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my ass

articfox

Registered User
Palmer Alaska
Have some extra time on my hands so I will share a small story with you.

I was trying to save my planes in Palmer a a few days ago. As the snow was slowly ex-foliating my every thing that was exposed I thought to myself, self, why is it that I don't have any money, a hanger, a new car, etc. About that time I lost my footing and fell square on my ass. You know the type of falling on your ass that knocks the wind out of you? Since it was blowing about a zillion miles an hour outside, I started sliding on my ass. I slid out of the yard across a tie down, past my tank full of av-gas, though the dead grass, across the ice, under the fuel truck guarding my airplane and stopped against my ski, next to my beloved airplane. My gloves were gone on their way to Birchwood, who the hell knows what happened to my hat, the seat of my carharts were damn near on fire and I was mad. Then it struck me. The shovel I was using followed me to rub it in. It struck me. This is when I had one of those epitome things. If I didn't have winged toys I would probably have more money, time, kids that liked to play with daddy. I know I would have less hassle trying to relearn how to breath with that shovel damn near stuck through my ribs. But, what the hell, I thought as I was trying peel myself off my ski, with my zipper stuck on the end of the spring that holds the ski toe up. If it wasn't this it probably would have been power boating or country western singing. Some thing else I would have been equally bad at (except Faith Hill should have been mine. She is a stone cold fox), so I just got up, shook off the pain, and the grass, looked at my airplane then fell on my ass again. O.k. so this time I got up on all fours, thanked my airplane for stopping me before I did damage to the guys airplane 30 feet down and clawed my way back to my office.
 
Nice story, you had me laughing out loud. Thx for sharing it! We're all in the same boat in one way or another.
 
maybe consider strings through your jacket to keep your gloves with you? :lol: :lol:

I find with my carharts that the rivit heads dig in to keep my slide down to a minimum, I usually only get to the middle of the nearest puddle :oops:

maybe I have more weight to push them down into the ice :drinking:

Read Service's "The Men That Don't Fit In"

Good to remember for pilots...
 
Got to cast my vote for Shania plus she's back on the market. Think she would be interested in a crusty old cub driver????
 
Good story sounds like my typical day, I have to agree with cub driver Shania does it for me, not to take anything away from Faith.
 
Articfox, we need more stories from you. Great sense of humor and you write well.

Bring it on

Randy
 
GREAT narrative. I'll help tie down your gear anytime, as long as you don't get too close.

I think I hear something in the distance: Could it be sj, or CoyoteUgly witing a REAL country song? I'm sorta thinkin' in the manner of Korb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans, e.g., "The Truck Got Stuck" or perhaps "He's Hard on Equipment."

http://www.corblund.com/videos.php

A couple tunes from Da' Yoopers come to mind, too :lol:

Thanks, eh? cubscout
 
Thought I'd share this one as I'm on some writing frenzy thing. It's a wonder I can even type.

It all started at Jerry's (Cubflier) hanger a few months ago. He let me in to annual the N-5 (HE-1 for you purists). Jerrys hanger is a great place. It's quiet, warm, musical, has nice calendars and I think there may even be a shiny #5 washer laying on the floor for picking. It's like a cubbers home heaven. I get misty thinking about it. Mainly, my emotion comes from the fact that I am still standing outside in this frikking snowbank of a state wishing I had a damn T-hanger. What gives? Why do I make all this money and still use this broom I stole from work so I can sweep off my wings? It took my Susan, my lovely wife 4 hours to shovel my spaces out.

Man what I'd give for a hanger. I'd give it a slick name like Area 53. Area 51 is taken and my shop is called Area 52 so it only stands to reason her name would be Area 53. I would put in floor heat so I can lay on my back and stare at the oily mess on the N-5's belly. She would have lights in every corner so when I loose a screw i can find it instead of sifting through the snow on all fours at some temp. below butt cold like a caribou. I know I saw that guy in the pa-12 ahead of me look at me with pity, but he wasn't about to get involved in that. OOOnnnnooo. Look at that jackwagon. HHHHaaaaaaahhaa. dropped a screw. (I'll get him) Wait till he loses a tailcover. I ain't picking it up. Frankly, it will just hang up in my airplane anyway.

So, I would call her Area 53 with good lights and in floor heating. Oh, and I would get a snowblower. Yes, I would name it too like Glacier Girl. How cool would that be? That way I could roll my airplane out without having to drag it out with the car. Oh, I need elbow surgery because I got mad and pulled so hard on my airplane trying to get it into my tiedown that I pulled muscle from tendon. Now, I'm getting pretty good at doing things with one hand. (Easy) Darn, the pain. I now practice throwing wing covers on and tying the plane down with my left hand. Let me tell you this; Those tennis ball latch, wing cover things? They kill when their frozen. I just about had one in the loop when it flew out of my hand, went over the top of the wing with a snap from the bungee and clocked me in the ear. I had a knife and almost used it. The whole scene was lucky I had the knife in my right pocket.

Folks, there is no real point to this, just dreaming of the day when I get a hanger. Something I can love and cherish. I'll put a coffee pot and a cot in and stare out at all the people who don't have hangers. Especially that pa-12 guy. He just bugs me. I'll invite you all over and we will look at nudie calendars and drink coffee.

Thanks for your time.
 
Good story. Those Palmer winds are notorious. I park my Husky in Palmer when not in its hangar in the Wrangell Mountains. After spending a long windy night in front of my dog blocking the wind a couple of years ago, I woke to this unfortunate Cub farther up the tarmac:

Palmer cub.jpg
 

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Wind

Its hard for us in the lower 48 to imagine that type of cold wind that would actually move your body down the parking lot. Can't imagine the cold and hardship you guys put up with. Come summer you guys have the best flying there is, so I guess this makes up for it.


Bill
 
Yes Artic...Hanger would be GREAT...I have one planned out in my tiny brain as well...I look at your pops an wish it were mine...definitely would have that thing heated and warm...Funny too...his little cubby sits out there in the cold...

Ron
 
I know Ron, I know... gonna have to do it myself. Get a heater in there.
Oh and Nizina, that was a bad night. I had 5 airplanes I was trying to keep nailed down at the school. I clawed my way inside the building to take a break and was going to get that blue and white cub but she let go before I could get there. That same night I had the two cubs about do the same thing. Pulled the strut fittings straight down. I had a buddy who parked a large 15 yard dump truck in front of his cub. The wind slid the truck into his cub. He had parked on some ice. Go figure. Then, we caught a 180 whose tail wasn't tied down in back of you and that cherokee with one wing rope. Just about lost those. What a night or was it two nights? I just remembered living in my car. Ick.
 
Isn't there a hangar for sale in Palmer? I bought my 180 there and the guy that had been working on it retired Tom Bishop.
 
I know Ron, I know... gonna have to do it myself. Get a heater in there.
Oh and Nizina, that was a bad night. I had 5 airplanes I was trying to keep nailed down at the school. I clawed my way inside the building to take a break and was going to get that blue and white cub but she let go before I could get there. That same night I had the two cubs about do the same thing. Pulled the strut fittings straight down. I had a buddy who parked a large 15 yard dump truck in front of his cub. The wind slid the truck into his cub. He had parked on some ice. Go figure. Then, we caught a 180 whose tail wasn't tied down in back of you and that cherokee with one wing rope. Just about lost those. What a night or was it two nights? I just remembered living in my car. Ick.

That was indeed a bad wind. I spent three nights sleeping in my jeep in front of my Husky during that one. I was sick to see that pretty Cub rolled into a ball.

Nizina
 
Isn't there a hangar for sale in Palmer? I bought my 180 there and the guy that had been working on it retired Tom Bishop.

Tom Bishop wants to retire, but he has not been able to sell his hangar and business. If interested I can PM his phone number. He has been asking $300k for the whole kit-n-caboodle, but would consider any reasonable offer. He is a good guy and does all of my A&E work.

Nizina
 
The Alberta clipper is hitting N. Dak. now, i will keep an eye out for any of your stuff. I have found a Edmonton birthday ballon.
 
what that show was missing was the baracuda sitting in the car with the heat on and yelling out the window that she didn't need to hear that kind of lanauge
 
Great stories Arctic, I think those of us in Alaska can definitely relate to your experience.

After tieing airplanes down outside for 39 years in Anchorage (primarily Merrill and Lake Hood), and getting one of the nicest -12's from SB this year, I bit the bullet and have one of the nicest hangars at Merrill Field. I just did not feel right letting this plane sit outside exposed to weather, dust, ravens poking holes, possible vandalism or collision from other moving machines driven by the inept. Its my man cave, and now spend more time there than at my house. Fully equipped for light maintenance and all I need to build a plane is a few things, primarily a welder and sheet metal brake. Bathroom, fridge, freezer, mircorwave, stereo, WiFi, Bunn coffee maker. I cannot tell you how nice it is, I do not care now if it blows 100, dumps 3 feet of snow, or wind switches direction. Plane is always clean, loaded with your gear, and when you want to go, push a button to open the door roll out, pull truck in and go. If you have the means, it is right thing to do for your plane and yourself. You can think you know how nice it might be, but until you really have one you don't know. My new AeroLift arrives is in transit, and in a week theres room for another plane. Have room to build up one as well with two stored there. Sweeet.

IMAG0413_zps8bd31bb8.jpg
 
After hanging out in Mikes hanger a few times I can tell you that as soon as I can afford it I am going to find a piece of land and build a hanger! That will likely be a while, but that is definitely the goal!
 
I cannot tell you how nice it is, I do not care now if it blows 100, dumps 3 feet of snow, or wind switches direction. Plane is always clean, loaded with your gear, and when you want to go, push a button to open the door roll out, pull truck in and go. If you have the means, it is right thing to do for your plane and yourself. You can think you know how nice it might be, but until you really have one you don't know. Sweeet.

Ain't that the truth! It doesn't take too many weather events of staying out all night trying to keep the airplane in one piece that the hangar becomes so nice. So, Mike is this one of Dan's Hangars?
 
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