John

Yep. With the 364 flying days a year and clear air there, saw the sign
a lot.

Went back a few years ago to a reunion and couldn't find my way around
on the ground. I'm sure from the air it would have been as bad.

I checked the history records for the reunion and found that we
averaged killing one student a month and one instructor every three
months for the four years I was there.


Would average about 175 hours a month in the F-80/T-33. Start before
dawn and quit around mid-night for days on end.

My show off maneuver was the double immelman in the T-33. (The F-80A/B
didn't have a big enough engine to do it) Only a few of us did/could
do them because you were on the very ragged edge when you came out on
top of the second )

Stories of days gone by. Do miss that flying )

Big John

Were yoi at Willie John or do you just live in area?


On 20 Oct 2003 15:59:25 -0700, (John Galban)
wrote:

Big John wrote in message . ..
Oh, all yee of short memory.

In the early days before electronic navigation, many barn roofs and
water towers had the names painted on them. If you got lost all you
had to do was find a 'sign' and circle it to read where you were and
go from there.

I rarely see these signs anymore with the GPS and other navigation
systems we have.

Big John,

You flew out of Willie didn't you? Remember the one on a mountain
about 5 mi. east of Falcon that says "---PHX"? Well, it's still
there (been there since the 30's). When I 1st started flying in the
80s, I remember that sign was out in the uninhabited part of the
valley. Now it's surrounded by suburbs. Doesn't serve much of a
purpose anymore, but it's still neat to see when you're flying along.

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