Changes in the landscape

While waiting to get a haircut this morning (some would wonder why with as little as I have left) I sat and busily graded essays from the mid-term exam I gave to my law school class the other night, and when I stopped for a minute, the somewhat elderly gentlemen next to me remarked that I must be a "professor." I told him that I was a lawyer but taught night school once a week. He asked what type of law I practiced, and I responded that I was an "aviation" lawyer. It turns out he was a physician, and was a pilot and AME who was in town visiting his children.

He owns and still flys an Aeronca Champ from a small rural airport in northeast Alabama. We had a nice chat about various old taildraggers, including the Luscombe 8A I used to own. I remembered flying into the small airport where he lives back in the late 60s - almost 50 years ago.

I remembered that the fuel pumps were not locked, and that after refueling, per instructions on the pump, I left the money for the fuel in a cigar box on the desk inside the small concrete block building that served as "flight ops" - which as I recall did not even have a door, never mind a lock.

He also remembered those days, but remarked that indeed the landscape has changed.

Still I have to say that the aviation community as a whole is made up of "mighty fine people" Agreed?

BTW - who else got up at o'dark thirty this morning to watch Ferrari put it 1-2 on pole for tomorrow's race!