December 17, 2019 New Books

The Liberty Gazette

December 17, 2019

Ely Air Lines
by Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: As we celebrate the publication of our new book series, Ely Air Lines: Select Stories from 10 Years of a Weekly Column, I’ve wondered if I could pick one favorite out of the 100. I think maybe I can, but only because it’s about Mom. It’s about how important all those little airports are between here and Mattoon, Illinois, where she was born. I’m fortunate that I could go back with her to that first house in her life and walk through the little town that was hers more than eighty years ago and witness her reminisce in “Landing on Memory Lane.”

There are so many other stories about people and places—adventure!—that I cherish, that other than Mom, it’s really hard to pick a favorite.

But what a treasure we received when Tommy Chambers shared part of his father’s diary in “Allan Chambers’ Letters Home.” When we received that, we felt like there just wasn’t anything more we could ever write that would top it.

Then there’s “Sign Me Up!” which Bob Jamison wrote for us when I was out air racing and Mike was busy at work and couldn’t get that week’s piece done in time for the deadline.

And there’s our friend Jed Keck, the other Daytonite. He’s always full of stories, and great ideas for more. It’s not unusual for Jed to email us and ask, “Hey, have you heard about …” so-and-so, and he’ll give us a tip on a great story. He’s usually flying way up there around 39,000 feet; it’s good to have friends in high places.

I love learning of humorous stories and sharing them, such as “Of Turtles and Hares” and “No Rush Like It.” And the variety of types of people we meet in aviation never ceases to amaze and impress me: a basketball star, a sculptor, a professional percussionist, a grandma, war heroes and widows. They all have stories to tell, which, once we hear them, we can’t keep them to ourselves.

Mike: “Time with Dad” is probably my favorite. A heartfelt glimpse at the tasks that await a man whose last parent has recently deceased. My dad was not a pilot, but he worked for Lockheed Aircraft and TWA during the Golden Age of Aviation’s later years – the 1950s. The Lockheed Constellation was his favorite airliner. He was my first airplane passenger.

He, too, was a writer. My brothers and I built him an office in our garage where a foot heater glowed red as he banged away at a heavy old typewriter on cold nights, trying to be the next great novelist. The “w” key was always stiff, and he’d hit it particularly hard.

Then come the stories about courage and standing up against tremendous odds. These always score high. I’m in awe of people who won’t give up.

So much of life is touched by aviation. A mile of highway will take you a mile. But a mile of runway can take you anywhere.

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