Hanger Surprises

I need to remember to take a camera with me next time I'm flying.

Checking my calendar I saw that my currency time at Ahart was about to expire, so a flight block was quickly scheduled earlier this week. Given the up and down weather and the flu bug at my household I was certain I would miss the date and end up on another instructor ride. Not that it's a bad thing to go out and have some instruction, but I just like to know that I can go out by myself if I feel like it.

I scheduled one of the 182T's this time out. It's more family sized and a few knots faster, so I still use it on solo trips. It's not a Mooney, but it keeps me out of the 172's.

As I pulled up in my car, the doors to the hanger where already open and the plane was being fueled. Looking in the corner of the mostly bare hanger I noticed what looked like an odd hangar shrine.

One torn sectional, an uncashed check for a small amount, half used bottle of Pepto Bismol, a few pens and an earring. I hope the aviation sprits have been pleased by the sacrafice.

The more interesting hanger fun came after a couple of older gentlemen pulled up to the hanger just across from the one I was in. I hadn’t paid much attention to them except for a “pilot wave” as they arrived as I was in the middle of preflight (the Artful pilot focuses on the preflight, a skipped item from a distraction could really suck later on).

After the preflight I glanced up, and peaking through the partially open hangar doors was the nose of this P-51D.

The P-51D is my favorite aircraft of all time. It is still my piloting goal to fly one of these planes one day. Unfortunately opportunity and dollars have not aligned themselves for this to happen.

Anyway, the owner invited me in to take a closer look. What a great big shinny beast. Plus it’s a bargain to fly at only $1500/hr.

After some drooling and silly comments like, “Nice plane..”, I thanked him for inviting me in.

The 182 isn’t as sexy a ride after that, but it had it’s own shrine and for a while it did it’s own dance in the sky.