McCook, Nebraska · Thursday, March 18, 2010
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Relief flight 'trip of a lifetime' (03/16/10)
With more than 4,000 miles flown in six days, the Good Samaritan has returned. Local businessman Richard Stull stated that it was a trip of a lifetime and he is ready to go again. The mission, flown on his dime in his personal six-passenger Piper Cherokee Six, was to deliver badly needed medical supplies to Haiti...
Honored to know such a man (03/09/10)
He is probably the best friend that I've ever had. Liberal to the core, well maybe as liberal as my outlook in life is conservative, we still get along. He hates George W. Bush but surely can't be too proud of Bill Clinton's morals or the latest antics of our present esteemed president but, oh well, these are subjects from which we steer clear...
Almost flying (03/02/10)
It was that old familiar terrible sinking feeling! Just after takeoff from a wet runway, we had already climbed into the thick clouds. The nose yawed sideways. The alternator and hydraulic failure lights illuminated but I was too busy trying to keep the airplane going straight ahead to notice. ...
Guardsmen (02/23/10)
The ceremony was simple, solemn and respectful! The purpose was to honor all MIA/POW and to instill a sense of sacrifice into the assembled officer candidates. Remembering those who have given their all is a part of the heritage of all the military services. ...
An unconventional life well-lived (02/16/10)
Debt has value! Yes, large corporations buy and sell debt -- so this lawyer friend was trying to convince me. He further explained that when companies are bought and sold, sometimes divisions that are failing financially are siphoned off and set up as new companies. Someone is assigned to manage that failing portion and that was his job, CEO of a group of "failing" companies...
An economic success (02/09/10)
First a quiz. What is the enterprise generating the most economic impact in the City of McCook? If you said agriculture you are right on. Second question. Name a facility that provides good, wholesome, family friendly, free entertainment 200 days each year right here in Southwest Nebraska? You answered the Kiplinger Arena at the Red Willow County fairgrounds and you are correct again...
Makin' us proud (02/02/10)
Gosh it gives me a good feeling lately to file a flight plan for McCook's Airport, "KMCK" in pilot shorthand, and get back a printed flight plan that spells out "McCook Ben Nelson Regional." Kinda makes me just feel rosy all over. In case you were wondering, the "K" is worldwide shorthand, they call it the "country code," locating the facility in the U. ...
Lead, follow, etc. (01/26/10)
Most of us don't read or dwell on statistics released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Generally we listen to commentators on national media to impart their conventional wisdom about how good or bad things are going in the USofA. Well the conventional wisdom is that the manufacturing sector has died and all of "our" jobs are being exported overseas. Obviously that is a bad thing and it lays to the unions and our politicians to fix the problem...
Haiti, our neighbor in need (01/19/10)
It is so sad to see the terrible devastation in Haiti so vividly reported hour after hour on TV. Scenes of human misery that are difficult to look at much less comprehend. On the other hand, though, seeing our military taking charge to lend a helping hand makes me proud! It is times like these that our tax bill for supporting the best military in the world is more than worth it. President Obama did well in immediately directing our Armed Forces on scene to render whatever aid is necessary...
Ideas for the Republican Party (01/12/10)
This past week I received a letter soliciting funds for the National Republican Party. Give once and you are on their mailing list forever! It had the usual questionnaire included -- the one you are supposed to fill out to determine the future course of action for the party. In looking it over it appeared to me that the Republican Party is the party of NO, no to every Democrat initiative, program or piece of legislation...
Epiphany (01/05/10)
Tomorrow is Epiphany, a Christian feast day which celebrates the revelation of God Made Man in the person of Jesus Christ. It is the 12th day after Christmas and marks the visit of the Wise Men who came to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The Wise Men were non-Jews and therefore we Christians lay claim to the fact that Jesus, God in the flesh, came as Savior for us Gentiles as well...
Our favorite Senator in action (12/29/09)
He said: "Come spend the night with me." She said: "No it is against my principles!" He said: "Would you do it for $1,000,000?" She said: "Well maybe for $1,000,000 YES I would" He said: "Okay would you do it for $50?" She said: "Of course not! I am not a prostitute!"...
Christmas traditions (12/22/09)
It's almost Christmas and time to honor Jesus and our own families. Family traditions and especially favorite foods are a part of the holiday celebration where memories get better with practice. One of our family folk tales goes back to the depression era in the Stone Church community. ...
Reverend Hicks (12/15/09)
Our church has been celebrating its 125 year anniversary. We, like every other church, have had a succession of ministers through the years. Some good, some not so good (whoever heard of a bad Preacher?) and some real characters. One that had considerable influence on my life was the Reverend Laverne C. Hicks...
The Pacific revisited (12/08/09)
Earlier this fall in an effort to keep my mind sharp and to scratch a long-time itch, I enrolled in a NPCC course titled "The Political History of World War II." The course was taught by the very capable Dr. Douglas Clouatre on the North Platte Campus...
A thank you note from Iraq (12/01/09)
Ann received nice words this week from FOB (Forward Operating Base) Falcon, Iraq. All ninety packages that Ann and her volunteers sent have arrived. Chaplain Hale's two assistants have been busy sorting the contents and repackaging them into gallon size zip lock bags. ...
Pork for Thanksgiving? (11/24/09)
Editor's note: Opinions expressed in this column, as in all personal columns, are not necessarily the opinion of this newspaper. And the bid is $300,000,000 to Louisiana. Yes that is what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Democrat Majority promised, in pork, in exchange for Senator Mary Landrieu voting "YES" for cloture. ...
A sad prediction (11/17/09)
One would have lingering wars with little cost; Another would fly swift, but wanteth wings; A third thinks, without expense at all, By guileful fair words peace may be obtained. The Fort Hood massacre has been weighing heavily on my mind. It is difficult to comprehend how an officer could willfully murder 14 of his fellow soldiers and injure scores more. ...
A local hero, one of many (11/10/09)
Introducing returned POW John McCain at a speaking engagement in 1974, then-Gov. Ronald Reagan asked, "Where do we find such men?" He was speaking of many veterans, when he then answered, "We find them in our streets, in the office, the shops and the working places of our country and on the farms."...
New power for the thought police (11/03/09)
Last week I wrote of the two pilots who overshot Minneapolis by 20 minutes or so. Since then, both have been appropriately grounded by Northwest Airlines with their licenses lifted by the FAA. It is a mess, reflecting poorly on the airlines and the pilot profession. Personally I suspect that they are the only two people in the world that know exactly what happened and won't 'fess up to the facts. It is a sad state of affairs when professionals refuse to take responsibility for their actions...
Quiet birdmen (10/27/09)
For several weeks we had been on the same schedule. Every night at midnight we gathered to brief the mission. Two three-ship KC-135 tanker cells would depart from Kadena AB, Okinawa, at two o'clock in the morning. We flew due west and then somewhere north of the Philippines Islands we rendezvoused with six bomb-laden B-52 bombers. The Buffs had earlier departed from Anderson AFB on the island of Guam...
Local government's loss (10/20/09)
Sadly, our community lost one of its most ardent supporters this past week. Councilwoman Colleen Grant represented what is best about local government. She was interested in her community and stood out as one of its foremost cheerleaders. She truly had her finger on the community's pulse. Not much happened that she wasn't aware. The list of things in which she involved herself was long and comprehensive. She will be missed in myriad ways...
The irrigation crisis (10/13/09)
Talk to an ag producer and the complaint is restricted irrigation. Today's water allocation is only ten percent of what it used to be and "they" are talking about shutting us off completely. Crops are suffering from drought. Whole fields are allowed to dry up and wither away. ...
McCook's town hall meeting (10/06/09)
Darn, I was gone off to California, so missed the phone call from Sen. Ben Nelson. Our favorite Senator left a message inviting me to his town hall meeting here in McCook last Sunday. He suggested that I come to the open public meeting so that he could answer questions that I have posed in past columns...
The Dragon Lady (09/29/09)
In 1964, I was a pilot in the 19th ARefSq located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The KC-97, air refueling tanker we were flying was on its last active-duty legs. In fact I had the privilege of ferrying five of the grand old birds to the bone yard near Tucson, Ariz., that year...
Hotter and higher (09/22/09)
It is a wonderful time to drive through the Rockies west from Denver. The broadleaves are just starting to assume their fall palette of glorious color. The aspens that haven't turned give a lacy light green background to the brilliant yellow so characteristic of that species but others are starting to lend their reds and golds to the background of forest greens and blues of distant mountain peaks...
Magnificent men in their flying machines (09/15/09)
They are huge, they are colorful and they make large whooshing noises but gosh they are fun! I'm talking about hot air balloons of which no less than 13 showed up this year for McCook's world renown balloon pilot and instructor John Kugler's annual Balloon Fest. ...
Chicago and back in a day (09/08/09)
It was no contest. Don asked me to fly to Davenport, Iowa, to pick him up. About an hour after I departed in his airplane, he and his boss also left McCook riding in a brand new Beechcraft Premier Jet. The Premier (technically a Hawker 400XP) is a wonder of modern technology as it has a fuselage spun in one piece from carbon fiber materials. ...
Guam revisited (09/01/09)
Thank you for your two recent letters from the tropical Isle of Guam. We are happy to get your new address. Your first duty assignment, finance officer at Andersen AFB will eventually become a cherished memory. For sure this has been an exciting year for you: graduation from the Air Force Academy, driving your family back home to Fullerton, Calif., and touring Europe by yourself. That I call stepping out for a twenty-something year-old-young woman! You make me proud...
Cape Cod (08/25/09)
The boss called me in and noted that I had not made a choice to go to a new duty station named Otis AFB. Indeed he was correct I had declined a chance to live on the East Coast of the United States. Our squadron in Great Falls, Mont., was closing and my two other available choices, Forbes AFB near Topeka and Shilling AFB near Salina, both in Kansas, were both comfortably close to my native Nebraska. ...
Let's do a town hall (08/18/09)
For the last seven working days Jarret has called the Senator's office to inquire when Senator Ben Nelson will conduct a town hall meeting in Southwest Nebraska. The usual answer from his staff is "We are working on it." Other comments range from "The Senator likes to have those kinds of meetings!" and we think that "The senator will schedule a town hall meeting in your area in the near future." Yesterday his press release notified the public of meetings in Lincoln and Omaha and further stated, "Future public meetings are expected to be held in North Platte, Kearney, Norfolk, South Sioux City and possibly other communities. ...
Cats, cats and more cats (08/11/09)
Our farm neighbor Wayne had a German shepherd for a pet. Wayne also kept a pack of greyhounds for hunting coyotes. Well the German shepherd could whip any of the coyote hounds one on one. However, greyhounds are pack animals and every time the shepherd would forget and attack one of the hounds the whole pack would fight him. ...
A trip to Oshkosh (08/04/09)
"It was sort of like dancing with a fat girl -- a lot of fun but I couldn't quite get my arms around her!" So was my response to Ann when I returned this week from attending AirVenture, the largest aviation expo and airshow on earth. It is held every year at the normally sleepy municipal airport near Oshkosh, Wis...
Alternative to alternative energy (07/21/09)
Repeatedly I fly to Ulysses, Kansas for business. During the past winter I watched with interest as an "alternative energy" project was constructed west of Scott City. The operational result is 19, I think I counted, of those huge electricity generation wind mills. These are the ones that utilize the huge turbine blades that we often see transiting McCook on Highway 83...
Hot air (07/14/09)
Cleared for takeoff on 01Left. "Roger, Arrow 2077T cleared for takeoff," was the reply. I released brakes, lined up on the runway in my Piper Arrow and applied full power. RPM 2700, Manifold 27.5 inches Hg just like it should be. Nose up at 70 MPH, landing gear retracted and the airspeed increased to 105 MPH, for best rate of climb. ...
Faith and fan mail (07/07/09)
I'd like to share some interesting "fan mail" concerning my column this past week. First there was a nice letter from a gentleman in Hayes County saying he envies me my chance to fly to interesting places around the country. He was drafted into the Army in 1957 and thought his wish fulfilled when sent to aircraft mechanic's school. ...
New commander on board (06/30/09)
"Sir! I relinquish command," stated Lt. Col. Cantu, the retiring commander. "Sir! I assume command," in turn stated the new squadron commander Lt. Col. Nate Allerheiligen. With those four simple words McCook's own Colonel Nate assumed the helm of the 50th Airlift Squadron, an essential part of the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. The 50th is stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base but flies C-130 missions world wide...
Coincidence, or a God thing? (06/23/09)
Last Friday Ann and I were driving to York for the annual training of ESGR. Yeah I know. I had planned to fly but the lady advocated for the auto as area rain with low clouds was forecast and she was reluctant to be "stuck" in York for a couple of days...
U.S. Sen. Benjamin E. Nelson Regional Airport (06/16/09)
In a recent column I sent a little advice the way of Nebraska's favorite "conservative" Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson. Evidently the advice, vote NO on the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Nominee Sonia Sotomayor, was not well received. In my opinion Nebraska's overwhelmingly Republican voters favor Sen. ...
Fifty golden years (06/09/09)
I write this on the eve of Ann and my wedding anniversary, number fifty. I feel humbled at achieving this significant milestone that seems to be a decreasing achievement in today's society. In our case achieving the goal simply required us to awaken each morning, well maybe a little more than that. Therefore I am no expert in long term relationships but upon reflection I will offer what worked for us...
Vintage Joe (06/02/09)
Joe was talking when we got there. It was the usual pap about being green, global warming, paying your taxes and being "patriotic"! Obviously it was a carefully crafted script approved by his boss, the gifted orator! Then disaster struck. A strong gust of Colorado wind blew the teleprompter over and broke it -- no more prepared script. Just back to off-the-cuff vintage politician Joe Biden, now Vice President of the United States of America...
'Fat Mac' (05/26/09)
This last weekend I flew family members to Ogden, Utah to celebrate the graduations of niece Marta's two daughters. Portia graduated from college and Katelynn from high school and I call that exceptional planning. Ogden is normally a two-day drive so the four hours of flying time port to port made the trip a breeze. Adding to our pleasure was the view of the Rockies from much closer than the upper flight levels favored by airliners...
Worth the wait (05/19/09)
It has been sitting in the big hangar at Red Willow Aviation for several months. Brand new and bigger than life silently lording it over the entire lesser airplanes that surround it. It is a brand new Beechcraft King Air 350, the pride and essential transportation for, an obviously successful, local manufacturing firm...
It was love at first sight (05/12/09)
First off this isn't about the lusty kind of love championed by Mike at Night! Oh no this is about great appreciation of a mechanical work of art. In life one is sometimes privileged to work with a tool or machine that nears perfection in purpose, a machine that feels right, looks right and is pure pleasure to interface with. This is that kind of love!...
Modern heroes (04/28/09)
A 'Zoomie' returns (04/21/09)
American folklore implies that you can never go back home. The quote is about returning to the home of your childhood but my experience last week contradicted that well worn thought. You see, last week I went back home, back to my Air Force Academy "home" of four years. Memory of the uncomfortable experience of cadet life was blurred by distance, it being merely a short lifetime ago...
An absence of leadership (04/14/09)
You may have noticed in the news this last week that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has made his budget recommendation to Congress. Not an unusual event, it happens every year. What you may not have noticed was that it was about a 10 percent reduction from last year's budget. ...
WASPs a national treasure (04/07/09)
It wasn't quite walking in the footsteps of history but Ann and I were privileged to talk to four individuals who made those prints. The four were real live surviving WASPs and they were totally delightful! The occasion was "Women's History Month" and location the Fantasy of Flight Museum near Polk City, Fla. While "trapped" by weather in Florida last month we drove to Kermit Week's wonderful (especially for me) collection of airplanes and aviation in general. http://www.fantasy offlight.com...
Love those tankers (03/31/09)
It was checkup time and, yes, I found today's Air Force in great shape. I find it hard to believe that they can still be a lean and powerful fighting force without my help but they seem to be doing just fine. Darn! Ann and I were invited to MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa for a conference called Phoenix Rally. ...
Sacrificing in Tampa (03/24/09)
Awakening near Tampa, Fla., I had to pinch myself to see if I had already gone to heaven this morning. Ann and I are bunking in a "Temporary Lodging Facility" on MacDill AFB. My tanker pilot buddy from 1967 and I have been invited to participate in a tanker commander's seminar to talk about a mission that we flew in the Vietnam War. ...
The good, bad, ugly (03/17/09)
It is wonderful to see a varied group of local governmental bodies, schools and industry all coming together to work out a win-win solution to benefit us all. I am talking about the new welding school going into the mid-'50s Safeway/Hinky Dinky/Modern Appliance/Youth Center structure built by farmer neighbor Fred Johnson. ...
Just our Dwight (03/10/09)
I attended McCook City Council meeting last Monday. Went to watch the Council commit a large portion of the next ten years sales tax receipts to remodeling the Keystone. Hope that ten years from now we can look back and say it was a wise move. At the same meeting the City Manager complimented me on a couple recent columns about "non-city" topics. ...
The Lady is a Pilot (03/03/09)
The thermometer reads 79 degrees, a bit warm for my long sleeved shirt. McCook is experiencing a raw day with traces of snow in the wind but we are in Scottsdale, Ariz. Spring is awakening here in the desert where grass is green and the scent of flowers wafts through the air. It is a tough assignment being out here in February, but somebody has to do it...
After they made him, they threw away the mold (02/24/09)
Dad came home from the McCook airport tickling about a skinny 18 year old instructor pilot that worked there. Willie was his name and he hailed from Indianola. Like all instructor pilots that worked for Ben Frank, he was also a spray pilot. Willy joined Norma Hinezly, Kenny Holcomb and more, all who flew 65 horse Piper Cubs in the annual war against wheat aphids, green bugs, weeds or anything else that they could spray or dust from the air...
The UAW and 500 (02/17/09)
Two big events on the news as I write. First, most important, is the running of the Daytona 500. The other is a breakdown in negotiations of the United Auto Workers Union and General Motors. How are the two entities related? Let's think about it...
Stimulus vs. morality (02/10/09)
Councilman Aaron Kircher was excoriated by his fellows and the City Manager at the last McCook City Council meeting. Aaron started the perfect storm when he stated that it was against his principles to ask for unneeded largess from the huge spending bill currently passed by the House and Senate but not yet cleared by the joint committees that will iron out the final compromise...
In the presence of heroes (02/03/09)
Somewhere in my mind there has been a song that has played over and over since I was a child. The words go like this: There's a Star Spangled Banner waving somewhere in a distant land so many miles away. Only Uncle Sam's great heroes get to go there where I wish that I could also live someday. I'd see Lincoln, Custer, Washington and Perry and Nathan Hale and Colin Kelley too!...
Keystone, the centerpiece (01/27/09)
A few years back in another life I was "the Commish" chairman of the Red Willow County Board. On my daily trip into the courthouse I would glimpse to the left and sadly observe the then vacant old YMCA building. The electricity was disconnected, a few windows were broken, the paint was peeling from around windows and doors, the overgrown postage stamp-sized lawn was unkempt, and the whole place looked sad. ...
All the best to 'We the People' (01/20/09)
Before leaving town President George W. Bush declared Washington D.C. a "disaster area." Yeah I know the intent of the act was to authorize federal funds channeled through FEMA to prepare to handle the huge crowd expected for today's inauguration. I imagine that the millions of people in such a small area will leave a mess of epic proportions to cleanup, not unlike the aftermath of a good sized tornado so that fits too. ...
Inauguration 52 years ago (01/13/09)
Acute care clinic, medical office, walk in clinic, whatever the name, there seems to be a new mode for delivery of medical care to a busy public. The concept apparently is to provide a place to take yourself or children when the diagnosis will only take a few minutes of a doctor's time and a minimum of tests...
California lite (01/06/09)
At the moment Ann and I are enjoying a short stay in Merced, Calif. Merced about the size of McCook when we lived here in the early '70s left a good impression on our hearts. At the time I had the best job in the world; that of teaching pilots to fly my all time favorite KC-135. ...
Float builders: A dream come true (12/30/08)
Scratch another item off the "bucket list"! Ever since Ann made the discovery that the beautiful floats we watch in the Rose Parade each New Years Day were decorated by volunteers her dream has been to participate. And this Sunday, participate we did!...
The 36-hour Christmas Eve (12/23/08)
On this cold icy Nebraska morning I watched the news to see a young mom greet her children around a Christmas tree. Mom was dressed in her camouflage uniform, having just returned from Iraq. The younger child was hugging fiercely "Mom I missed you so much"! It is hard to imagine the disruption that military service creates in many young families today. ...
Toys, children and lives saved (12/16/08)
Now that she is officially retired with time to volunteer Ann had a new experience this past weekend. She helped a wee bit with the setup and distribution of McCook's annual "Toy Box." To be recognized are the dedicated volunteers who live and breathe the project year around. Their hearts are huge. The community is generous and the event is a grand success every year...
Roughing it at deer camp (12/09/08)
Each year just in time for Black Powder Deer season, I get visitors. The nucleus of the group, two old Air Force friends, have been coming for years, since 1990 in fact. The first time that they showed, I was farming south of McCook. The plea was to be allowed to set up "Deer Camp" in my large open-front machinery shed. They were active-duty Air Force at the time stationed at headquarters SAC, Offutt AFB...
A Green(land) Thanksgiving (11/25/08)
In two days it will be Thanksgiving, one of my very favorite holidays! Somehow I was most often at home in the States during the 20+ Thanksgiving celebrations that I spent in the military. More than several of those days though I spent on SAC alert which meant that we had the big meal in the mess hall. Later days the Air Force officially changed the name to "Dining Facility" but most GI's ignored the official change and simply called it the "mess hall."...
My Gomer (11/18/08)
He came to the 19th Air Refueling Squadron in 1964, probably the last brand new copilot out of the KC-97 pipeline. Dave was a young faced bachelor lieutenant whose full name was Gomer David Reece III. His home town was Scarsdale, N.Y., and I always wondered what his mother had against him to name him Gomer. ...
Proud to be an American (11/11/08)
I received a heartfelt cc of an e-letter by an acquaintance from City Council days. We had attended a conference on Republican River problems, a conference for which the city denied my request for expense reimbursement. She represented a different governmental entity. E-mail addresses were part of the registration process and her organization has been sending to my inbox ever since...
The perfect wife (11/04/08)
The true measure of a man can be seen in how he treats his woman. In modern understanding, we prefer to frame the relationship more in terms of mutual trust and understanding. Our parent's generation though had no hang-ups about whether a man "owned" his wife; she was his and he was hers. This weekend we flew to Denver to attend memorial service for Ann's favorite Aunt. She died a widow counting 83 years. We gathered to celebrate a happy life well-lived...
Reunion memories (10/28/08)
The first hard freeze happened last night. Standing watching bright yellow leaves floating like huge snowflakes to the ground -- enchanting. I love this place! Our recent "road" trip to San Antonio was interesting. As in any reunion, it is the people that attend that are the big story. We were not disappointed, for in the 40-plus years that have elapsed most of my squadron mates have done well...
The outlook for agriculture (10/21/08)
Recently my sister, the younger who lives in Nevada, asked me to comment on an article from the New York Times. The article was constructed as "An Open Letter to the Next Farmer in Chief." It was written by Michael Pollan whose salutation reads "Dear Mr. President-Elect." Mr Pollan is a Professor of Journalism at the University of California, Berkley. On the Web you can find the article on the Times Web site...
Some things government can't do (10/14/08)
I've been watching the "Safe Haven" Act in action. It is the Nebraska Legislature's latest attempt at social engineering. "Oh my," the doers of good exclaimed, "Nebraska is the last state in the nation to implement a safe haven law and we must do something! Horrors! Everybody is doing it so we must too."...
Heroes and Populists (10/07/08)
His name was Harold Jacob Zook and we called him Hal. We served together as copilots in a KC-97 tanker outfit at a hardship duty station, Otis AFB, Cape Cod, Mass. Actually Cape Cod is a resort area not far from Boston, a most enjoyable place to live. ...
Musings of a political junkie (09/30/08)
From all appearances the annual Heritage Days Celebration in McCook was a resounding success. Thanks to those who organized plus the multitude of volunteers that made it a success. Thanks to all who came forth to enjoy the festivities. Even the weather cooperated...
What was that big, noisy jet? (09/23/08)
What was that "big" jet that flew into McCook last week? I was asked by more than one person the past couple of days. "He flew over my house and rattled my windows!" stated a pilot friend. To answer the first question, it was a Gulfstream III, a twin engine 21 seat executive jet, model number G-1159A. ...
North to Alaska (09/16/08)
I had an absolutely delightful flight from Lincoln to McCook last night. One hour and six minutes flying time in air that was absolutely smooth. There was a huge full moon over my left shoulder and uncounted lights on the ground. Passengers sit in the back and are lucky to have a window that only gives a one sided scene. ...
Getting an earful on earmarks (09/09/08)
There I was a couple miles high minding my own business when my phone rang. "Private" says the caller ID so I figured either a salesman or a politician with a canned recorded message. "Hi this is Dick" my usual salutation. "This is Sen. Ben Nelson" was the response from the other end...
A breath of fresh air (09/02/08)
My wife has given me strict advice to resist writing about current politics. Some things a fellow simply can't resist so…. Time will tell, of course, but at the moment Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin appears to be a breath of fresh air in the murky world of politics. ...
Oh, the joy of flight (08/26/08)
Once in awhile I get to enjoy a really special flight and this was one to share. Friday my schedule opened and mid morning I departed McCook to fly to Wallace. Over several years I taught three persons, an adult and two young'uns, to fly at Wallace. ...
This air show had it all (08/19/08)
Explosions, fire, smoke, the throaty roar of a Rolls Royce Merlin in a P-51, the whine of high power jet engines, fighters with afterburners; the Offutt Air Show had it all! Ann, grandson T.J and I took in as much as we could stand under perfect blue skies dotted with puffy white clouds. ...
Small town issues -- and hospitality (08/12/08)
Did you miss it? The hottest part of the summer has come and gone, hopefully, and McCook had no water rationing. Missing have been any official notice to conserve water and or any notice for even numbered house address to water lawns only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. ...
The Great Plains and a Whole 'Nother Country (07/29/08)
I am writing this Monday evening in Chaska, Minn., just outside of Minneapolis. This morning I flew some friends into Flying Cloud Airport to check out a school nearby for their daughter. From McCook we cruised at 9,000 feet in perfectly smooth cool air, 60 degrees outside and comfortable inside. Total time enroute two hours and 40 minutes. Ron kept commenting that it sure beat an eleven hour drive. Why yes, that is why I fly!...
Your airport at work (07/22/08)
Last Wednesday returning from a trip to San Antonio, I spotted an iconic "Piper Cub" tied down on the ramp. Ambling over to check it out the N number (United States Registration) told me that it was manufactured pre-World War II. Sure enough it was an original Piper J-3 manufactured in 1941. To me it looked as good as the day it rolled off the line in Lockhaven, Pa., but then I am kind of partial to well kept airplanes and ladies of about that vintage...
Old, new memories at the Air Force Academy (07/15/08)
Dear Lance, Well it is official! My current Air Force Times shows a picture of a Basic Cadet Tate Montgomery receiving his in-processing haircut and announces the new class "begins life at Academy"! It was interesting to me that there are 1,369 of you, that 294 are women and 287 minority students are included...
Sometimes freedom is dangerous (07/08/08)
Do they have a Fourth of July in the rest of the world? Well yes, there is a July 4 on the calendar the world, around but most don't celebrate our Independence Day. That lesson was brought home to me one year while I was on temporary duty in Hong Kong. Yes I know a hardship tour indeed! With friends I was touring a part of the British Colony that overlooked their magnificent blue water harbor...
A day in the briar patch (07/01/08)
A facet of life of most professional pilots is an event called a "layover." For a million-plus reasons, it becomes necessary to spend a night or so in a place other than home. At the moment I am in Denver enjoying the environs of Centennial Airport and would like to share the experience...
Salary studies, puppies, salmonella and airshows (06/24/08)
Why do I question how every member of the McCook City Council can vote no on paying for a wage comparability study at one meeting and the very next meeting vote unanimously in favor of the same study? Why am I suspicious that there was some collusion before the meetings rather than frank and open honest discussion in open session? Why could a past financial manager for the McCook schools conduct the same study as a part of his duties without additional cost to the school district? Was the study requirement a union demand? Oh, right, the McCook police and fire departments did organize courtesy of (in defense from) John Bingham. ...
Green vistas, GPS and ESGR (06/17/08)
The College World Series is an event not to be missed. Rosenblatt Stadium is the perfect setting. Our Omaha daughter and granddaughter treated us to a game in honor of Father's Day. We four, along with some 23,000+ other happy fans enjoyed the evening. ...
The housing crisis (06/10/08)
The sign proclaimed "House for Sale (bank owned)." The construction looked recent and maybe a little ticky tacky but the place was obviously abandoned, with lawn, landscaping shrubs and trees dying from drought. A house, or three, down the block was not even completed but abandoned mid-construction. The current housing financial crisis is vividly on display in and around Merced, California...
Headed west (06/03/08)
Dateline: Yorba Linda, California Take Interstate 70 west to the end and then turn left! I'd always assumed that I-70 went across the entire United States and terminated on the West Coast. Bad assumption, the end of the road is in the center of polygamy country so one has to go north or south from there. We chose south so as to end up in sunny southern California, land of fruits, nuts and home to our only son and his young family...
The camel's nose is already under the tent (05/27/08)
This Memorial Day I especially honor the memory of Captain William S. Davis, III, KIA (killed in action) 19Sep66, South Vietnam, Capt. Harlow K. Halbower, KIA, 2Jan66, near Saigon, South Vietnam, Capt. Lyn D. Oberdier, KIA 5May68, South Vietnam and Captain Thomas G. ...
The bird's eye perspective (05/20/08)
Late afternoon yesterday Ann and I were enjoying a late salad lunch at Applebee's in North Platte celebrating great news from a medical opinion. We had just entered the restaurant when it began to rain. The summer shower came fast and hard for a few minutes then sunshine burst forth again. Overheard was the waitress's comment, "That was a short little rain!"...
Sealed with a sacred promise (05/13/08)
**I, having been appointed a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;…...
Beautiful Nebraska (05/06/08)
Welcome to Tuesday. Your editor asked for a volunteer to move the column from Saturday to Tuesday and evidently I won. This will give me a chance to make my observations of the machinations of the City Council a little more current. Then too, in my busy "retired" schedule, it will be easier to crank out the weekly column on Sunday afternoon followed by a little tuning up after the council meeting on Monday night...
Democracy in action; a hidden jewel (04/26/08)
Good move at the McCook City Council meeting last Monday. The council rejected, and soundly, a proposed new tax, couched as a "fee" as if that would make it less objectionable, on cell phone service. Evidently a similar "fee" assessed against telephone land lines has been decreasing in revenue produced for city coffers. ...
What's a Chipmunk? (04/19/08)
This week I've noticed a blitz in the printed news and on talk radio stating that the cause of high food prices is biofuels, of all things! For some commentators ethanol in our gasoline is evidently the root of all evil. It seems that every time the farmers have a good year, as last year evidently was, there arises a veil of indignity against all things agrarian. ...
A dream (04/12/08)
After a fortnight's absence I sat in on a McCook City Council meeting this week. I was just in time to watch us, we the people, buy the city block including the old West Ward School. The final negotiated price will be in the neighborhood of $75,000 and is probably a reasonable deal. It was a mite frustrating though knowing that the seller doubled his money after holding it for only about four years...
Two wars, one thought (04/05/08)
I noted in an Omaha paper that Don Butler, age 91 a civilian POW had died. "Civilian POW" caught my eye! Mr. Butler was unknown to me but I briefly met one of his compatriots in 1968. Flying across the Pacific on one of my several trips to the Vietnam war I was surprised to find a civilian passenger on my KC-135. We usually carried up to 70 military passengers on deployments but rarely civilians...
Grandparents create great memories (03/29/08)
Earlier this month in Florida, Ann and I stopped by a fruit packing shed to purchase some really fresh grapefruit and oranges. Many years ago we had lived in south Texas and since have been more than a little prejudiced that Texas citrus was better tasting than Florida's. This time we were happily surprised to find that tree ripened Florida grapefruit and oranges were every bit as good as what we remember buying in the Rio Grande Valley...
Drill for oil in Norris Park? (03/22/08)
Thanks to copious amounts of rain, in Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska, we elected to stay a couple extra days in Tulsa with our daughter Moira and family. Ann is getting into this new schedule of a retired kind of lifestyle. I hope that we don't wear out our welcome...
Dick Trail
The Way I Saw It