Welcome

[Robert Lees]

Welcome to our newest member, MWB, who likes the poetry of Robert W Service

MWB, you are in good company here, many Taylorcrafters have a favourite in "The Cremation of Sam McGee" oft told by Forrest and Fred at the Taylorcraft Reunion in Alliance.

[Dick Smith]

Cropduster memorys!

MWB, Welcome also from Alaska...much of my early interest in flying came from watching ag pilots fly material onto our fields in Eastern Washington. The first flight I ever took was in a Bell 47, when my dad asked the pilot to "let my kid fly with you over to the field and "show you where you can get water for your tank truck". The first plane ride was in a Taylorcraft...it was the first landing ever made on a new "ag" strip scraped out of the sagebrush. The flour-like dust was so deep that the ship came to a quick stop. I remember the incredible sound of an old Stearman, when I "flagged" for the pilot on a couple of occations...running in measured strides to get out of the way and be ready for his next pass. having a Pawnee land on the road and taxi up to our house...and later lay on a "dress pass", sliding past the house, under the powerline. During hundreds of hours spent irrigating our fields, I never got tired of watching the local ag operators work. I've been in Alaska since 1969 and been exposed to a lot of aviation, but everytime I go "Outside", I still pull over to watch them work! It's certainly changed. Gone are the flagmen...the last time I talked to an operator...he was flying a plane that cost right at one million dollars and he was using a GPS that told him exactly where to fly, kept a record of where he had been and provided proof for his billing! Anyway, "Welcome"....MWB!
Dick