Tuesday, January 30, 2018

An OF's Night of Stories

As I posted the other day I'm doing the initial Sim training for an old friend/crew member and his partner. We finished the training yesterday morning and all they have left to do is the Type Ride Flight Test in a couple of days. Last night we had them over for whisky and hamburgers.

Of course after the hamburgers the whisky led to "there I waz" and "can you believe this idiot I used to fly with" stories while we set around a fire on the patio. Some of the stories included flying a dead Muslim and his family to catch a 747 out of KJFK not too long after 9/11 and riding on a 2X6 plank in the back of a Cushman trike, after midnight, through the jungles of  Columbia, with about $10,000 USD cash in my pocket for 5 or 6 miles to clear customs.  Both times Arturo was as jumpy as the cat in a room of rockers. It was a damn good night and even MsBubba enjoyed the stories, mostly because she figured in many of 'em.

As we were saying our good nights, MsBubba said "There were a lot of stories I've never heard before". After all these years that doesn't happen often, most of the time it is an eye roll and "there he goes again".

ken

6 comments:

  1. Nothing like an open fire and some good friends to get the stories going.
    I am impressed that you had stories that MsBubba hadn't heard before, I find that reaction harder and harder to find at home :-)

    Brgds
    Jonas

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    1. Jonas,

      Yep, she pretty much stopped me dead in my tracks. Any more it is mostly an eye roll and a desperate try to change the subject.

      It is always good to spend time with old friends and fire and whisky always helps.

      ken

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  2. Nothing compares to catching up with old friends around a campfire... nothing
    Add a few drinks and the stories we could tell :-)

    Bob, who had a few drinks around campfire :-)

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    1. Bob,

      Arturo started as my very green F.O.. After flying together for several years he became a good friend and a very good pilot. We flew together pretty much 5 days a week all over the Americas. So there are a few stories to tell, witch usually get better with each re-telling :-).

      We just had a Blue/Blood Moon this morning. I almost missed it because I was whacking away at the kitchen cart. What was nice is we are close to ending winter and MsBubba and I were in shirt sleeves to watch.

      ken

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  3. Steve D6:07 AM

    Wish I was there for the Colombia story. And the whiskey. And the fire.

    No patio fires in my neck of the woods...

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    1. Steve,

      It is a good one, mostly for Arturo's reaction and a little for the absurdity of the whole thing. Arturo was so sure we were being taken somewhere to rob/kill he was jumping out of his skin.

      We have a small fire pit in the patio deck, The patio looks out over a wide wash with mountains to both the left and right. It is really nice to have a fire and enjoy the view on cool evenings. Add friends and whisky and it doesn't get much better.

      ken

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