Brian and I are taking a break for the holiday and wish you all a very happy Christmas (or Hanukah or Kwanzaa). Whatever your beliefs, we wish for you happiness and peace.
 Governor Branstad just signed a proclamation recognizing December, 2011, as General Aviation Appreciation Month in Iowa. Here's the full press release. So get out there and fly! Do you get frustrated thinking of decorating ideas for Christmas each year? Well, frustrate no more. Matthew (AKA Merlin) sent us some great photos... these folks get kudos for not only having the coolest ideas but in carrying those ideas out with style. Since today is the shortest day of the year, you'd better hurry to get your decorations up. :) It's always chaotic right before the holidays. For a stress relief break, here's a fun holiday video for you with two of the greatest pilots of all time... Baron von Richthofen and... Snoopy!  From Shane Vande Voort, KPEA's President / Airport Manager: As you know we at Classic Aviation love to celebrate our freedom to fly each year on the anniversary of the Wright Brothers first flight, December 17th. This year the 17th falls on a Saturday so we wanted to do something to share the fun with you. So come out to Classic Aviation on this Saturday, December 17 and have a bowl of chili on us! Classic Aviation staff will be serving chili from 11:30am to 1:30 pm, and there will be lots of ways to have fun.Tell your friends, and fly or drive out this Saturday for some winter airport fun! By Car: 501 West 15th Street, Pella, Iowa, 50219, Exit 40 off 163 By Air: KPEA, CTAF 122. 8, AWOS 118. 87 *** The weather looks great for this weekend, so hopefully you can make it to the fly-in (via plane or car). Brian and I will be showing off the tri-champ at Manchester (KC27) for a family Christmas. 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! 
The Wonder Twins ready for a big day
The cool SR71 Blackbird you'd see walking into the SAC museum
The B1 Lancer (I think) at the SAC museum
A glimpse at one of the two huge hangars at the SAC museum. It makes the Albatross look tiny!
 A replica of the Taube airplane flown in 1911 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. 
"Listen, Radar, I guess you realize I'm kinda fond of you. Lord knows I've never met a soul I could depend on more, but above all that, you've been a damn good friend. Well, friend, it's time we said goodbye. Time you got on with your life. You've come as far as you can go here. You've earned your wings...now you've gotta fly." (final M*A*S*H episode)
 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...  Heading down to Arkansas (we filed IFR to play it safe)  Brian's niece Michelle got in a solid balloon-punch in a ferocious battle of balloons.  A bumpy return trip from Arkansas with a fuel stop (and sic sac drop-off) in Higginsville MO | Welcome to our virtual hangar Authors Brian and Rachel Aukes are aviation nuts based in Iowa. They love to fly, and when the weather keeps them on the ground, they love to talk about flying. When they aren't in the air, Brian keeps the airplanes running while Rachel cleans them and keeps this website running. 
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