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 LEST
WE NOT FORGET
This July is birthday month for the good old USA. Thousands
of Americans have died on foreign soil protecting the freedoms
of those who live in that foreign country and those who live in
this country. In this issue we attempt to show some of the
things we, as Americans, are proud. With all of America’s
imperfections, I still would rather live here than any other
place in the world. One of the ways I express my appreciation
for those who have died preserving my freedom is to always VOTE.
Retention of that freedom has cost thousands of lives. There is
an excellent article that Red Skelton wrote in the sixties and
we have reprinted it in this issue. I believe that what he said
was not just for that generation, but for this generation, as
well. Since 1960, we as Americans have lost many of our
freedoms, sometimes in the name of, “It is for your protection.”
That bothers me, somewhat. Since thousands have died to preserve
my freedom, I hate to have Congress or some demented Mayor take
them away.
LETS FLY!
Part of what makes this aviation world spin is the sharing of
flight we do with the young. When you want to go flying, take a
kid with you. That youngster may be tomorrows space shuttle
pilot. I have flown long enough to watch some of the kids I took
flying back in the eighties turn into pilots. Now, that I
enjoy!!! It is nice to think that perhaps the flight I gave them
might have turned on a bulb. Some how my bulb was turned on
before I ever flew in an airplane. I will never know why.
PRESIDENT’S TFR ON THE MOVE
With President Bush on the move for his 2004 campaign, pilots
better watch out. That now expanded and ‘useless’ 30 mile TFR
that surrounds Air Force One on the move is more dangerous to
unsuspecting pilots than it is as protection for the President.
If you want a good cause to pursue, this is it. Downsizing this
TFR and removing those over Disneyland and “Dworld” would do for
a start. Removing the other TFRs, since there is no substantial
threat, would be logical. But then who said those who make
decisions use logic to do so?
OSHKOSH BOUND
At the end of this month will begin the second fifty years of
EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association). AirVenture is the
largest air event in the world. I am not sure that one could see
it all in three weeks. I will however make that trek northward
to see what is happening in the world of aviation. EAA
AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH is the world's premier aviation event and
EAA's yearly membership convention. Annual EAA members receive
substantial discounts on admission rates. For more information
on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or
www.eaa.org.
EAA AirVenture information is also available through the World
Wide Web at
www.airventure.org.
WHAT IS AN FBO?
Sometimes my non-pilot readers ask very good questions. One that
I get is, “What is an FBO?” Often we, as pilots, take for
granted that everyone knows what the aviation abbreviations
stand. FBO means Fix Base Operator, or in other words, the guy
who sells gas at an airport, in the simplest of terms. We try to
put the name and the abbreviation in the story at the same time.
Often, those of us who are pilots, use the abbreviation with out
thinking. I know that we do have none aviators as readers and we
will try to fill in the blanks whenever possible for them. |
