What are your most interesting hangar conversations with other pilots when the weather is bad and your just hanging out at the airport

[rocketman]

One of the things I like most about my Rocket and 201 is the ability to "hangar fly" when the weather is bad. I know on weekends and evenings when I have a few hours of free time, I go to the airport to converse with fellow pilots on the ground. Its amazing the wide variety of topics we discuss and what I have learned despite the type of plane we each own. What would be interesting to know are the most interesting and enlightening conversations you have had with other pilots when the weather is bad and are forced to enjoy your plane while it sits in your hangar.

[Piloto]

For me bad weather is when is raining. I would only come to the airport to do work on my plane. You do not see many pilots hanging around during rain, However on sunny days many pilots come to fly and wax their planes. This is the time when most likely I get to see my hangar neighbors and talk about anything. Like in most gatherings conversation runs mostly about the latest events in flying and politics. With a new neighbor the topic is usually related to his prior location, reason to relocate and about his plane. My next door neighbor just got a 2007 B58 and all he talks about is how great his plane is. But that is nature of proud aircraft owners.

José

[Jamie]

Where I learned to fly (20 years ago), we had a picnic table out in front of the hangar, a soda machine, a loaner bicycle and an airport dog. I was in grad school and didn't have a lot of money. What little I did have was sloooooowly paying for my flying time. A lot of time was spent at the table, riding the bike and playing with the dog.

I don't remember the conversations, but I remember that scene like it was yesterday.

[M016576]

When you fly for a living the conversations on "bad weather days" tend to be about how bad the weather actually is and how "excited" we all are to be able to go flying in it...

[Jeff_S]

My most interesting "hangar talks" always seem to occur over the phone, when I'm catching up with any of my pilot friends who I haven't seen in awhile. Then we regale each other with stories of our last flights, those awesome tailwinds (that only seem to occur during those conversations), how low the ceiling was when we shot that approach (in MVFR conditions) and any other lies we feel like telling at the time.

Unfortunately where I'm berthed, there isn't a great deal of "hanging out" that gets done, although I am right across the aisle from one of the Biplanes Over Atlanta Wacos so I often go hang out there and chat with the A/P while he's fixing things up. It's fun to hang out around those planes and dream about owning one.

[marks]

I was in Iceland the summer before last and I met a pilot (retired) who was there to meet a newswoman he had met the summer of 1984 when he flew a 65 hp. Taylorcraft from California to Israel. He did it all without any navigation radios of any kind, just dead reckoning. He crossed the Davis Strait into southern Greenland, then Iceland, then the Faroe Islands, then Norway, and then south. I was very skeptical when I heard the story, but he offered to send me a copy of his DVD of the trip, complete with pictures of his FAA documents for over-gross operations, etc. The DVD was unbelievable with all the spectacular scenery and his little airplane sometimes parked next to various jets etc. I met his wife too and the whole story represents the most amazing "hangar story" I've ever heard.

[thinwing]

where i am based if the weather is crummy everybody stays home unless I am going someplace..than because its probably an ifr departure on a schedule I usually am all business and wouldnt take time to talk to any one anyway.As Piloto says ..its the sunny days that all the hangers are open and its airport bum BS time.