Below are before and after photos of a Super Cub that attracted a bear's attention in the Alaskan wilderness (note to self: never leave a cooler full of bait in a plane when there are bears around). Evidently the bear was successful in finding some tasty treats and had fun with his new chew toy in the process.
The bush pilot took everything in stride, called another pilot who flew in 2 new tires, 3 cases of duct tape and some plastic sheeting. A few hours later, the newly restored plane was flown home. Hmmm... I wonder if this would work for the Stinson?

Thanks to good weather (albeit a bit chilly) and great friends & family, we wrapped up 2009 in the best company. The first - and definitely not last - hangar party was a wild success with plenty of food, drink, music and most importantly, people. A big thanks goes out to everyone who joined us. Happy New Year. We hope 2010 is the best year yet for you.

We wish you a wonderful holiday with your family and friends, and we hope the weather (or big jets) don't get in the way of your holiday fun.

We're keeping our fingers crossed for good weather on New Year's Eve for our first brouhaha in the hangar. Not only is a party a great way to hang our with our friends, it's a good motivator for finishing up the gazillion half-finished projects around the hangar. Today, Christian & Ryan Ledet were a huge help by helping us move the T-6 into their hangar to free up some space in the hangar. Christian stopped by again a little later and cleaned the fresh-fallen snow off our tarmac (thanks!!!). Then, Matthew Sawhill stopped by and helped us hang insulation for a few hours. While today was a productive day in the hangar, more importantly, it was a great reminder on how blessed and lucky we've been to have such kind and generous friends.
We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

This week brought plenty of snow, wind and crabbiness.  Well, the last one I brought on myself from being grounded and having to shovel again and again and again thanks to our snowblower breaking at the first sign of white on the ground. Between Brian and me - and some much appreciated help from our neighbors - we were able to dig ourselves out. But not everyone dislikes the white stuff. Annabelle has been bouncing excitedly all over the yard in search of the ever elusive abominable snowbunny. Or, maybe she's trying to see how much snow she can catch in her black fur and then bring into the house to shake onto her doting caretakers. I tried getting a picture of her, but I couldn't get her to stop for the second I needed. Oh well. It's pretty safe to say that we'll have a white Christmas.

This weekend, Brian and I decided that there's no better way to celebrate New Year's Eve than with friends and airplanes in one place. Our hangar door will be open on New Year's Eve beginning at 6pm to bid auld lang syne to 2009. The heat will be on and there will be food and drink for everyone. Please stop in for the last chance for hangar flying in 2009.

We didn't fly this weekend, but it turned out pretty good anyway. On Saturday, we enjoyed a great lunch at the Boone airport to celebrate Keith and Bob's birthdays. From there, it was time to work in the hangar (where there's ALWAYS something that needs done), and we finished off the night having dinner with some friends from the Morningstar airport. As for Sunday? Brian worked hard in the hangar, and I did some odds 'n ends back at the house. Even with no flying, it was a good and productive weekend. But, before we knew it, our Monday morning alarm was going off, and it was time to head back to the office. What did you do this weekend?

It looks like the weather's going to be perfect for the Boone chili feed on Saturday (Nov. 21). It's 11am - 2pm, and the more the merrier. The fly-in was organized to celebrate Keith and Bob's birthdays. Hope to see you there!