport is situated with a picturesque lake at the end of the runway, curving between two mountains. The Heber Valley/CAF Air Museum is housed in a hanger at the edge of the airport and we all gather there.
It is a small, but well done museum and features two Stearman bi-planes. Jane and her friend, Bambi Knight have arranged a hamburger cook-out for us there. Bambi has installed a Victory Garden behind the hanger and our dinner features produce from the garden.
After dinner, David recruits Peggy and I to take rides in the Stearman. In this type of plane, the passenger rides in the front. It has an open cockpit....think Snoopy and the Red Baron. First I squeezed into the tiny cockpit and then David started snapping me in and pulling straps tight. When I felt like a mummy, he said, "Well that is your parachute, now lets work on the seatbelt." ??? He also gave me instructions on getting out in case of emergency and I thought, yeah, right. I cannot even move and I am supposed to extract myself from a falling plane in midair and pull a parachute??
The route of this ride goes up through the pass over the Heber City reservoir, over Robert Redford's Sundance home and wanders around and amongst the peaks and valleys,turning back at Utah Lake near Provo. It is an incredible experience, that reminded me of IMAX movies where you swoop over peaks and down into valleys. There were lakes and waterfalls. A ride like this would cost $300, but we ride free.
Being members of the Flagship Detroit Foundation gives us the opportunity to experience incredible things at very little cost. Sure, we work hard also, but at something we enjoy. Many of our table conversations are about history and Peggy pointed out that were we not all interested in history, we would not be in the group.
This night the group scatters. Gene and I are staying with the Gorrells. Peggy and Jake are with Dave Ashworth, an old Navy buddy of Jake's who live in the same neighborhood. The remaining crew are in a nearby resort hotel.
Monday morning, David and Gene go open the plane to tours, while Jane, Peggy and I take a long walk. The two of them are younger and in better shape and I was really panting in the altitude, but kept up. Zane and Deanna enjoy sleeping in. The whole gang reconvenes at the airport in the early afternoon and are entertained all afternoon watching a camera crew photograph models with the vintage aircraft. These models were not what one imagines when thinking of that word. They were supposed to be making a calendar for the museum. There is a small but fairly steady stream of people who come by to tour the Flagship and some make generous donations. We are a non-profit and have to feed this hungry airplane constantly. She drinks 100 gallons of fuel and a gallon of oil for each hour of flight.
At 6PM we make a membership flight with 13 passengers, both stewardesses in uniform, and Gene and David at the controls. The stews do a real song and dance take off on the standard briefing given by today's flight attendants. Jane has made chocolate dipped strawberries to serve the passengers as they board. They take the same route up through the pass as the Stearmans and both pilots declare it to be one of the most scenic flights ever taken. The passengers were absolutely giddy and ever so grateful for this opportunity. Gary Brubaker has shown up with many stunning photo prints from the day before, including shots of the Stearman flights, which he generously hands out.
Fourteen of us end up at Adloph's for dinner. The crew is augmented by Dave Ashworth, Linda Belgiano, Bambi Knight, and Chris Roon who were with us at the airport. The chef of this restaurant is Swiss native and the food is more than excellent. However, it is after 11PM when we close the place down.