My work here is done...

[Jay Honeck]

40 months ago, when we opened our aviation themed hotel, one of our
first guests was a traveling nurse named Antoinette. She was a
divorced mom in her mid-30s, sweet as pie, in Iowa City to fulfill a
13-week contract at one of our medical centers.

She soon became a "regular" in the lobby, along with her elderly black
labrador, Beasley. A nicer pair has seldom graced our presence, and we
really hit it off with her and ol' Beas. Within a few weeks Mary and I
had invited her to go flying with us for a typical "$100 breakfast",
and with some trepidation she agreed to join us for the 30-minute
flight to the Quad Cities, where her boyfriend lived.

Of course I let her sit up front and fly, and had her do all the usual
turns and climbs. She was concentrating, very serious, and seemed to
be enjoying herself -- but the sheen of sweat on her upper lip betrayed
her effort. As with most newbies, she was over-controlling a bit, but
this soon settled down, and she did a fine job. (It was a nice, calm
day, luckily.)

We landed, had a marvelous brunch, and headed back to Iowa City. This
time Mary and Antoinette flew, while I marveled at the incredible
legroom available to me in the back of Atlas while two short women
flew!

After landing she thanked us both profusely, and it was clear that we
had set the hook pretty deeply. We were badgered with questions about
cost, time, the medical, lessons, instructors -- you name it, she
wanted to know about it.

Well, today, Tuesday, April 4, 2006, some 3.5 years later, Antoinette
soloed! And even though she hasn't lived at the inn for two years, we
have remained good friends (she was our first massage therapist at the
inn, too) and we were her very FIRST stop after leaving the airport.

(Interestingly, we had heard her on Unicom while she was flying, and
Mary had commented how much more confident she sounded. We had NO idea
she was alone, of course!)

It's been a long, long time since I've seen anyone as pumped and happy
-- what a wonderful thing to experience! She has had a long, hard row
to hoe (job changes, trouble with her medical, and instructor problems,
just to name a few obstacles), but she never took her eyes off the
prize. Her celebrations are well-deserved, and nothing could make us
happier than her success.

Antoinette is our first "true aviation convert" to leave the nest
(we've got a couple of others simmering) and she is bound and
determined to get her ticket. She has joined a tiny, tiny fraction of
the earth's population (pilots), and, as a woman pilot, she joins an
even tinier subset of the whole. (Only ~6% of all pilots are women.)
What a great day!

Next time you fly, take a minute to admire that pesky little 152
working the pattern at your airport -- that's our future you're
watching!

Dang -- you know, come to think of it, maybe my work here has just
begun!?

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[kontiki]

Nice work Jay, and great story.

Oh yeah, and pass along my congratulations to Antoinette. :^)

[Bob Noel]

In article om>,
"Jay Honeck" > wrote:

> Dang -- you know, come to think of it, maybe my work here has just
> begun!?

exactly.

keep passing it along...

--
Bob Noel
Looking for a sig the
lawyers will hate

[John Huthmaker]

What a great story. Congratulations to You, Mary and Antoinette!

--
John Huthmaker
PPL-SEL P-28-161

http://www.cogentnetworking.com

[BTIZ]

it's just begun Jay... nice job
BT

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> 40 months ago, when we opened our aviation themed hotel, one of our
> first guests was a traveling nurse named Antoinette. She was a
> divorced mom in her mid-30s, sweet as pie, in Iowa City to fulfill a
> 13-week contract at one of our medical centers.
>
> She soon became a "regular" in the lobby, along with her elderly black
> labrador, Beasley. A nicer pair has seldom graced our presence, and we
> really hit it off with her and ol' Beas. Within a few weeks Mary and I
> had invited her to go flying with us for a typical "$100 breakfast",
> and with some trepidation she agreed to join us for the 30-minute
> flight to the Quad Cities, where her boyfriend lived.
>
> Of course I let her sit up front and fly, and had her do all the usual
> turns and climbs. She was concentrating, very serious, and seemed to
> be enjoying herself -- but the sheen of sweat on her upper lip betrayed
> her effort. As with most newbies, she was over-controlling a bit, but
> this soon settled down, and she did a fine job. (It was a nice, calm
> day, luckily.)
>
> We landed, had a marvelous brunch, and headed back to Iowa City. This
> time Mary and Antoinette flew, while I marveled at the incredible
> legroom available to me in the back of Atlas while two short women
> flew!
>
> After landing she thanked us both profusely, and it was clear that we
> had set the hook pretty deeply. We were badgered with questions about
> cost, time, the medical, lessons, instructors -- you name it, she
> wanted to know about it.
>
> Well, today, Tuesday, April 4, 2006, some 3.5 years later, Antoinette
> soloed! And even though she hasn't lived at the inn for two years, we
> have remained good friends (she was our first massage therapist at the
> inn, too) and we were her very FIRST stop after leaving the airport.
>
> (Interestingly, we had heard her on Unicom while she was flying, and
> Mary had commented how much more confident she sounded. We had NO idea
> she was alone, of course!)
>
> It's been a long, long time since I've seen anyone as pumped and happy
> -- what a wonderful thing to experience! She has had a long, hard row
> to hoe (job changes, trouble with her medical, and instructor problems,
> just to name a few obstacles), but she never took her eyes off the
> prize. Her celebrations are well-deserved, and nothing could make us
> happier than her success.
>
> Antoinette is our first "true aviation convert" to leave the nest
> (we've got a couple of others simmering) and she is bound and
> determined to get her ticket. She has joined a tiny, tiny fraction of
> the earth's population (pilots), and, as a woman pilot, she joins an
> even tinier subset of the whole. (Only ~6% of all pilots are women.)
> What a great day!
>
> Next time you fly, take a minute to admire that pesky little 152
> working the pattern at your airport -- that's our future you're
> watching!
>
> Dang -- you know, come to think of it, maybe my work here has just
> begun!?
>
> :-)
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>

[Marco Leon]

Great job Jay! Now you need to introduce her to newsgroups (if you haven't
already).

Maybe that's what we need to increase the pilot population--more women! Like
the "ladie's night" concept that's been time-tested throughout the nightlife
scene, more women always translates to more men (which translates to more
women...).

Marco



"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> 40 months ago, when we opened our aviation themed hotel, one of our
> first guests was a traveling nurse named Antoinette. She was a
> divorced mom in her mid-30s, sweet as pie, in Iowa City to fulfill a
> 13-week contract at one of our medical centers.
[snip]



Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
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[Jay Beckman]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> 40 months ago, when we opened our aviation themed hotel, one of our
> first guests was a traveling nurse named Antoinette. She was a
> divorced mom in her mid-30s, sweet as pie, in Iowa City to fulfill a
> 13-week contract at one of our medical centers.
>

<SNIP>

Jay H,

As usual, a great read!

Continue to preach the gospel of flight, brother!!

Jay B

[Javier]

Jay Beckman wrote:
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>> 40 months ago, when we opened our aviation themed hotel, one of our
>> first guests was a traveling nurse named Antoinette. She was a
>> divorced mom in her mid-30s, sweet as pie, in Iowa City to fulfill a
>> 13-week contract at one of our medical centers.
>>
>
> <SNIP>
>
> Jay H,
>
> As usual, a great read!
>
> Continue to preach the gospel of flight, brother!!
>
> Jay B
>
>

I think he should place Be A Pilot materials by each bible in his Inn.

-jav

[Gig 601XL Builder]

"Javier" > wrote in message
...
> Jay Beckman wrote:
>> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
>> ups.com...
>>> 40 months ago, when we opened our aviation themed hotel, one of our
>>> first guests was a traveling nurse named Antoinette. She was a
>>> divorced mom in her mid-30s, sweet as pie, in Iowa City to fulfill a
>>> 13-week contract at one of our medical centers.
>>>
>>
>> <SNIP>
>>
>> Jay H,
>>
>> As usual, a great read!
>>
>> Continue to preach the gospel of flight, brother!!
>>
>> Jay B
>
> I think he should place Be A Pilot materials by each bible in his Inn.
>
> -jav


Speaking of the bibles in hotel rooms. Do the Gideons show up from time to
time to restock or is there a secret phone number you call to have them
delivered? And where do they meet. I've never run into a Gideon in person
and these questions nag at me.

[Jay Honeck]

> Speaking of the bibles in hotel rooms. Do the Gideons show up from time to
> time to restock or is there a secret phone number you call to have them
> delivered? And where do they meet. I've never run into a Gideon in person
> and these questions nag at me.

Amazingly, yes, the Gideons simply show up from time to time.
Actually, they call ahead, and ask how many we need. They are very
nice folks.

Thus far, we have continued this age-old hotel tradition of stocking
Bibles in each suite, but I must confess to being uncomfortable about
it. We've been hit up by Mormons, too (we declined their offer of
stocking the "Book of Mormon") and I expect the Muslims to call on us
any day with Korans.

Where to draw the line?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Bob Noel]

In article om>,
"Jay Honeck" > wrote:

> Where to draw the line?

fwiw - my vote: right where you've drawn it today.

--
Bob Noel
Looking for a sig the
lawyers will hate

[Jose]

> Where to draw the line?

I'd replace all the religious books with Feynman's lectures on physics.

Jose
--
Nothing takes longer than a shortcut.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

[Peter Duniho]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Where to draw the line?

Personally, I think you draw the line wherever the heck you please. It's
your hotel, and no one's business what you think is appropriate to stock in
a room or not. I doubt even the Gideon's get used much at all, especially
at a place like yours (just how many soul-searching lost sheep wind up
crashing at your pad, looking for guidance in the form of a book?).

If you do wind up with the urge to diversify (and why not?), I think the
solution is not to stock each room with multiple texts, but to rather stock
no room with any text, and provide some sort of reading room or library
where copies of a variety of interesting texts can be found. Religious
material of all sorts, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or Aviation, would
be perfectly appropriate.

Pete

[Jay Honeck]

> Personally I'd prefer nothing like a bible or a koran. Even a penthouse mag
> will draw the women's attention. So you can never make it right to all.
> Maybe a free aviation mag?

Actually, every suite always has a free copy of "General Aviation News"
(which IMO is the best aviation tabloid out there) on the table, right
with our "Welcome" binder and the "Local Events" publication from our
convention & visitors bureau.

GA News jumped at the chance to get in all of our suites, back in 2002,
and they have continued to send them -- for free -- every 2 weeks, ever
since. They are an outstanding bunch of people.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> If you do wind up with the urge to diversify (and why not?), I think the
> solution is not to stock each room with multiple texts, but to rather stock
> no room with any text, and provide some sort of reading room or library
> where copies of a variety of interesting texts can be found. Religious
> material of all sorts, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or Aviation, would
> be perfectly appropriate.

I like that idea. We already have a library for our guests to use (See
http://alexisparkinn.com/aviation_library.htm ) and it wouldn't be hard
to stock a few religious texts.

Not that anyone has ever asked for this, quite frankly. But I've
found it's best to be ready for these things *before* they hit me in
the face.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Gig 601XL Builder]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>> Speaking of the bibles in hotel rooms. Do the Gideons show up from time
>> to
>> time to restock or is there a secret phone number you call to have them
>> delivered? And where do they meet. I've never run into a Gideon in person
>> and these questions nag at me.
>
> Amazingly, yes, the Gideons simply show up from time to time.
> Actually, they call ahead, and ask how many we need. They are very
> nice folks.
>
> Thus far, we have continued this age-old hotel tradition of stocking
> Bibles in each suite, but I must confess to being uncomfortable about
> it. We've been hit up by Mormons, too (we declined their offer of
> stocking the "Book of Mormon") and I expect the Muslims to call on us
> any day with Korans.
>
> Where to draw the line?
> --


OK that is funny. When I typed the previous message I ALMOST made a Mormon
joke because I had watched the new HBO show "Big Love" the night before.

[Montblack]

("Gig 601XL Builder" wrote)
>> Thus far, we have continued this age-old hotel tradition of stocking
>> Bibles in each suite, but I must confess to being uncomfortable about it.
>> We've been hit up by Mormons, too (we declined their offer of stocking
>> the "Book of Mormon") and I expect the Muslims to call on us any day with
>> Korans.

> OK that is funny. When I typed the previous message I ALMOST made a Mormon
> joke because I had watched the new HBO show "Big Love" the night before.


Mormie is out of the country until November. Go nuts.


Montblack

[Jack Allison]

Very cool Jay. Must feel nice to have been part of Antoinette getting
her license.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane
Arrow N2104T

"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

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

[Jay Honeck]

> Very cool Jay. Must feel nice to have been part of Antoinette getting
> her license.

Not yet. She's only just soloed -- but that's 90% of the battle.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jack Allison]

My bad...that's what I get for reading the initial post then replying
days later, after I've forgotten critical details. Ah well, she'll get
her license and you'll still be responsible for putting her on the path
to flying. Still very cool and something I hope to be able to do someday


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane
Arrow N2104T

"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

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

[Flyingmonk]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> 40 months ago, when we opened our aviation themed hotel, one of our
> first guests was a traveling nurse named Antoinette. She was a
> divorced mom in her mid-30s, sweet as pie, in Iowa City to fulfill a
> 13-week contract at one of our medical centers.
>
> She soon became a "regular" in the lobby, along with her elderly black
> labrador, Beasley. A nicer pair has seldom graced our presence, and we
> really hit it off with her and ol' Beas. Within a few weeks Mary and I
> had invited her to go flying with us for a typical "$100 breakfast",
> and with some trepidation she agreed to join us for the 30-minute
> flight to the Quad Cities, where her boyfriend lived.
>
> Of course I let her sit up front and fly, and had her do all the usual
> turns and climbs. She was concentrating, very serious, and seemed to
> be enjoying herself -- but the sheen of sweat on her upper lip betrayed
> her effort. As with most newbies, she was over-controlling a bit, but
> this soon settled down, and she did a fine job. (It was a nice, calm
> day, luckily.)
>
> We landed, had a marvelous brunch, and headed back to Iowa City. This
> time Mary and Antoinette flew, while I marveled at the incredible
> legroom available to me in the back of Atlas while two short women
> flew!
>
> After landing she thanked us both profusely, and it was clear that we
> had set the hook pretty deeply. We were badgered with questions about
> cost, time, the medical, lessons, instructors -- you name it, she
> wanted to know about it.
>
> Well, today, Tuesday, April 4, 2006, some 3.5 years later, Antoinette
> soloed! And even though she hasn't lived at the inn for two years, we
> have remained good friends (she was our first massage therapist at the
> inn, too) and we were her very FIRST stop after leaving the airport.
>
> (Interestingly, we had heard her on Unicom while she was flying, and
> Mary had commented how much more confident she sounded. We had NO idea
> she was alone, of course!)
>
> It's been a long, long time since I've seen anyone as pumped and happy
> -- what a wonderful thing to experience! She has had a long, hard row
> to hoe (job changes, trouble with her medical, and instructor problems,
> just to name a few obstacles), but she never took her eyes off the
> prize. Her celebrations are well-deserved, and nothing could make us
> happier than her success.
>
> Antoinette is our first "true aviation convert" to leave the nest
> (we've got a couple of others simmering) and she is bound and
> determined to get her ticket. She has joined a tiny, tiny fraction of
> the earth's population (pilots), and, as a woman pilot, she joins an
> even tinier subset of the whole. (Only ~6% of all pilots are women.)
> What a great day!
>
> Next time you fly, take a minute to admire that pesky little 152
> working the pattern at your airport -- that's our future you're
> watching!
>
> Dang -- you know, come to think of it, maybe my work here has just
> begun!?
>
> :-)
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"

Cool...

Good on you mate! hehehe My impression of Steve the Crock Hunter.
:-))

The Monk