It was obviously built by hand and a few minutes into our inspection, the owner came over and said Hello. After exchanging hellos D started walking back but I didn't want to leave yet so I asked the gentleman some questions about his plane -- Was it loud, what type of horsepower/engine, does it have a heater, how much did it cost etc.
He thought we were pilots! I told him no, not yet. And we continued on to compare Cessna vs kit planes for visibility. He was a fan of Diamond air crafts and when I brought up that my heart was captured by helicopters he gave me a hard look, broke into a wide grin and said "helicopters are fun!". I nodded in response, grinning myself.
He was getting ready to leave so we got to help him point and steady the plane for take off. Such a gentle demeanor while explaining wind directions to us. Makes for a great teacher. We thanked him for taking the time to answer our questions. He told us to keep an eye out for him in the winter as he replaces his floats with ski and lands on the snow/ice! I'd love to see that.
And the ultra cool thing? He was one of the pilots for the movie "Fly Away Home" and was wearing the T-shirt for Operation Migration. I cannot remember if he still flies with them today or not. I saw the documentary but not the actual movie so I have it on hold at our library.
You never know who you'll meet out there!
Your comment on the float plane caught my attention while catching up on past blogs. Part of our adventures ended up docking for the night at Killarney Mountain Lodge (while waiting for our daughters to arrive from Toronto for the weekend) where we were surrounded by about 20-25 of these (http://www.teamlake.com) who had gathered for a rendevous. Several had arrived from various states and the eastern seaboard. It was fun watching these land and taxi out of the water onto their shore perches.
ReplyDeleteWe ended up in the bar watching a slide show of 2 of the members having had a vacation to Alaska and Yukon, camping amongst the polar bears. They wipe the nose of the planes with lysol to mask any smell of food that may be on board. Looked like a pretty cool way to travel and see remote places. Knowing your appetite for keeping your feet off the ground, this may present yet another option for your consideration.
Til next time...
Are the leaves changing up there yet?
DeleteI'm flattered you'd think I would be up to such an adventure! Thanks for the link. I've never seen planes that looked like that before.
Didn't know about the lysol. I wonder why the nose and not around the doors?