HAMming it up at 6,500 ft......

Two weeks ago there was a nation-wide event called "Field Day" which is an event that tests the operating skills and emergency preparedness of amateur radio ("HAMs") operators to perform their skill in a sustained emergency network. Field Day is run like a contest in which operators try to make as many contacts around the country and overseas as possible in a 24-hour period. Various categories are established and different operating environments are encouraged by which the HAM uses emergency power, generators, homemade antennas, and various other kinds of equipment in order to test the maintenance of communications networks in emergencies. Cell phones, land lines, twitter nets, computers and internet can and will fail, hopefully not all at the same time, so the challenge is still there to at least maintain emergency comms through HAM radio operators.

This Field Day was a bit different for a couple of us. My friend, Eric, and I thought it would be fun to try to hook up something totally different this time and see if we could push the envelope a bit. Eric owns a small aircraft and had been toying with the idea of doing something where we could create an air mobile platform and do our emergency HAMming from 6,500 feet. Of course all Eric has do do is mention flying and I'm in, so we talked about the possibilities and "theory" and he came up with a rig that would work. The antenna was going to be the tricky part along with the step-down transformer that would allow us to power up the HF rig (12 volts) from the plane's power system (28 volts). Eventually we/he got everything worked out, got the antenna worked out, and off we went. If you click on the picture of us in front of the plane, you can see the antenna wires which ran from the back of the plane to the tie-down hook on the strut.

We were able to talk to people on both coasts and pretty much everywhere in between. Once he started making contacts and using our identifier as "air mobile" there were lots of people trying to contact us. In fact, we got jammed up a lot of the time because everyone was stepping all over each other trying to get to us.

We made one contact with the Amateur Radio World HQ (ARRL/W1AW) in Newington, CT. and they talked to us for a while. In the background of their station, we could hear one of their guys saying "Air mobile.......How do we log that one in?" Eric said you are the headquarters guys, you figure it out.

We had another HAM, Joe, with us to help with the logging. Eric ran the radio and I flew the plane. What a great way to spend a summer afternoon.

Try not. Do or do not, there is no try. (Yoda)

Hooah

What a bunch of firsts...

Over the Fourth of July, we had a really neat bunch of relatives here from Georgia. Hank, Doy (Pam's sister) and their son Mike and his family (Janet, Sarah and Ben) all flew up from the sweltering heat of Georgia to be here and what a surprise -- the weather for the first half of the visit was absolutely beautiful. Most of the time the temperature was in the mid-70s with very low humidity and just a little breeze. We were all pleasantly surprised.

With that kind of start, we were able to get outdoors most of the time and do lots of things...most of which were firsts for at least one of the members of the group.

It began with some fishing at the pond. Ben was quite the fisherman, and got into a bunch of bluegills and got to pulling them out one right after the other. He had 10 pretty good ones in no time at all. He also caught one of the mid-size bass (a first for him). Doy and Sarah got to fishing and I found out that that was the first time Doy had either fished or caught a fish -- I can't remember which she said. It all happened so fast, and......the fish was only about 4" long!! Sorry, Doy. Sarah also got a fish or two but did more feeding of the bluegills than catching them. On that same day, Chuck, Alanna and Karen also tried their hand at it. Alanna has a little child's pole and we were all wondering what would happen if she got into one of the big catfish. But that didn't happen as she tired of fishing in a very short time and turned her pole over to Grandpa for safekeeping. And wouldn't you know it -- just after she gave it to Chuck, one of the bass took her worm and Chuck hooked it. He reeled it in and all the while Alanna jumped up and down saying, "I caught a fish, I caught a fish."

Later that evening we all sat around the fire ring, watching the stars and telling stories. I really enjoy those times.

We were also able to go to Chuck's and watch the fireworks that the City of Lima puts on each year. They do a pretty nice job.

One of the other firsts was taking the kids for boat rides. The women went shopping one day, and we all went over to Lake Loramie for a short ride on Miss Pam. Since I forgot to check the gas tank before we left, we only had enough for about an hour's ride, but that was plenty. I know that was Ben's first ride in our boat. Later in the week, we also took canoe rides on our pond. I think almost everyone who took a ride said this was their first or second time doing that. It's not a big pond, but it was fun.

Before they all left, Pam brought out all of her dummies and everyone sat around just having fun trying to be a ventriloquist. When you see this picture, try to avoid asking the obvious question.

I put most of the pictures on my Picasa site, so if you know where that is, check them out.

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts.

Hooah

Follow-up on our last golf outing to NC...

While going thru some pictures last night and came across these. I had almost forgotten this part of our "Man Trip" to play golf in North Carolina this past spring.

As we did on our first trip there, we stopped on the way home to see Mayberry (Mt. Pilot, NC). It was another disappointment -- no Sheriff Taylor, no Barney, no Opie or Aunt Bea. We did, however, stop at the jail again and spent some time there...the tourist jail, not the real one. The old Sergeant Major (shown on the right) was the one in our group who may have had more of a chance to be in here than any of us as we were growing up. Dave liked fast cars back then! Chuck (left) is pretty much at home behind these bars too, but that's because he knows every line, scene, character that ever appeared on Mayberry.

Goober's gas station was closed. S'posed to open at 9:00 and it was 9:15. I guess that's how it was back then. Anyhow, it was raining and the gal who was to work that morning was just running late.

We hit the shops up town to find that perfect T-shirt to take home, and then went to the movie house (the old school house where Andy Griffith went to school when he was growing up there). There were some pretty cool statues out front, so we got our picture taken by some young couple who stopped by there, probably looking for the Sheriff or Opie too. From the way the young gal went on when she was taking our picture, she nay have thought maybe we were some of the characters from the original shows. I guess if you look closely, you can see some likenesses!

The "Good Old Days" aren't times marked precisely by a calendar, rather they are a state of mind fringed by the fog of passing time.

Hooah

The second most spectacular flight I have made...

During our June pilot's club meeting, the club decided to have a fly-out for the evening. It's been a while since I have been able to go to a meeting -- just about 6 years. Army kinda got in the way for all that time, so I was really looking forward to getting back with these guys. Most pilots I know are some really super guys, and we have some good times flying, talking about flying, and doing flying-related things, like Young Eagles, poker runs, etc.

This fly-out was to a small grass strip in the vicinity of Marysville, Ohio. We go over there every once in a while and the owner of the field has a hamburger and hot dog cook-out. The members bring a covered dish and it is really fun to just go over there, eat and sit around and just talk flying stories...most old, and some even real.

During this outing, the owner's son brought out a Stearman they own. What a beautiful biplane it is. Blue body with yellow wings, and a real nice black leather interior. I was once supposed to take a ride in one of these at the Troy WACO Field. My wife bought it for me as a present, but my first deployment to Iraq got in the way and when I got back from there, I found out that the guy who had the plane had gone out of business. I never got that ride, and I joked about it with the guy who owned this Stearman (shown below). He then asked me if I wanted to take a ride to make up for that one...I don't think a fly could blink faster than I answered yes. So off we went.
It was pretty cool. I even got to (had to) wear a little leather helmet with goggles and a built-in headset -- just like the Red Barron. We went rolling down the runway and had just cleared the wheels when he asked me if I wanted to fly it. That didn't take much convincing either. What a beautiful flight -- clear, blue skies at about 7:00 at night, no wind and me at the control of the stick. It doesn't get much better than that.

I might have flown a plane this way in an earlier life. No instrument panel, just a few dials, a stick and a rudder. This was as close as I might ever come to actually flying like a bird.

Maybe some day Quinn and I will get to go up together!!

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. (Leonardo Da Vinci)

Hooah