Friendly GA

[carqwik]

You meet the nicest folks on a day of flying...

 

Co-piloted in a 201 up to Cottonwood, AZ on Saturday.  (Ok, I actually just rode right seat...)  The goal was to go to a new place and try out a new $100 bkfst place.  Plan was to walk about 1.2 miles from the airport to a local eatery called "Annie's."  Of course, being summer in AZ, it gets hot quickly in the morning and by the time we arrive...around 11AM (late morning departure...not typical for AZ), it was already 90 or so.  Thankfully, a couple of EAA guys were working on an RV there and one offered us a ride.

 

Then, at the restaurant, a guy went to pay his bill and noticed that he had a Dave Clark baseball cap.  Asked him if we was a pilot...and one thing led to another and we got a ride back to the airport.  Better yet, he gave us a tour of Cottonwood first...learned about his airplane history, and shared the camaraderie of GA.  Better yet, he told us that the airport does have an automated wx station that comes on via the unicom freq....except the Feds haven't published the info yet. 

 

So thanks to the two guys who gave us lifts...glad we didn't have to walk in the heat!

[wiguy]

Yep, one meets the friendliest people around an airport. It usually starts with some conversation.

[Ned Gravel]

OK, so here is one from last night.

 

Yves got two others to do some formation training at an airport about 30 miles away from my home drome and 35 from his.  We were four aircraft.  The instructors jumped in to the newbie's a/c and Yves and I played lead for an hour.

 

One of the newbies (David) was a fellow I had apparently met four years ago at Rockcliffe as he was hanging around. interested in a ride in a Mooney because he was considering one, but he needed to get the feel of one.  Big fella worried about the space in the cabin.

 

No problem.  We do the walk around, jump in and go for about 30 minutes.  I let him fly it a little.  He was apparently grinning from ear to ear.  He was convinced.  Last night he told me it was the 150 mph in no time that did it for him.  

 

Now, as a Mooney owner, he was interested in formation training with a bunch of other Mooney drivers.  Last night his wobble box for his first lesson was smaller than mine last year.  He is very good at station keeping.  Next year, he plans to fly with the Caravan.

 

He made sure I understood that I was the reason he was a fellow Mooney owner now.  Made my day.  Thanks David.