You might have seen the entire picture on the homepage. What it referred to has happened more than a year ago.
So an update is definitely called for – even if not much has actually happened.
Not during the last 9 months, not in the life of WhiskyBlue, other than getting a new hangar mate and then moving to a
different hangar altogether.
It’s not for my not trying, it’s because the world fell into a temporary (I sure hope!!) abyss: Between the pandemic of Covid 19 and the pandemonium of the election battle in the US there remained very little to be cheerful about.
The pandemic still has me stranded in Germany. No flying, only watching videos of selected you-tubers and contributors to backcountrypilot.org flying allover the places I had planned to visit.
And trying to keep frustration (and envy) from adding more bad vibes to my already “unsettled” life.
One of the few uplifting (pun intended) moments are the more or less regular bi-weekly chats over the phone with Greg. He is taking care of my “blue and white taildragger”, as I add descriptively to the N-number of WhiskyBlue when I announce my intentions over the radio while operating around uncontrolled airports.
It was during one of those conversations that he told me about his recent ferrying a Cessna 180 from Alaska to New England.
Oh man, that way of flying, the spectacular scenery, the unforgettable experiences when crossing almost the entire continent….
When I reminded him that my dream of flying a Cessna around the US was spawned by a book about a young pilot bringing a new 170 from the factory to a friend in Alaska Greg went full bore with his enthusiasm about encouraging me to plan an Alaska trip myself.
“You gotta do it! The ultimate adventure for your bird and you! What an epic trip that will be” he raved/insisted.
Well, he didn’t have to kick very hard to smash that door – flying in the tracks of this young pilot from Wichita to Fairbanks had been on my mind from the moment on I took my dream seriousy – albeit in a drawer safely hidden away and labelled “phantasies”.
Now Greg had unknowingly pulled it from its dark corner and ripped it open.
I couldn’t help but sense another deja-vu coming: that book again…
First it got me moving on that barnstorming-in-a-C170 dream and now it is trying to seduce me into following its protagonist to Alaska!!
While my wings are severely clipped by the paralysing effect of this virus on social and mobile life and the resulting travel restrictions it is certainly a welcome distraction to dream about the life after and start plotting possibe routes of my ultimate flying challenge and adventure.
Hola WOLF,
This site is great.
Alaska?
Look forward to hearing more about it. I will have a new podcast up in a few days for one of my old adventures. Still in the 70s.
I’ll let you know.
This site is very enjoyable.
Jeff