Beale Street Rocks!

[Jay Honeck]

As many of you know, I'm in Memphis as I'm typing this. We've been on
a 5-day Spring Break barnstorming tour, flying wherever and whenever
the weather looks best. We were supposed to be in Texas, but ended
up in North Carolina, visiting Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk.

We then flew down the barrier islands, with a stop at Ocracoke Island
for lunch at Howard's Pub -- well worth the effort should you ever get
out that way. (Thanks to those who recommended it!) Then it was to
Beaufort, NC (where the 54th Massachussets -- the first black regiment
in the Civil War, immortalized in "Glory" -- was based for a while)
for gas, and on down the coast to Myrtle Beach, for a day in the sun.
My son and I still have sore necks from the whiplash of not knowing
where to look next! :-)

We then headed West, past Chattanooga to Memphis, where we spent last
night down on Beale Street, listening to the best blues bands in the
world. The police had closed off the street to vehicular traffic (I
couldn't tell if that was an "every night" thing, or something related
to St Patrick's Day), the weather was in the 70s, and there were
wailing blues guitar riffs emanating from every open door and
window.

The crowds were large, the beer was cold (and we could actually carry
it on the street, just like in Wisconsin, as opposed to Iowa), and the
food was to die for. You guys who live around here really have a
fantastic music scene -- I wish we had 10% of the live music
opportunities in our part of the country.

My only regret was that kids weren't allowed in the "pure" bars --
only the ones that also sold food. Luckily, the warm weather meant
that every door and window was wide open, so we could enjoy every band
on the street, free of charge!

Today it's off to ElvisWorld, and Mud Island. (Aptly named, since it
poured here overnight...) The plan is to fly home tomorrow, and the
prog charts look promising.
--
Jay Honeck
Presently Memphis, TN
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Montblack]

("Jay Honeck" wrote)
> My son and I still have sore necks from the whiplash of not knowing where
> to look next! :-)


I suspect ALL present got their fill of eye candy that day. It's just, the
gals were 10,000% more subtle in the way they went about it ....vs. you two
knuckleheads. :-)


Montblack

[GrtArtiste]

On Mar 15, 11:11 am, "Jay Honeck" > wrote:
> As many of you know, I'm in Memphis as I'm typing this. We've been on
> a 5-day Spring Break barnstorming tour, flying wherever and whenever
> the weather looks best. We were supposed to be in Texas, but ended
> up in North Carolina, visiting Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk.

Thought this was appropriate

Marc Cohn - Walking In Memphis


Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
W.C. Handy -- won`t you look down over me
Yeah I got a first class ticket
But I`m as blue as a boy can be

(Chorus)
Then I`m walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel

Saw the ghost of Elvis
On Union Avenue
Followed him up to the gates of Graceland
Then I watched him walk right through
Now security they did not see him
They just hovered `round his tomb
But there`s a pretty little thing
Waiting for the King
Down in the Jungle Room

(Chorus)

They`ve got catfish on the table
They`ve got gospel in the air
And Reverend Green be glad to see you
When you haven`t got a prayer
But boy you`ve got a prayer in Memphis

Now Muriel plays piano
Every Friday at the Hollywood
And they brought me down to see her
And they asked me if I would --
Do a little number
And I sang with all my might
And she said --
"Tell me are you a Christian child?"
And I said "Ma`am I am tonight"

(Chorus)

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
------------------------------------------------
GrtArtiste

[John Galban]

Beale street is still fun, but it's not the legendary Beale
anymore. I saw it a few yrs. back and nowadays it looks like a
touristy caricature of its old self.

John Galban=====<N4BQ (PA28-180)

[WestCDA]

Be that as it may, I was there a few months back when we were working near
Tupelo. Went through the Gibson factory and watched some luthiers at work,
then watched the ducks working (perhaps not as skillfully) at the Peabody.
Even in the late afternoon and early evening, we had a chance to hear some
incredible acoustic and electric sets up and down Beale - touristy or not,
there is still some great talent to be heard if you enjoy live music.

"John Galban" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Beale street is still fun, but it's not the legendary Beale
> anymore. I saw it a few yrs. back and nowadays it looks like a
> touristy caricature of its old self.
>
> John Galban=====<N4BQ (PA28-180)
>
>

[Jay Honeck]

> Be that as it may, I was there a few months back when we were working near
> Tupelo. Went through the Gibson factory and watched some luthiers at work,
> then watched the ducks working (perhaps not as skillfully) at the Peabody.
> Even in the late afternoon and early evening, we had a chance to hear some
> incredible acoustic and electric sets up and down Beale - touristy or not,
> there is still some great talent to be heard if you enjoy live music.

That's an understatement. We heard a 4-piece band playing in front of
a store, on the sidewalk, that rivaled anything Robert Cray or Stevie
Ray Vaughan produced. And the guys who were actually IN the bars,
working for pay, were even better.

This is THE place for live music, beyond a doubt.
--
Jay Honeck
Currently Memphis, TN
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Masino]

Jay Honeck > wrote:
> That's an understatement. We heard a 4-piece band playing in front of
> a store, on the sidewalk, that rivaled anything Robert Cray or Stevie
> Ray Vaughan produced. And the guys who were actually IN the bars,
> working for pay, were even better.
>
> This is THE place for live music, beyond a doubt.

And you left that to go see the former home of a dead, fat, Las Vegas
lounge singer?


--

Jay Masino "Home is where My critters are"
http://www.JayMasino.com
http://www.OceanCityAirport.com
http://www.oc-Adolfos.com

[Thomas Borchert]

Jay,

> And you left that to go see the former home of a dead, fat, Las Vegas
> lounge singer?
>

I remember driving up to the place with some friends, asking the guard
how much it was. He said "10 bucks", and we turned around. Guess I'm not
really a fan...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Vic7]

As many of you know, I'm in Memphis as I'm typing this.


Well, I'm sorry we missed you here in the sunny south, but I am glad to hear that you enjoyed our local music scene. We're the less-well-known but much better music city in Tennessee. North Mississippi is the birth place of the blues and the blues are the parents of rock. Memphis, being the capital of North Mississippi, is home to most of the shrines to the music and to the men and women who invented it. You can still find the real thing in many Mississippi towns if you go looking.

Next time you're in town you'll have to drop by our club [http://www.memphis-soaring.org]. On weekends it looks as much like an EAA meeting as a gliderport with the rag and vintage planes our members arrive in. You should have no trouble getting in and out of our 3000'x300' grass strip. Twins have done it so I'm sure you'd have no problem.

BTW: Which of our various airports did Atlas stay at while the family was playing?

Glad you enjoyed it. I'll try to get the Cub up to Iowa some day.

V7

[GrtArtiste]

On Mar 16, 11:59 am, (Jay Masino) wrote:

>
> And you left that to go see the former home of a dead, fat, Las Vegas
> lounge singer?


A dead, fat, Las Vegas lounge singer who during the 25 year period
after his death earned $37 million. Would that I could do half as well
while alive.

GrtArtiste

[B A R R Y]

On 16 Mar 2007 16:47:02 -0700, "GrtArtiste" >
wrote:

>
>A dead, fat, Las Vegas lounge singer who during the 25 year period
>after his death earned $37 million. Would that I could do half as well
>while alive.
>

I'll settle for 10%. <G>

[Jay Honeck]

> > And you left that to go see the former home of a dead, fat, Las Vegas
> > lounge singer?
>
> I remember driving up to the place with some friends, asking the guard
> how much it was. He said "10 bucks", and we turned around. Guess I'm not
> really a fan...

It's now up to $25 per person -- unless you want the "extended tour"
that includes a tour of Elvis' private aircraft. That tour is
something crazy, like $60 per person.

We drove past Graceland...on our way to dinner. No way would I pay
anything to see the inside of that place. We didn't even take a
picture.

Sun Records, on the other hand, was well worth the $10 per-person fee
for the tour. To stand on the exact spot where Jerry Lee Lewis,
Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and, yes, Elvis recorded their greatest
hits was a real thrill. (The place is on the National Historic
Register, perfectly preserved, and the tour guides are fantastic.)

And, if you want to know what aviation geeks we really are, we took a
couple of hours to drive over to Memphis International to watch the
"FedEx Air Show".

We saw more aircraft fly into Memphis in 10 minutes than Cedar Rapids
(Class C) gets in a 24-hour period.

To see what FedEx does in Memphis, see these videos:

http://tinyurl.com/3xcjou

and

http://tinyurl.com/2r6bjn

It's absolutely amazing.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> BTW: Which of our various airports did Atlas stay at while the family
> was playing?

We parked his heinie at Olive Branch (OLV), under the Class Bravo veil
of Memphis International.

It was a bit of a drive to see some of the sights, but MUCH cheaper
than flying into the big airport. (AvGas was over $5 per gallon at
MEM.)

Any idea why the city is called "Olive Branch"? No one at the airport
had a clue.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[James Robinson]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote:

> Any idea why the city is called "Olive Branch"? No one at the airport
> had a clue.

From the magic of an internet search, the town was originally named
"Cowpens". They must have given them incentive to change it.

The name was supposedly settled on to commorate the peaceful negotiations
with local first nation bands. It was the name used when the first post
office opened.

[CRaSH]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> It's now up to $25 per person -- unless you want the "extended tour"
> that includes a tour of Elvis' private aircraft. That tour is
> something crazy, like $60 per person.
>

We toured Graceland & both aircraft maybe ten years ago, and the price
wasn't cheap (don't remember now), but it wasn't anywhere near that price.
The mansion was interesting, but not spectacular, it impressed me by the
lack of opulence that Elvis could have had, and the aircraft were, well,
aircraft, again nothing spectacular..

BTW - in 1960 Beale Street was totally off limits to naval personnel from
the Naval Air Station north of Memphis, due to too many sailors coming back
with their nose out of joint (literally), missing teeth, mugged, etc.... We
got kicked out of the Peabody regularly - one guy would check in, then maybe
a dozen others would show up for a poker party, bribe a busboy to get a few
5ths [liters] of whiskey (all of us underage going to aviation electronics
school at the training facility), and let the party begin..... d:->))

[Jay Honeck]

> We
> got kicked out of the Peabody regularly - one guy would check in, then maybe
> a dozen others would show up for a poker party, bribe a busboy to get a few
> 5ths [liters] of whiskey (all of us underage going to aviation electronics
> school at the training facility), and let the party begin.....

You guys would have been my worst nightmare at our hotel!

;-)

College students in Iowa City can be remarkably deceptive, looking SO
nice and respectable when they check in... Then, a few hours later,
after a few drinks...look out.

My night manager gives 'em one warning -- and then they're out on the
street, no refunds, don't ever come back. We're incredibly harsh
about this, because 99% of our guests are couples out for a getaway
weekend in the hot tub suites who really do NOT want a bunch of head-
bangers across the hall.

If you've ever had the misfortune of staying in a hotel that doesn't
keep control of parties, you know what a terrible experience it can
be. I've even been told by staff at VERY reputable hotels that there
was "nothing we can do" -- and that's just complete crap.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Thomas Borchert]

Jay,

> And, if you want to know what aviation geeks we really are, we took a
> couple of hours to drive over to Memphis International to watch the
> "FedEx Air Show".
>

I was privileged to do a story on the Fedex Memphis hub for the
magazine I work for once. Got to see it all. Unbelievable. That and my
visit to "GPS central" with the 2nd Space Operations Squadron in
Colorado Springs were among the most exiting assignments for me as a
reporter.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Vic7]

We parked his heinie at Olive Branch (OLV), under the Class Bravo veil
of Memphis International.


--
Jay Honeck



Ahh, that is where I started learning to fly. If you enjoyed watching the FedEx rush hour from the ground, then you need to come back and take the tour of the sort hub. The tour actually starts around midnight and, according to several FedEx pilots, is jaw droppingly impressive. They move an inconceivable (channeling Wallace Shawn) number of packages in just a few hours.

V7

[Jay Honeck]

> Ahh, that is where I started learning to fly. If you enjoyed watching
> the FedEx rush hour from the ground, then you need to come back and
> take the tour of the sort hub. The tour actually starts around
> midnight and, according to several FedEx pilots, is jaw droppingly
> impressive. They move an inconceivable (channeling Wallace Shawn)
> number of packages in just a few hours.

THAT would be cool.

As an old newspaper guy, I've always been fascinated by the assembly,
sorting and packaging equipment at the newspapers I've worked for and
with. FedEx has taken these concepts to cosmically different levels
than I've ever experienced...

And, of course, they use really cool jets to accomplish their mission,
all landing in one area within a few hours. Amazing.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[John Clear]

In article . com>,
Jay Honeck > wrote:
>> Ahh, that is where I started learning to fly. If you enjoyed watching
>> the FedEx rush hour from the ground, then you need to come back and
>> take the tour of the sort hub. The tour actually starts around
>> midnight and, according to several FedEx pilots, is jaw droppingly
>> impressive. They move an inconceivable (channeling Wallace Shawn)
>> number of packages in just a few hours.
>
>THAT would be cool.

I got a tour of the Memphis hub during 'peak'. Peak is their term
for the few weeks before Christmas. I was there on December 20.

>As an old newspaper guy, I've always been fascinated by the assembly,
>sorting and packaging equipment at the newspapers I've worked for and
>with. FedEx has taken these concepts to cosmically different levels
>than I've ever experienced...

The amount of sorting that goes on is amazing. The main sorting
area is three levels of conveyer belts about twenty belts wide.
The middle layer is perpendicular to the top and bottom layers.
The packages are scanned as they enter one of the conveyers on the
top level, and then the computer figures out where they need to
end up. There are hydraulic hammers along the conveyers to kick
the packages down to the next level as needed so they end up in
the right bin at the end. Make sure you have enough padding, since
your package will be getting multiple hits and drops as it is
sorted. And watch your step as you walk through the hub, since
tugs have the right of way.

>And, of course, they use really cool jets to accomplish their mission,
>all landing in one area within a few hours. Amazing.

Being up in the FedEx control tower watching the line of jets on
approach was really cool. They have their own control tower in
case anything happens to the FAA one, but it isn't normally staffed.
The animation of the radar plots doesn't do it justice. Looking
up and seeing 30+ planes on approach and knowing they're all FedEx
is cool.

Even the security screening is interesting. While we were waiting
for our contact at the hub, we got to watch lots of employees
showing up for work. Six or seven standing room only bus loads
would show up every few minutes, and as fast as the buses could be
unloaded, the workers were through security. The trick, besides
everyone being really familiar with going through security, was
that they didn't bother with the silly little bins for your keys.
The tables next to the walk through metal detectors had high sides,
and the workers just chucked their keys down the table as they
hustled through the metal detectors and grabbed their keys at the
end. There was a separate line off to the side for bag screening,
and a second metal detector for every three front line ones to take
care of anyone that tripped the first one. Everyone would be
through security by the time the next bus loads showed up. Even
with a high degree of automation, it still takes lots of people to
load the boxes.

John
--
John Clear - http://www.clear-prop.org/