Sorry for the late post. We had a full weekend in Nebraska and just now getting caught up. The Sawhills and we headed out to Nebraska Friday afternoon to meet the Sokolowskis and then it was off to the One-Eyed Dog saloon for drinks. Saturday was spent checking out the new aviation exhibit at the Nebraska museum and doing a bit of antique shopping. Sunday was even more packed, starting with a quick stop at a WWII museum/shop and then it was off to the SAC (Strategic Air Command) museum, which is huge and awesome. If you plan to go, be sure to set aside a full day - there's that much to see. Here's a few pics from the weekend. Enjoy!

This week, one hundred years ago, airplanes were first used as instruments of warfare. To read more about how airplanes were first used in wars, check out the Council of Foreign Relations blog: http://blogs.cfr.org/zenko/2011/11/02/airpower-turns-100/ 

First, let's all take our hats off in remembrance of Pearl Harbor. Let us never forget those who served and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice through their service. And, don't forget to support those who still serve today. Every single person in the military is a hero in my book.

While we're at it, Harry Morgan, the prolific character actor best known for playing the acerbic but kindly Colonel Potter in M*A*S*H (one of my favorite tv shows of all time) died this morning at his home in Los Angeles. He was 96. His son Charles confirmed his death, saying his father had been treated for pneumonia recently. We'll miss you, Colonel.

For those of you on Facebook, you may have already discovered the Half Fast Flying Adventures page. Be sure to check it out.
 
With that aside, it's been a busy week (unfortunately, none of that "busyness" involved flying airplanes). I started a new job at Aviva, which has been taking most of my free time. Brian and I just finished importing Brian's insanely vast cd collection into iTunes (what to do with all those cds now? Coasters, anyone?). Other than that, tis the season to be fighting the cold and fighting colds.

At least Brian made it to the hangar this week. Matthew and he played mad scientists on the gargantuan air compressor, and while it now looks like a Frankenstein contraption (at least to me anyway), Brian seems quite happy with the much quieter appliance. Oh, and they rearranged the planes to open up hangar space for upcoming annual inspections. But, don't worry, the tri-champ is still front and center -- ready for plenty of fun, wintery flying. And, by the way, it's NEVER too cold to fly! :)

Hope your Thanksgiving weekend was as nice as ours. Brian and I flew down to Arkansas (thanks SO much Matthew!) to visit his mother and some of the family. Weather could've been better, but we're thankful for the chance to be with family. Here are a couple pics from this weekend...

Brian and I will be spending Thanksgiving with family this week. We hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

It was too windy to fly this weekend, which gave us some extra time to work on the Champ. It flies great, but a few tweaks here and there wouldn't hurt. While I waxed the plane, Brian plugged in my Garmin 196 (the Champ is an IFR trainer after all), swapped out some old screws, and started on switching out the old plexiglass side windows. So no new flying adventures to share, just some much-needed ground TLC.

(warning: the posts will be light this and next week as I'm deep in edits on my next book and will be visiting family over the Thanksgiving holiday)

Brian is now an A&P! Yesterday, he passed his exam in Nashville and he's on his way home now for a well deserved break. 

In much less important news, I've added the tri-champ's history to the Planes page. If you're curious to learn more about tri-champs, be sure to check it out. And I welcome any other facts regarding the cute airplane (my word, not Brian's). 

I took the tri-champ around the patch for a bit yesterday and had a great time. What a great, fun airplane to fly. I just may have to sneak in another flight before Brian gets home today. :) 

For my first day off between jobs, I woke up at the crack of dawn, loaded up Annabelle, and headed to the hangar for a day of flying. When I opened the hangar door, sun shined on the happy Tri-Champ, but it was dropping a bit to the side. A flat tire. Not even a breath of air left, like it just gave up. Usually a flat is no problem: I just sweet up to Brian, and he swaps out the tube, making it look easy. But he's out of town right now, so I was on my own. It took me nearly an hour to track down tools (I've yet to decipher Brian's tool organization system), and air up the tire to see if it'd hold for a quick flight. Easy peasy. 

While waiting to see if the tire would hold air, I decided to winterize the hangar a bit. Nothing exciting, but stuff that needs done to open up floor space for annuals. As I went to hang a camp chair in the furnace room, a spider jumped onto my hand (yes, it's true, and the thing was horrifying - I think he looked directly at me). I jerked back, snagging my wedding ring on a cord. Needless to say, the result wasn't pretty. The diamond went flying, and the band with left with a strange twist to it (which is an impressive feat considering it's a tension band, which makes it very thick). An hour later, I found the diamond (whew)! Another hour later, it had been shipped to the jeweler to see if it can be repaired. 

And so I chose not to challenge fate and instead of flying, cleaned the Tri-Champ. Flying would've been more fun.  :)