I think I've logged about four days of hanger rat duty over the past two
weeks. Still have a long way to go in terms of accommodations (chairs,
table, shelves, etc...but having your own hanger sure makes it more fun
(and, IMHO, justifiable) to hang around the airport.

Ah, Jack. You are discovering the truly BEST part of owning an airplane.

Last night, Montblack and his girl were at our hangar, supping on burnt
offerings and sampling the many fine microbrewed products that they had
contributed to the effort. We spend many hours enjoying the beautiful
evening, and each other's company, whilst absorbing the soothing absolution
of hops and grains.

Tonight, Mary and I were attending one of the too-frequent dinners required
by our position as innkeepers. The food was mediocre, the entertainment
dull, and (worst of all) everyone was smoking, which made for a bleary-eyed,
smelly evening.

On the brighter side, it was an open bar... ;-)

Still, at our earliest convenience, we "stepped outside for some fresh air,"
hopped in the Mustang, dropped the rag top, and made a bee-line for the
sanctuary of our hangar, where we proceeded to bask in the glow of Atlas,
and a few more of Montblack's excellent left-over microbrews.

There is nothing -- NOTHING -- better than hanging around YOUR hangar, with
YOUR airplane, at the end of a long day. Maybe it's the bottled-up
potential of an airplane that you own -- or maybe I'm just nuts -- but the
atmosphere is at once laid-back and electric.

To look at your plane and *know* that you can be in Florida by lunchtime (in
our case) is simply an intoxicating elixir -- even if you never, ever use
it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"