June 7, 2022 Sweet Spontaneity

The Liberty Gazette

June 7, 2022

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: I thought I’d work on some books over the Memorial Day weekend. Writing, that is. I don’t get nearly enough time for leisure reading. Actually, we both need to catch up on several projects. But I bet it wasn’t a minute after saying the long weekend would be devoted to writing, that I had a sudden change of heart. We were overdue for another junket to feed our inner gypsy, and we hadn’t seen my mom and sister since last year. There was just enough time for a quick visit. 

We didn’t get off the ground until around noon on Saturday, but we arrived in Indy in time for dinner. We made just one stop, and that was in Kennett, Missouri. It’s a favorite stop for lots of folks crossing the country, as it’s so well situated and offers most everything you could need. Fuel is always available, and there’s a courtesy car if you want to go into town and get a bite to eat. The terminal is clean, cool, and comfortable. It has a good-sized kitchen, flight planning room with computer, Wi-Fi, and lots of oversized comfy chairs. There weren’t any storms on our route this time, so we checked to see what altitudes were likely to have the best tailwinds. 

While pumping fuel, a couple of locals who had landed ahead of us came over to chat. They asked if we were going to the race. It was kind of funny that I’d be going back on Race Day but not going to the race. That world-famous event was the whole reason I was born and raised there – Dad’s job. But I haven’t been to an Indy 500 in decades now. 

Mom was excited about our impromptu visit. She was waiting for us at a picnic table under a shady canopy at the small country airport west of Indianapolis. My sister helped us unload our stuff from the airplane, and we were on our way to our final destination. 

On Sunday, we timed it so that about the time the race should be over, we’d be at Rick’s Boatyard, the uber-popular restaurant next to Eagle Creek Airport. We got great seats on the patio, overlooking sailboats moored to the docks and facing the runway for a perfect profile view of every take-off. 

I cherish the hours of laughter and great conversation with my family. Too soon, we had to return. On Memorial Day, we faced strong headwinds. They would slow us down enough that I thought two fuel stops would be wise. We flew low to avoid as much wind as we could. Which gave us more turbulence and was a lot warmer. 

Southeast of Little Rock, our onboard traffic alert went off. The target wasn’t hard to find. Flagship-Detroit Foundation’s DC-3, dressed in classic 1930s American Airlines colors, lumbered over us eastbound, headed home to Shelbyville, Tennessee.  

Settling the airplane back in the nest before sunset, we hurried home to two happy dogs, thankful for the gift of spontaneous flying adventures.

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