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An All-American Airshow

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The author expresses a profound and personal love for flying, willing to make significant sacrifices and occasionally bend rules to embrace the aviation lifestyle.
  • The Vinton County Airshow is portrayed as a unique, informal, and deeply cherished community event, embodying a spirit of camaraderie, humor, and shared passion for grassroots aviation.
  • The narrative contrasts the free-spirited, community-driven nature of local flying with bureaucratic regulations, highlighting the informal traditions and close-knit relationships within the aviation community.
  • The article culminates with a poignant description of the Vinton County gathering shortly after 9/11, showcasing the community's resilience, patriotism, and the unifying power of aviation during difficult times.
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As I was hefting two humongous boxes of maintenance records into the 180, I found myself thinking about the draconian FAA rules for operating a DC-3, the outta-sight fuel prices, the cost of round engines, spare parts, insurance, a hangar and maintenance. And I said to myself, out loud, “Martha, do we really want to buy this airplane?” And I answered, out loud, “You bet we do.” So the bathroom doesn’t get remodeled and the front walk stays cracked and I cut the grass and wash the windows myself. I can keep the car forever, cancel the cable and buy perfectly good jeans from Goodwill.

And, on that note, I settled on a name for this bimonthly (if Mac doesn’t fire me) column. “Flying; A Love Affair.” A good idea, but Unusual Attitudes is more accurate and descriptive.

Martha Lunken

Martha Lunken is a lifelong pilot, former FAA inspector and defrocked pilot examiner. She flies a Cessna 180 and anything with a tailwheel, from Cubs to DC-3s.

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