February 7, 2012 AnnElise, Squeege, and the Quest for the Man Trophy

The Liberty Gazette

February 7, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Since its inception in 2007 all season point winners in the Sport Air Racing League were men. So AnnElise Bennett set her sights on what she calls the “Man Trophy,” vowing to claim one for her own. Trophies for the most accumulated points are awarded at the last race each year. In her rookie year AnnElise finished 13th in points out of over 100 racers, winning second place in her class. A fellow flying a Cirrus won the First Place Overall National Champion Trophy. AnnElise says that giant wood trophy “made the angels sing in my head, ‘ooohhh, girl, you gotta get one of "those!’” No female pilot had before been to the National Championship podium. There are no monetary prizes, we race for trophies and bragging rights. For AnnElise, that trophy, those bragging rights were priceless in the male-dominated world of aviation. The only way she’d have a chance at the top spot would be to race as many races in the season as possible, accumulating points.

AnnElise: Over the next few weeks, I worked on the Man Trophy Plan in my head. Since we couldn’t afford to go to every race in two airplanes I proposed in 2010 we would fly my airplane to as many of the far away races as we could manage, so I could win a Man Trophy, and 2011 would be Bobby’s year. It was crucial to my goal to do it by myself, in my airplane, so that I was solely responsible for winning (or losing) that big, beautiful piece of wood – and the aforementioned priceless bragging rights.

Linda: But AnnElise’s mother had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and early in 2010 her health took a turn for the worse. She wasn’t afraid of dying, but feared how her death would affect friends and family. She wanted them to live life to the fullest, and AnnElise knew that meant grabbing every experience and adventure she could, to show her mother she would be okay.

AnnElise: Mom was hospitalized several times. My sister and I took turns spending 24-hour shifts with her. And while she wasn’t an “airplane person,” she appreciated that I was, and in spite of declining health she encouraged me not to miss a single race.

2010 started out according to the trophy plan, with races in Taylor, Sherman, and Plainview, Texas; and Cecil County, Maryland. The next race, in Mesquite, would be the fourth time “X-ray” and I raced against my friend Louise Scudieri and her bird, “41Mike.” We start in speed-order, fastest first, and because my speeds had been faster than hers, I took off before she did. We were neck-and-neck around the course, and every time I called a turn, she called her turn, closer and closer, and by the time we crossed the finish line, she’d managed to creep up on me, finishing just seconds behind me – but that’s all it takes.

Mike: Louise won in Mesquite, and AnnElise congratulated her for a very tight race. After the race, however, confusion about mileage and times brought adjustments to the final standings, placing AnnElise in first place. In view of her quest for the Man Trophy, she needed those points, but she had heard Louise’s turn point radio calls and knew her rival was the winner. Being a true competitor, AnnElise declined the first-place points. If the National Championship was to be hers, it would be hers fair and square. We’ll tell you next week what happened. Until then, blue skies.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 31, 2012 AnnElise and Squeege

The Liberty Gazette
January 31, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: The very classy and always stylish Ada Fay Schmidt said last week, “Linda! I just want to know one thing!” Curious, I asked, “What do you want to know?” Ada Fay said, “Which one of those ladies wins the race? I can't wait to find out!” I realized she was speaking of the friendly rivalry between Louise Scudieri and AnnElise Bennett, about which we’ve been writing in this space the past couple of weeks. Louise and AnnElise enjoy their competition. I've been at races where it seems everyone in the room holds their breath waiting to hear the times and speeds when those two race each other. So Ada Fay, this is for you. I asked them to tell it in their own words.

Louise: That is fantastic; Miss Ada Fay made me laugh out loud! I'm just looking forward to test pilot status in a couple of weeks. We will hopefully have everything on the new engine working by the beginning of March and right now my schedule is open March 31 for the first race of the 2012 season.

From the first time I raced a Sport Air Racing League race in Sherman in 2009 when AnnElise beat me by less than one mile-an-hour, I was hooked. Air racer and race organizer Pat Purcell found out I was racing Air Race Classic, tracked me down, and convinced me to try a Sport Air race just one month before the Classic. I am forever grateful. When Pat saw our times and speeds, she was quick to tell me I was ready for ARC and that AnnElise and I were well matched in SARL. I had such a great time from pre-planning, race brief, start, and the concentration of execution, that I felt so good after crossing the finish line I laughed my way all the way to parking! I savor the feeling and completely enjoy the experience each time (even when I miss a turn and beat myself up). Now that I have a new, faster engine I hope Bobby Bennett keeps his eyes open for a set of 520 steel cylinders on the back of a surplus truck or corner of a hangar to plug into AnnElise’s airplane to get us back into the same class. Until then, “41Mike” and I will attend every race we can fit into our schedule and invite more racers to ‘bring it’.

AnnElise: I remember being a nervous wreck the first time I raced Louise, it was the first time I'd raced anyone with the same airplane as mine. I figured she had to want it as badly as I did, being a girl competitor in the boys’ club. My highly competitive nature took hold and I went screaming around the course, flying the straightest, tightest line I could. My speed of 158.10 mph beat Louise’s 157.18. I was hooked.

Mike: These ladies compete hard. AnnElise won the first match, but come back next week (Ada Fay!), because there is more to this story and you don’t want to miss it.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 24, 2012 AnnElise Bennett

The Liberty Gazette

January 24, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: When Bobby Bennett said to his wife, AnnElise, “If you'll go to ground school and pass your written test, I'll buy you an airplane,” AnnElise says he really meant, “If you'll get your license you can be my co-pilot,” but she quickly explains that would be a sorely mistaken thought. Frequently the Dallas area couple flies two airplanes to compete in air races because, as AnnElise says, “I insist on aviation equality.”

Mike: The Bennetts live in one of their two hangars, a grass strip runs alongside, through their 80 acre funland. This is where AnnElise took many of her flying lessons from instructor Jill Williams Shockley. The Bennett runway is oriented northeast-southwest with power lines strung just feet from the north end, meaning departures and arrivals come with less cheek-squeeze factor when taking off or landing to the north (going out to or coming in from the south). However, prevailing winds from the south bringing a screaming quartering tailwind keep AnnElise on her aviation toes.

Her first emergency landing tested her skills for real when she had only 197 hours logged. She had picked up the airplane at a shop where repairs were made for hail damage. Lesson learned: always do a positive control surface check when control surfaces have been removed. One person manipulates controls while another holds onto the control surface so the weights are not causing the movement. Had they done that they’d have known she had no elevator control. But AnnElise passed the test with flying colors. Not a scratch on her or the bird.

Linda: In anticipation of their sixth wedding anniversary Bobby had asked AnnElise what she’d like to do to celebrate. She didn’t know right away, but after attending a 99s meeting, where air race queen Pat Purcell and Pat Keefer were pitching the U.S. Air Race she had her answer: “I want to race for our anniversary!” She says Bobby “looked at me like I had a hole in my head and said, ‘You want to what? We can't do that in a 172!’” Bobby now competes in his super-fast Bonanza, and AnnElise has moved up to a Cessna 182.

So what’s the favorite piece of living room furniture of a woman who lives in a hangar? It’s not the installed-in-the-floor trampoline, nor the climbing rope, rock wall, or gymnastic rings which contribute to her tight figure. It’s “X-ray”, her C-182, of course, adorning the living room when she’s not soaring fast and free. Bobby and AnnElise eat, sleep, live, breathe airplanes and X-ray has had quite a life. Before becoming a Bennett, X-ray was a sadly abused jump plane, but since her adoption has blossomed into as a sleek a racer as a C-182 can be.

Not content to be just a pilot, AnnElise has also helped Bobby, a highly experienced and award winning aircraft mechanic, overhaul at least 10 engines at last count, and is hoping together they will build a faster airplane to race. She’s especially enjoyed racing against Louise Scudieri, also a C-182 pilot, and says, “Every time I'm taxiing out to race, the adrenaline flows, the breath quickens, but it flows faster and sharper when I'm racing Louise because we are so well matched.”

Mike: And then there’s the “man trophy.” That’ll have to wait until next week.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 17, 2012 Cessna 182 Racers

The Liberty Gazette

January 17, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: I first met Louise “Squeege” Scudieri back in 2009 in Denver, as we prepared to race against each other across the country in the annual four-day long Air Race Classic.

Louise is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), and CEO/owner of Smooth Inductions, P.C. An independent anesthesia provider, Louise puts people to sleep, wakes them up nice, and puts in epidurals and other blocks appropriate for various procedures.

But just last week Louise admitted to “fighting back tears of joy” when her mechanic left a voice message that the crated overhauled engine had arrived at the hangar. She had ordered a shiny new engine, upping her horsepower from 235 to 275. In the Sport Air Racing League that puts her in a new class, and the long time friendly rivalry between Louise and AnnElise Bennett is on hold now, until AnnElise can convince her aircraft mechanic husband Bobby to put some more ponies under “X-Ray’s” cowling (that’s what she named her plane). Louise wants very much for that to happen, too. She says of AnnElise, “She makes me fly a tighter race. I want her in my class.”

Both women own and fly Cessna 182s. Both are competitive, and I just learned that Bobby Bennett, the world’s best aircraft mechanic, is heading over to Louise’s hangar to take a peek.

The race classes in the League are mainly determined by horsepower and cubic inch displacement. With the old engine Louise’s fastest time was in 2010 at a race in Sulphur Springs, where she clocked 157.31 mph. The record for these factory-built aircraft (in Class 3 with fixed gear) is held by Red Hamilton and Marilyn Boese. They flew their Cessna 180 in a race in Sherman, Texas and turned in a speed of 187.24 mph. AnnElise’s fastest time in the three years she’s been racing the C182 was in 2010 in Courtland, Alabama, where she turned in a speed of 164.45 mph. Funny thing about how the airplanes are classed, is that in the Factory 3 Class the Cessna 182 competes against a Cirrus SR22, which is a much newer airplane with a sleeker, cleaner design, and whips through the air pretty fast.

But moving up with increased horsepower, Louise will now find herself in competition with another fine chick pilot, Nancy Benscoter, who raced her first League race last October in Arizona, and turned in a speed of 164.80 mph. I figure Louise’s new engine has just got to be a whole garden full of carrots dangling in front of AnnElise. Still, the self-employed medical transcriptionist/domestic engineer of two hangars, two rent houses, 80 acres and 11 dogs who loves to turn people on to general aviation and giving rides – from a starry-eyed six year old girl with huge aviation dreams to an adventurous 80 year old lady for her birthday – wonders, is Louise actually going to race, push her new engine to its limits? I can’t wait to find out. The race season begins March 31 in Sherman, Texas. While we’re waiting for that, come back to this page next week for a peek into the life of AnnElise Bennett, race aviatrix extraordinaire. Until then, blue skies.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 10, 2012 Flying the Bahamas

The Liberty Gazette

January 10, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: Imagine wandering around tall fluffy white clouds sporting dark grey underbellies when you spot what looks like shadows on the water that seems to extend forever in every direction in hues from azure to turquoise in the shallower parts. To the west where the Tongue of the Ocean reaches depths greater than 4,000 feet it’s deep blue awes you. Those shadows become more pronounced, breaking into several pieces of more jagged shapes. Then the dense vegetation, low scrub, mangrove, mahogany and logwood trees dotting low flat surfaces start to jump out at you. You’ve been looking for these islands ever since leaving Nassau 40 miles ago and they have magically appeared stretching angularly across the horizon.

This magical paradise with its exotic pink sand beaches, “sea glass,” buried treasure, pirates and rum runners, sits right smack in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. The major airlines only serve seven destinations in the Bahamas so exploring the “Out Islands” (700 islands and 2,000 cays) of this exotic land is best by light plane or boat. You can charter a flight from Florida or Nassau to some of the out island resorts but even some charter operators with their bigger, faster aircraft cannot land on the shorter or crushed corral runways.

Approaching the islands you soon spot a 3,000-foot-long airstrip on the south end of one of them. Turning downwind in the traffic pattern you see an aircraft in the lagoon east of the island, a DC-3 that ditched in the 1980s and now rests among the corral in waters so shallow it sits above the surface during periods of low tide – one of many casualties of drug smuggling. This is the notorious Norman’s Cay.

The Bahamas is part of the greater Caribbean that stretches from the tip of Florida all the way to the northeast coast of South America over to the Cayman Islands and Cancun and back to Florida again. The northern parts include the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos. At the southeast portion are the Windward Islands where peaks of mysterious jungle covered volcanoes are often shrouded in clouds. Many of the spices we use daily come from here.

The Bahamas are a popular destination, especially during winter months when “snowbirds” come for the 70-80 degree weather. Like Canada geese, people in the northern parts of the continent migrate to warmer climates in cooler months.

Pilots, too, fly south for the winter and the islands are a favorite destination, easily accessible from Florida. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism promotes the country’s amenities. Annual activities planned to attract pilots and show off the beauty of these islands include an air race and an aerial treasure hunt. The Great Bahamas Air Race took place in mid-December and was won by our friend Alan Crawford in his Lancair Legacy. The week-long Bahamas Treasure Hunt begins February 12 and will cover more than 930 miles as participants use their airplanes to search for clues while enjoying the sun, sea, beaches, scuba diving, fishing, and relaxing.

Having had the opportunity to fly in the islands for my job in the past, I look forward to returning and enjoying their charms at a less hectic pace in the future.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 3, 2012 The Incredible Life of Gary Baker

The Liberty Gazette

January 3, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: Gary Baker was a jolly fella who wanted more human contact than he got through his “Seven-Seas BBS,” an early variation on what we now call the Internet, or World Wide Web, and something that Al Gore didn’t have anything to do with. I met Gary about 20 years ago because I was a member of his board and we lived only a few miles apart. Gary couldn’t get out much due to health problems, so on occasion I’d venture by so we could chat face to face.

An electronics whiz, Gary had led an interesting life and we collaborated on stories for a time. We got into the development of an online aviation magazine where we could post our “hangar flying” stories but it never took off. Gary eventually moved from California to Tulsa where over time further health complications and his constantly changing addresses for one reason or another eventually led to us losing contact.

As a child actor his credits include the movie “The High and The Mighty” starring John Wayne. As a young man Gary served our country in the Air Force, based at Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific’s Marshall Islands. His specialty was electronic countermeasures. Once discharged he worked in radio as an engineer and later his deep, smooth-as-silk voice got him seated on the other side of the microphone at stations that played oldies or country music.

Gary was also a pilot. He flew, among other things, a DC-3 airliner and later became a Boeing 727 captain. He may have told me once but I don’t recall the airline, just the funny stories he told of airline life. One of those was when he was captain on the DC-3. Someone brought a cat on board and somehow, in the middle of a thunderstorm, the sweet little fur ball got loose and tore through the cabin, invading the cockpit just as another bolt of lightning flashed and thunder banged. The cat went wild, jumped up on the co-pilot’s head and sunk its claws into the poor guy’s scalp. If one can wrestle with a cat, it happened that day. Eventually the cat let go and wedged itself so far down near the co-pilot’s rudder pedals that nobody could get it out. When they landed the co-pilot nursed his wounds, leaving the fight with the cat to the ground crew.

Gary was furloughed when his airline scaled back operations. While waiting to be recalled he worked as a truck driver. He stopped on the side of the road one day to fix some lights on the upper part of the back of his truck. As he stood atop his ladder a drunk driver ran into the back of the truck knocking Gary backwards. He hit the pavement 14 feet below, flat on his back. The blow tore his heart from its surrounding tissue and caused major internal injuries. A medical helicopter just happened to be flying by at the time and its passenger, a world-renown Houston heart surgeon, saw the accident as it happened, and ordered the helicopter to land. Gary was stabilized, loaded into the helicopter, and within an hour he was in the operating room with possibly the best heart surgeon ever. Due to the accident Gary never flew as a pilot again. I wish I knew now whatever became of him.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

December 27, 2011 Girl Scouts at Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport

The Liberty Gazette

December 27, 2011

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: It was a stormy day last week when eight girls, ages 8-9, climbed inside the airport fire truck. There a fireman entertained and educated the group, pushing the water cannon button blasting 750 gallons a minute in a high arch across the ramp so they could see how it works. This was the culmination of a field trip to the Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport in Angleton, Brazoria County, Texas that introduced these Girl Scouts to aviation and their local airport. Their Scout leader planned the tour for the week they were out of school for Christmas recess.

Mike: Most people’s schedules are full this time of year and no other female pilots in the Houston area were available to join Linda, but in a pinch a male pilot will suffice. My schedule was booked, but Bruce Bohannon, super guy that he is, jumped in at the last minute. After setting and breaking something like 35 world records, and with superior air racing skills proven at the Reno Air Races, it would be easy to become a snob, but that’s not Bruce. He dropped everything to be there for the kids when Linda called for help.

Linda: We are fortunate to have such a highly accomplished, youth oriented pilot living in the area. He’s a great promoter of General Aviation, fabulous with kids, and his heart is totally into it. We wanted the girls to think of the possibilities; “the airplane doesn’t know whether you’re a girl or a boy.” Bruce piqued their interest when he said some of the best aerobatic pilots he knows are female.

Airport Director, Jeff Bilyeu, fully supported and took part in the event as well. An airport management professional with the highest credentials, Jeff has served in many capacities with the American Association of Airport Executives, and is respected in the industry nationwide. This Girl Scout troop got the best of the best.

With a 7,000’ runway and a new restaurant open, the airport has undergone many improvements recently, and more plans to improve services are in the works benefitting the community, the state, and country. Jeff’s involvement in the Girl Scouts’ visit shows his understanding of the importance of the airport director in public and civic events – as it should be.

Airport Customer Service Representative, Amy Moyle, started the session by telling the girls about the international women’s organization, The 99s, and introducing me. We talked about airplanes, what makes them fly, and women pilots. The girls were interested in why “airports are for people who don’t fly,” as we explored the products and services that benefit them which rely on General Aviation and local airports. Bruce shared stories of flying adventures, and together, Jeff, Bruce, and I answered many questions the inquisitive girls asked. During the hangar tour the scouts got up close to a King Air, a jet, and a helicopter, and were treated to a look inside the helicopter by one of the pilots.

At the beginning of the presentation all but one of the girls had never considered airplanes in their future. Afterward, every hand went up when we asked, “Who thinks they could learn to fly one of these?” For being a rainy, stormy day, it sure was brightened by this event.

http://www.elyairlines.blogspot.com/

December 20, 2011 The Flight Before Christmas

The Liberty Gazette

December 20, 2011

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

'Twas the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp
Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ.
The aircraft were fastened to tie downs with care,
In hopes that come morning, they all would be there.

The fuel trucks were nestled, all snug in their spots,
With gusts from two forty at 39 knots
I slumped at the fuel desk, now finally caught up,
And settled down comfortably, resting my butt.

When the radio lit up with noise and with chatter,
I turned up the scanner to see what was the matter.
A voice clearly heard over static and snow,
Called for clearance to land at the airport below.

He barked his transmission so lively and quick,
I'd have sworn that the call sign he used was "St. Nick".
I ran to the panel to turn up the lights,
The better to welcome this magical flight.

He called his position, no room for denial,
"St. Nicholas One, turnin' left onto final."
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Travel Air sleigh, with nine radial Reindeer!

With vectors to final, down the glide slope he came,
As he passed all fixes, he called them by name:
"Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now Trini and Bacun!
On Comet! On Cupid!" What pills was he takin'?

While controllers were sittin', and scratchin' their head,
They phoned to my office, and I heard it with dread,
The message they left was both urgent and dour:
"When Santa pulls in, have him please call the tower."

He landed like silk, with the sled runners sparking,
Then I heard "Left at Charlie," and "Taxi to parking.
He slowed to a taxi, turned off of three-oh
And stopped on the ramp with a "Ho, ho-ho..."

He stepped out of the sleigh, but before he could talk,
I ran out to meet him with my best set of chocks.
His red helmet and goggles were covered with frost
And his beard was all blackened from Reindeer exhaust.

His breath smelled like peppermint, gone slightly stale,
And he puffed on a pipe, but he didn't inhale.
His cheeks were all rosy and jiggled like jelly,
His boots were as black as a cropduster's belly.

He was chubby and plump, in his suit of bright red,
And he asked me to "fill it, with hundred low-lead."
He came dashing in from the snow-covered pump,
I knew he was eager to be drainin' the sump.

I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And I filled up the sleigh, but I spilled like a jerk.
He came out of the restroom, and sighed in relief,
Then he picked up a phone for a Flight Service brief.

And I thought as he silently scribed in his log,
These reindeer could land in an eighth-mile fog.
He completed his pre-flight, from the front to the rear,
Then he put on his headset, and I heard him yell, "Clear!"

And laying a finger on his push-to-talk,
He called up the tower for clearance and squawk.
"Take taxiway Charlie, the southbound direction,
Turn right three-two-zero at pilot's discretion"
He sped down the runway, the best of the best,
"Your traffic's a Grumman, inbound from the west."
Then I heard him proclaim, as he climbed thru the night,
"Merry Christmas to all! I have traffic in sight."

~ Author unknown

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

December 13, 2011 Courtney Carroll and Footprints in the Sky

The Liberty Gazette

December 13, 2011

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: Many kind hearted souls have jumped at the chance to help Courtney Carroll. Prayer, support, encouragement, and assistance have come from people in many industries. A benefit last year in The Woodlands raised money to help offset medical costs not covered by insurance, and as Courtney prepares for her third kidney transplant at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore the costs continue to be incurred, and so does the help.

Linda: I was alerted to Courtney’s case when I was “tagged” in a Facebook post by a friend. She had mentioned me to someone named Mari Ann’s, thereby making Mari Ann’s Facebook page accessible to me. I’ve never met Mari Ann, a friend of the Carroll family, who was looking for assistance in finding a medical flight to get Courtney from a Denver hospital to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Courtney was too sick to fly commercially. Our mutual friend, Linda Roe, brought me in to the discussion hoping I might have contacts. The Carroll family had already contacted Angel Flights and learned the limitations, such as the 1,000 mile distance limit and the inability to provide service when medical attention is needed during transport. Through the Corporate Angel Network corporations that own airplanes take sick people to hospitals when they have an empty leg going that way but cannot provide medical attention en route. As I was working to find help through my own contacts Mari Ann shared some good news. Footprints in the Sky (from the last line of the poem, “Footprints”, “It was then that I carried you”) a Denver based medical flight company that operates a medically equipped Citation 550 (jet) would take Courtney. The family was asked to try and raise $5,000 for fuel. Before I could even get the word out, one generous person gave the entire $5,000.

Mike: Courtney was flown to Baltimore the next day. Dr. Robert Montgomery commended her mother, Tami, who is also her kidney donor, for her efforts and said it's a good thing they arrived when they did. Courtney was in very poor condition. Tami is grateful to God for the direction this has taken, and the expertise of Dr. Montgomery, who has handled similar difficult kidney cases.

Right now, they are working to stabilize Courtney and find out why she's losing blood; possibly the rejected kidney, but possibly something else. She will be in the hospital in Maryland for at least two months.

Linda: When I shared the update with fellow pilots who had tried to help, one of them, Barbara Harris-Para, asked if there were any other needs the family had. What about a place for Tami to stay? So I sent out a follow-up note to Mari Ann and learned that Tami is staying at the McElderry House across from the hospital, for $700 per month.

If you’re looking for a secular year-end tax deduction, consider a donation to:

Footprints in the Sky, http://www.FootprintsFlights.org, phone 303-799-0461, or

McElderry House, http://www.mcelderryhouse.com/ phone 410-732-5464.

Courtney posted on the National Kidney Center’s Facebook page recently: Hi my name is Courtney and I am a recipient of my father’s kidney. My transplant failed and I’m back on the list. The most wonderful gift someone can give is an organ. This process reminds people of what love really is and I’m thankful to have it because I would not be alive were it not for wonderful people like yourselves. Thank you and God bless.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

December 6, 2011 Balloon Glow and Christmas at the Old Fort

The Liberty Gazette

December 6, 2011

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: In Groesbeck Texas, 35 air miles east of Waco, adjacent to historic Old Fort Parker, is a new airfield. Dedicated to antique, vintage, classic and rare aircraft, privately owned Fort Parker Flying Field currently stands 2000’ x 74’ with plans to extend the grass runway to 2,700’. Attendance was higher than expected at the Field’s first fly-in, Old Planes At The Old Fort, held October 1st. The next event, a Christmas Balloon Glow, is this Saturday, December 10. The beauty of it is you don’t have to fly to be a part of it! This weekend, December 10-11, (weather permitting, of course) you are invited to enjoy Christmas At The Old Fort.

Linda: Texas history comes to life at this stockade fort that played a unique role in the settlement of our state. A 19th century timeline of entertainers and artisans will demonstrate Texas’ early history, and historic era reproduction Christmas gifts will be available to purchase. The living history timeline will span from the 1820s buck skinners to the 1890s cavalry, soldiers, and cowboy gunfighters. In addition to homestead and camp life demonstrations, artisans will demonstrate glass blowing, blacksmithing, knife making, woodcarving, pioneer cooking, flint knapping, cornhusk doll making, beading, crocheting, spinning, weaving, and soap making. Live entertainment will include Indian pow-wow dancers, gunfighter skits, storytellers, soldiers, dulcimer music, flute music and rendezvous games and skills.

New this year will be a Colonial period camp and demonstration of Confederate women’s lives. There will also be animals to pet, wagon rides, and of course, Santa.

Also new this year is the aforementioned Balloon Glow with tethered rides sponsored by Nadine’s of Groesbeck as well as a fly-in of vintage planes. If you can safely get your airplane on to a 2,000’ strip with 50’ trees on one end, you are welcome. Or just drive in!

Mike: Going by air? Darius Farmer is the official Chaos Supervisor and hired killer (usually just gophers, snakes, wild hogs and such, but do not press your luck). If you plan to fly in, call him at 254-747-0592. Pilots: the Field is located 31 33’ 54” North - 96 32’ 46” West, 4.7 nm south of the Mexia-Limestone County Airport, 1.2 nm along the 170 radial of GNL (Groesbeck) VOR, 2.5 nm north of the town of Groesbeck. It’s Bermuda turf (raked and rolled) with 2’x2’ white runway markers each 100’. The 50’ trees are on approach to 17. Normal traffic pattern is on the west side of the runway only. The Flying Field asks pilots to be considerate of residents on the north and east sides. Field elevation is 500’, pattern altitude 1300’ recommended maximum. Use 122.8 (Mexia KLXY), call sign “Old Fort” or “Fort Parker” traffic.

Ground-bound? Take Hwy 14 between Mexia and Groesbeck, turn on to Park Road 35 at “Old Fort Restoration” sign. Drive one mile to 866 Park Road 35, Groesbeck, 76642. You can’t really get lost in a town this size.

Linda: There will be food booths and lots of shopping opportunities. General admission is $5 adults and $2 children, with modest fees for overnighters and traders/vendors. Camping spots are available, as well as teepee camping, showers, bunkhouse rooms with shower access, a two bedroom house, RV parking with hook-ups, kitchen-dining facility for groups, and wireless internet in Fort headquarters. Contact them at (254)729-5253 or email oldfortparker@aol.com.

http://www.elyairlines.blogspot.com/