Weather

I don't know if this will affect anyone but tonight I was looking out of our front window at the clouds in the east over the mountains changing in an unstabile weather condition and I remembered when I was working at the airport in Florida in 1945-6-7-8 summers and watching chards of moisture form little tendrils of that were visible that grew into cotton puffs by noon and then by three o'clock in the afternoon they were cummulus thunder bumpers and soon thereafter towering thunder storms that ascended to 30,000 feet or better with anvil heads and violent black feet and lightening. That area could brew the worst storms in the summer and it was fascinating to watch but not good to fly in. They were vicious.

 

Sarasota-Bradenton on the Gulf coast.

 

Only in my memories now. I'm going to be 83 in a month and since I had a small stroke, an aortic aneurysm, and a hemorrhage I have been grounded. I still fly with my son, however, when I can, and I still have the touch...at least that's what he says. He has access to quite a few old tail draggers and we go up to get a few bugs in our teeth. I still love getting up there.
When I grew up in Sarasota Venice was about 2 blocks long and Sarasota maxxed-out at 8000 souls in the summer and about 16000 in the winter. I can't stand to see what it has become. It was paradise then and I didn't know it.
Thanks for chatting and like my mom always said, " Fly low and slow."
Switches

 

Thanks , Russ. I appreciate that and I would really like to try my hand on the stick of your T-28. That looks like a " right airplane" and the verve that would make it fun to fly. Maybe one of these days I'll get down there where I was 65 years ago and see what it's like to fly that beautiful airplane.
A TBM. Now that is a great airplane, too. My most memorable incident with the TBM was when Paul Mantz landed at Sarasota-Bradenton with a TBM purchased surplus from Norfolk NAS to use in the movie, " On An Island With You" that was filmed partially at Sarasota field in 1948 or '49 with Peter Lawford and Esther Williams. We maintained it for them and helped with the re-painting of it so that it looked pretty for the movie. I have never seen a big airplane with such a low landing speed. We had an interesting time with chatting with Mantz and chasing Esther Williams around when she was " doing the town " at night. Man! What a dynamo she was!
The TBM has never had any bad press and it would be a great war bird to campaign.
Switches

 

I suppose I shouldn't comment on this. When I lived there in the 30's-40's and 1950 we didn't have anybody that needed a " Guru". We didn't know what a " Guru" was. We lived a simple honest life where we were all pretty much on the same level. We swam, fished for what we needed, hunted quail and ducks, dodged rattlers, and knew just about everybody. We never had to lock the doors if we left the house and if someone came in when we were gone there was a note that they had borrowed some sugar or salt or eggs. We always got paid back. There were no drugs, no gangs, and no maniacal imbeciles. We boys could walk down main street with a shotgun or rifle to go to the hardware store for ammunition and no one noticed. As high school kids we raised a bit of hell but we never hurt anyone or did damage to private property...that we didn't fix. We made no enemies from what we did but we did cause a bit of heartburn to the cops. There were no rich people who made certain that you knew that they were rich. They were there but they fit in. It was great place for anyone to live then but it was discovered by the military during the war and when it was over the rush was on. Now some of the beaches are gone, the fish are gone, much of the natural beauty is gone, but there are plenty of 20 story hotels and GURU's.