Granddaughter's Birthday = Guns/Trucks/ Planes

[oksmle]

Yesterday was my oldest Granddaughter's 15th birthday & she & her family came up to OK from Ft. Worth, TX, so the whole clan could help celebrate it. After lunch I told her to go into my gun closet & choose any pistol or rifle & it would be a birthday present from me. She didn't hesitate too long before she came out with a Victory Mod. .38 S&W & a Win. Mod. '92 in .44/40. Said she couldn't make her mind up between them & could I maybe let her have them both & it would count as next year's present too. I knew I was being "had" but it's damned difficult to say "No" when she smiles like that. Anyway, we loaded them up in my truck & drove to the range where she cranked off enough rounds in each to keep her happy 'til she got back home. One consolation: I won .55 cents from her in our "Penny a Point" challenge match. (Coffee cans at 50 yards)
After leaving the range we headed down to our local airport. It's about 4 miles away, all back roads so I let her drive the truck (first time behind a steering wheel),while I rode Shotgun pretending to have my eyes closed, which really shook her up. I love doing that. Fortunately we didn't encounter other traffic because she crept along at about 25 mph in a 45 mph limit. Then she was afraid to park next to the plane, but instead stopped across the apron (about 30 yards from the plane).
She had several hours in the "right seat" of our Cessna 150, but this was the first time she had ever been in, on or around our '46 Champ. It's been in a rebuilding process for the last year or so. While I walked her through the "preflight inspection" she didn't exhibit much confidence in a wood & fabric plane. Especially when I sat her in the front seat & after explaining all the (few) instruments, stepped out front & started the engine by "hand propping" the prop. I climbed in the back seat, took the controls, taxied out to the active runway (only one there) & commenced the aviating process. We climbed up about 1000' when I realized that it's been several years since I had flown the Champ from the rear seat. Oh well, to late now.
We spent a little over an hour up there with her doing most all the flying. I would demonstrate a manuver then she would do it, & keep trying 'til she felt comfortable. After I saw the muscles in the back of her neck begin to tighten up I took the plane & headed back to the airport. She was daydreaming out the right window as we crossed the Canadian river at about 500' when she yelled, "Grampy, there's a whole "flock" of deer swimming the river." Sure enough there was about 15 deer swimming across. I pulled up to a higher altitude so as not to frighten them & we circled around 'til they all reached the shore. Cool, huh.
After landing, while she put the plane in its hanger, I sat in the truck & entered her first official flight lesson in her very own log book, in the same type of plane I had my first lesson 50 years ago. She had no idea that she had just completed her first flight lesson. Kinda' cool, huh.

oksmle

[Scrounger]

Kinda cool????? Man, that's freezing!!!! There isn't much that possibly top that day in her life. What can you possibly do next year?

[scrapcan]

Do you need a surrogate grandson! I am not nearly that young, but I could be had for the likes of those prizes. Good to see that you take an active interest in her learning process. I bet she will not forget any of the three events of the day.

And with her having her own tools, you or her parents willnot have to set yours by the door when the boys show up.

[Bret4207]

GET OUTTA THE WAY MANLEY!!! I SAW HIM FIRST!!!

Uncle OKsmle, I've missed you sooooo much. I was in a tragic accident at.........uh..... an accordian factory...yeah thats it, and I lost my memory. But I've suddenly regained my memory and I want to be with my family. But the details of where my favoritist uncle in the whole world lives are a bit fuzzy. Please send directions to your gun vault and hanger, I mean your home so I can get there as soon as possible. Your loving nephew- Cletus T. Arbuckle 3rd Esq.

[Boz330]

After the 46 Champ (a good year BTW) that 150 is going to be pretty boring to her. Learning to fly with out the training wheels, she will be set for any of the other kind.
Very cool birthday though, kind of neat for a girl to be interested in aviation and guns.

Bob

[RugerFan]

GET OUTTA THE WAY MANLEY!!! I SAW HIM FIRST!!!


DANG IT you guys! I want a cool granpa too!!!!!

[Carteach0]

That is the single best story I have heard in many a long day.

Excellent sir, excellent!

You have sown seeds that will bear for a lifetime.

[Bigjohn]

oksmle, did you ever visit Australia? My mom reckons she used to date you.:kidding:

These are memories that will stay with both of you forever.

Best wishes,

John.

[medic44]

Manley your right. A boy came over to pick up my daughter and she was still cleaning her 20 ga Mossburg 500. Next date they spent 3 hrs shooting at our home range. Now I got myself a new son-in-law.

[Phil]

Still love the sound of an A65 engine. And I REALLY miss my Luscombe.

Cheers,

Phil

[Buckshot]

................Great story, and what a way for a 15 yo to spend the day. Lifetime memories!

That's one of the things I've wondered about was why I never was interested in getting a pilots licence? Too much other stuff going on I guess.

...........Buckshot

[Bret4207]

Still love the sound of an A65 engine. And I REALLY miss my Luscombe.

Cheers,

Phil

Just out of curiosity- How many of youse guys OWNED an airplane? I always said coporations owned airplanes, not people. Maybe I'm wrong.

[Phil]

Hi Tpr. Bret,

I owned a Luscombe 8A, my Dad built a J3 from a wreck (he'd built many planes through the years, the Cub was the last), my buddy had a Champ, my boss had a new Cessna 172, my Dad's pal had two Bell P-63's, a buddy of mine owned two P-63's, another buddy had a P-63, on and on.

Cheers,

Phil

[45nut]

privately owned planes were pretty common in SE AK when I was growing up. Not as many as boats but it wasn't an anomaly. My Uncle owned Ketchikan Air and I got a few ride alongs as a kid. Flying was a treat for me,,but it wasn't an uncommon thing.

I remember flying out of Seattle in a Grumman Goose, took off from dry land and landed on the water to this day and it was close to 40 years ago.

[Phil]

The Goose, now THERE was an airplane!

Cheers,

Phil

[9.3X62AL]

OKSMLE--

A day with Grandpa that she can tell her grandkids about......I'd wager there aren't many dry eyes after finishing this text. Mine sure weren't.

[Ricochet]

Man alive! Just ran across this. What a story!

[Linstrum]

Oksmle, the things you did together, what a wonderful gift you gave her!

If everybody had a pa or grandpa like you this country would be a lot better place! A LOT better place!

[oksmle]

If there is a "down side" to the story, it's that for the first time since I was 15 or 16 years old I'm without a lever action rifle in .44/40 caliber. For many years I had three. Two were rifles & one was an El Tigre carbine. When God started making the front sight on the carbine fuzzy all the time I took it back to Maryland, while attending a high school reunion, & gave it to a very good friend. Wasn't long before he began to suffer from the same malady, so his grandson now has it. The second one I gave to my son (granddaughter's dad) & he uses it down along the Tex/OK border (Red River) for deer & hogs. With cast bullets supplied by dad, of course. Now the third has gone to the granddaughter. And you know who'll supply the ammo for that one. So I'm in the market for another one. This time with the longest barrel I can get. Still have my .44/40 SA Colt with a 7 1/2" barrel which is my traveling companion. But that's kinda' like having only one sock. Everyone knows you can't have a .44/40, 45 Colt, .357 mag or .32/20 revolver without a matching lever action rifle. Right?

A couple of you made comments about the plane, or flying in general. Well, I started when I was 16 & got my private certificate when I was 17. I/we/the family have owned several planes over the years & the only one I really spent any money on was the Champ. That was because I wanted it restored to its original 1946 configuration, but using modern materials with updated instruments, avionics, etc., so I can fly it into most (but not quite) any airport in the country. The Cessna 150 is a 1965 E Model that I bought about a year ago so my daughter & son-in-law could get their "instrument rating" in. I have less money invested in the two planes than my next door neighbor has in his two Harleys. A lot less. Now that the Feds have approved the "Light Sport Aircraft" certificate a whole new area has opened which allows a person to fly certain airplanes such as the Champ, Cub, Taylorcraft, Ercoupe, or Luscombe using their valid driver's license. A couple of these are pretty decent "cross country" planes & will cruise about 100 mph, while carrying two people & a small amount of luggage. It isn't as simple as I make it sound, but it isn't difficult either. Just takes a bit of planning.

How many private pilots actually own planes? A lot more than you would probably imagine. It isn't as expensive as the general public thinks. As a group we're kinda' like cast boolit shooters. There are a lot more of us out there doing our own thing & not talking too much about it.

How do I/we use a privately owned plane.... Well, while Mrs. oksmle is away with a bunch of "Crazy Ladies," the first week of June I will be taking a cross country trip to Michigan to visit some friends. The trip normally takes about 18 hours driving straight through. And I'm no good for a day afterwards when I get there. The 150 will make it in 10 hours with two gas stops (actually one if I want to tempt fate) & I won't be fighting any traffic along the way. Then during the rest of the summer Mrs. oksmle & I will use the Champ to explore the small "grass strips" in OK, AR, KA & MO. There's just enough room to carry a "pop-up" tent & a few necessities (fly rods taped to the lift struts) for over night camping.

Life is good .... oksmle

[Bret4207]

Dang man- I got a long sloping field that faces west into the breeze. Wonder if the Gubermint is selling any OV-10 Broncos....

[rvpilot76]

I helped rebuild an Aeronca Champ during A&P school. I now work on the world's fastest piston twin. Check it out:

http://www.werostaraircraft.com

I've still got most of my notes from rebuilding the A65 that went in that Champ. I've got some time in a J3 Cub; one of the best times I've had in an airplane. Made the C150 I was flying at the time seem boring, which it was. I'd much rather have a taildragger than a nosedragger. Here's a pic of an "improved" SuperCub that an engineering friend and I are building. Ever see a Cub with Fowler flaps?

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/rvpilot76/Hornet3.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/rvpilot76/Hornet2.jpg

This is gonna be a great plane. We made jigs as well, so the plane will be reproduced. :-D It's got the stance of a Scout, and will be built around those similar specs.

Kevin

[1hole]

Having grandkids and great-nephews and -neices gives life a whole new meaning. And being a grandpa to them had been my highest privilige.

You did a good thing for the young lady. And for yourself too.

I had my first "miracle" flights at 14 in a Super Pacer in '54 while a buddy and I helped the owner/pilot build a cheap shelter "hanger" on an abandoned WWII training strip in HOT south Georgia. That pilot is long dead now but his memory isn't, nor will it be while friend Wayne and I live.

[MT Gianni]

I live on a private airport and this thread almost makes me reconsider flying a small plane. Gianni.

[medic44]

oksmle I'm working on a 1300 ft strip next to my 400 yd range. It will be about 2 yrs then maybe if you come to Kansas City we can meet and shoot some boolits

[oksmle]

oksmle I'm working on a 1300 ft strip next to my 400 yd range. It will be about 2 yrs then maybe if you come to Kansas City we can meet and shoot some boolits

That's a long way for the Champ, but I bet we can do it. What will you be flying out of the strip once its completed & what's it close to? Is auto gas available? It's been so long since the Champ has had a drink of Av-gas, she would probably swallow a valve if I gave her some.
Sounds good .... oksmle

[Four Fingers of Death]

I was reading the local paper today and a WW2 air ace died recently. He built a plane at 80yrs old and flew it until he was 85! Amazing!!

[medic44]

Got my eyes on the J-3 that I soloed in 25 yrs ago. Best friend I ever had was my land lord the first summer I got married. He taught me to reload and gave me free flight lessons. Andy is getting old now. I would love to have the memories of that old J-3. I've got a 100 gal tank in the back of the old pick-up