Gotta Love the Internet 11/05/2009
 Brian came across a photo of our Texan (3265G) from 1992 before it was restored to its original clothes. Below is the Aerotrader ad Brian also found when the plane was being sold to the guy we eventually bought the bird from. Have you discovered anything interesting about your plane(s) online?  Perfect Flying Weather and an Extra Hour 11/01/2009
 66 tucked in Stearman row at Blakesburg Yay! The airport is open again, we gained an extra hour with the end of Daylight Savings Time, and this weekend was gorgeous. Can you believe we didn't fly once this weekend? Our good friends Dan and Diane (who have Navy Stearman 66) stopped by and offered to help us install installation in the hangar... and we're never going to turn down that kind of help! After a productive day and late night (don't worry, we didn't work that much), we decided to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon. We had a great weekend, and we hope you did, too. By the way, the Half Fast Forum has been fixed. Feel free to use it! Still grounded... 10/29/2009
 As long as the airport's closed, we mope around looking to the sky... until Christian Ledet brought his totally pristine 1940ish military truck by for a visit. It's immaculate inside and out. Take a look!   Grounded 10/20/2009
 We're officially grounded until the airport opens back up (the runways are being resurfaced). While Brian and I have been fidgety trying to figure out what we can do instead of fly, and it looks like Brian's brother, Jim, has been discovered some fun (and really big lobsters) is to be had diving off the coast of southern California. So what do you do when you can't fly? Busy (and fun) weekend 10/11/2009
 So our weekend began on friday with Brian braving freezing temperatures to fly the 450 Stearman to Omaha for a promotional video shoot for Red Baron Pizza. Here's a picture of Brian (courtesy of Dan Sokolowski who helped out Brian for the day) in vintage gear. From there, we spent the following day with Dan and Diane in the hangar. We wrapped up the day with dinner courtesy of our friends Boomer and Kathy (Boomer is by the best chef I've ever come across in my life!). And the weekend wrapped up on Sunday with a visit from our brother-in-law Travis and his family. All said and done, it was a weekend full of great company, amazing food, and even a bit of progress working in the hangar! Blackhawks in the Sky 10/08/2009
Last night we scurried up to the hangar with hopes of having a National Guard Blackhawk (or two) stop in before their night maneuvers. Unfortunately, the call of duty came first, but at least we had a chance to watch them fly over the field (which was still cool). Maybe next time they'll get the chance to stop by... Football and Flying 10/05/2009
With Fall definitely in the air, perfect flying days are becoming rare. Girl Scouts - Aviation Badge 09/30/2009
 Some of the Stearman woment pilots I just received some nice photos and warm thank yous from Jeanne Conlon with the Stearman Fly-In. At this year's fly-in, a few girl scouts ventured onto the airport to learn about flying and to earn their aviation badges. It was a great reason to pull together all the Stearman women pilots.  Showing Sabrina how to work the controls After telling our stories and sharing tidbits of wisdom (or warning), the girls climbed into the pilot's seat of 429 to learn the basics of flying (on the ground with the engine off, or course). I believe, girl scouts and aviatrixes alike, all had a great time together. Fall is Here? Already? 09/28/2009
With a chill in the air, fall seems to be here. As I sit here recovering from remnants of a bug I brought home this weekend, Brian is working diligently in the hangar installing installation before winter blows its bitter chill. While I was laid up this weekend, I missed the four blackhawk helicoptors that settled down gently outside the hangar on Saturday before the ISU-Army game. Unfortunately, the camera was at home with me. I hope you are staying healthy and planning new airventures! Sunny in Storm Lake 09/21/2009
 3 planes, 6 wings With the last day of summer looming, we took advantage of the nice weather on Saturday to hook up with a couple other Stearmanites. You may recognize our 450 on the right and the Sokos' Yellow Peril at show center. On the left, we joined up with Bart's Army Kaydet for the first time at the Storm Lake airport, which he runs. We had fun doing some formation flying around the lake, and we're keeping our fingers crossed there will be many more nice days before winter hibernation.  Watch out for Dumpy, the ferocious airport dog  Smoke On!  A Stearman with training wheels? Nah, just a poorly planned formation picture. Although training wheels do sound handy... | Welcome to our virtual hangar Author 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 keeps this website running (looks like I got the cleaner job). ArchivesNovember 2009 |
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