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Phil Lightstone (from August 2000 Newsletter)
The Buttonville Flying Club's "A" team took to the air Friday, August 22, 1999 for Oshkosh AirVenture 1999. The team included Billy Lowe, John van Lieshout, Gary Lowe, Gary's friend Greg, Tina Rogers, Ray Nissan, Phil Lightstone, Sharon Eddy, Sharon's son, David, Matthew Stikeman, Dr. John Cocker, Dr. Jeremy Hall, and John Donaldson.
Day two of our adventure broke with severe clear VFR weather. Breakfast was unbelievable. Another trip to the campus's buffet cafeteria. All you can eat for $2.50. The room was filled with aviators, spouses and aviation buffs.
After breakfast, it was off to the shuttle bus to aviation's Mecca. Two dollars later, we were on the bus. No fighting for parking here. The bus ride was about fifteen minutes and the gang couldn't wait. Each of us had pre-flighted our cameras, sun screen, aviation goodie checklists and cash. The bus dropped us at the main gates. In a few minutes we had all registered and had our wrist bands on. The gates and aviation heaven awaited.
What a sight. As far as the eyes can see, airplanes. What can I say ... as I passed through the gates I was awestruck. Airplanes, hangers, exhibits, people and more airplanes, were everywhere. The one thing that I noticed was how friendly and helpful everyone was. Once inside the gates, we decided to meet at the tower at 12:00. In less than twenty seconds the gang had dispersed. Billy and I were left on the ramp in front of four massive hangers packed with exhibits. We entered hangar "A" for our first foray into the commercial side of aviation. In less than two minutes we were separated. I didn't see Billy until noon. Rumor has it that Billy became Cirus's newest test pilot.
What a commercial scene. The hangars were filled with exhibits and lots of goodies for sale. Wow, everything from tires to the latest Garmin 430. Commotion everywhere. The amount of dollars which exchanged hands over the week must have been immense. That being said, it was a lot of fun to look at all of the aviation "stuff" for sale. One of the exhibitors had Bob Hoover in the booth autographing posters.
Every aircraft manufacturer on the planet had a large tent showing off their birds. It was great fun touching and feeling 1999 examples of their manufacturing. The Commander booth was the best. The interior of the latest 115 was sub contracted to Lexus. Our fearless 112 driver, Larry Aziz, took his lead from the examples at the show. For those of you who have had the luxury to fly with Larry, I think that you'll agree that Larry's interior was done by Mercedes!
I finally caught up with Billy at the Grumman booth. Billy had his eye on a new 1999 Tiger. Quick as a flash, out came Ross Johnson, the company salesman. Ross was a cross between shark and snake, in polyester garb. Quicker than I could say, "put your hand on your wallet", Ross had Billy in his sights. I think that it was the drool that gave Billy away. In less than 15 minutes, Ross was writing up a bill of sale and Billy was calling his compadres at the CIBC to arrange a "special" loan. It was all that I could do to pull him away from the evil clutches of the Grumman seductress.
Fortunately, Bob Hoover was walking by the tent at the time. In less than 30 seconds, I explained the problem to Bob ... how do we get a love bitten, flying maven out of the clutches Ross. Bob, ever the gentleman, offered to help. "Hey, young man, yes you, my right seater is sick, can you fill in for her during the air show. In less than 2 seconds, Billy was hooked to Bob. I understand that Bob let Billy fly the Twin Commander. Can you imagine Billy at the controls performing loops and rolls with one engine out?
Oshkosh is a lot of work. The team spent the day outside ogling airplanes and other gadgets. Lots of walking, lots of sun, lots of people and lots of airplanes. By 6:00pm I could have eaten a bear. Back to the university for a quick shower and a sauna. Post haste, we were back in the van and on to dinner. Dinner was at Billy's favorite steak place. The service was fabulous, the food was enormous and the beer was cold. Suffice to say that the steak required two plates to hold it. The beer flowed and the conversation was stimulating and but of course, about airplanes.
While we were eating, in walked the two doctors ... Dr John and Dr Jeremy. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room at our tables for the two doctors. Too bad, Dr John has the best stories. Also, his British accent adds a certain mystery to his story telling. I think that Billy had been to this restaurant once or twice. Billy knew everyone in the bar, especially the blonde bar tender.
Sunday morning came quickly. Again, the usual trip to the cafeteria for the buffet. After packing our tummies and packing the van, we were off. Tina and Sharon just had to stop at an outlet mall. We agreed to meet back at the van at 11:00 am. I was done my window shopping by 10:15. Back to the van and guess who was waiting for me .. our fearless leader, Ray Nissan. Ray and I laid back, listened to the tunes on the radio and watched a sky writer draw pictures in the air.
After a leisurely wait, the rest of the troops appeared. Gary had purchased some adorable clothing for Honor. Greg bought out the Black & Decker factory outlet. Thanks Ford for the roof rack. The flight back to Buttonville was uneventful. Simple, keep the lake on the right! In an effort to increase our flight time, our trusty Rockwell Commander took the scenic route. Up to the top of Lake Michigan and down Lake Huron. To say that that part of the world is incredibly scenic is a huge understatement!
We cleared Canadian customs at Gore Bay-Manitoulin Island. The airport is quite scenic and the folks are pleasant and helpful. Customs was a breeze. The nice customs official looked at our paper work and with a courteous tip of her hat waved us on. A quick pit stop and we were back in the air. In a few short hours, we were back on the ramp at Buttonville. Another adventure for the memory banks.