And now for something completely different

I'd like to try to '9 and '29. I was blessed with a chance on a '40 Staggerwing years ago.
The ‘9 as very stable. Nice cruiser.
The ‘29… well… it was what you would expect. I loved its handling. When you did an aileron roll it was an aileron roll. No rudder needed. As my instructor said after my first one, “No rudder! This is real airplane, not toy like Pitts.” Probably handled like a WWII fighter.
 
Friends of ours own a small inter-island air delivery service in Hawaii. Pride of their small fleet is a lovingly maintained DC-3, with the rest being custom-rigged Cessna Caravans. It’s ideal for shorter private runways. They bring a lot of the fresh produce and flowers into Honolulu for the high-end hotel and restaurant trade, including the occasional live pig destined for kalua, plus all kinds of miscellaneous cargo. Last time we visited, DH and our pilot friend took it over to Maui, and DH got to “drive” a bit. His tail-dragger skills came right back. Our friends say when they have her spooled up and waiting to come out on one of the main Honolulu runways, as the big liners pass by, they always get oohs and aahs from the airline pilots. Keep an eye out next time you are there.

Edit: I just checked our friends’ website. Sad news, but great back story:

View attachment 10155
This is quite the story for an airframe. I live 50 minutes from Davis Monthan, plenty of storied aircraft mothballed here.
 
Is this Iceland?
No, it's Narsarsuaq in Greenland. In WWII it was a base named Bluie West One. All the bases in Greenland were "Bluie" something. After air refueling became "normal" the "hopping stops" across the Atlantic were pretty much closed down. We flew the Gooney the WWII way: Bangor, Maine, Goose Bay, Labrador, Narsarsuaq, Greenland, Reykjavik, Iceland, Wick, Scotland, Texel, Holland, and then into Eindhoven.
 
No, it's Narsarsuaq in Greenland. In WWII it was a base named Bluie West One. All the bases in Greenland were "Bluie" something. After air refueling became "normal" the "hopping stops" across the Atlantic were pretty much closed down. We flew the Gooney the WWII way: Bangor, Maine, Goose Bay, Labrador, Narsarsuaq, Greenland, Reykjavik, Iceland, Wick, Scotland, Texel, Holland, and then into Eindhoven.
Thank you. DS did an LREC to Iceland last May and the glacier image looked similar to one he had shared with me.
 
Thank you. DS did an LREC to Iceland last May and the glacier image looked similar to one he had shared with me.
I was based at Keflavik once upon a time...Iceland is still one of my most favorite places in the entire world.

Gulfoss, Thingvellir and its history, Vatnajökull and numerous rivers, and the geysirs and waterfalls, just to name a few...it's just an amazing place! And the people are awesome!
 
I was based at Keflavik once upon a time...Iceland is still one of my most favorite places in the entire world.

Gulfoss, Thingvellir and its history, Vatnajökull and numerous rivers, and the geysirs and waterfalls, just to name a few...it's just an amazing place! And the people are awesome!
It was the trip of a lifetime for sure. Volcano was active the entire ten days and it only erupts every 800 years or so. The crowds were non existent. He was the only plebe so he was the taster of all things local - not sure that part was as much fun as the rest. He wants to buy property there, a small village on the sea that starts with an H. I can’t spell it.
The people were nice the landscape unreal.
He doesn’t regret missing Herndon, Sea Trials or commissioning week for that epic trip.
 
It was the trip of a lifetime for sure. Volcano was active the entire ten days and it only erupts every 800 years or so. The crowds were non existent. He was the only plebe so he was the taster of all things local - not sure that part was as much fun as the rest. He wants to buy property there, a small village on the sea that starts with an H. I can’t spell it.
The people were nice the landscape unreal.
He doesn’t regret missing Herndon, Sea Trials or commissioning week for that epic trip.
Hmm....village with an "H" name...

The beautiful ones that come to mind...Husavik is first as it's truly beautiful. Hofn...very isolated but pretty.
 
Hmm....village with an "H" name...

The beautiful ones that come to mind...Husavik is first as it's truly beautiful. Hofn...very isolated but pretty.
That’s the one. He messaged me from there, said he’d found a place in the harbor for 80k US dollars and was considering DOR to be a tour guide.

I opened wine and told myself he was kidding. It was beautiful based on the pictures he shared.
 
If it's Husavik...

I can TOTALLY understand!

It is a beautiful place!!

(use the English option unless you're good at Icelandic)
 
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