Healing for the soul...

Those who have seen the movie "One Six Right" know how perfectly the
film's director melded video and music into a seamless, majestic
representation of flight. Since the very first time I saw the movie --
and I've watched it a dozen times since -- when I hear the opening bars
of that theme song my spirits soar, and I am airborne -- no matter
where I am, or what I'm doing.

We had finished off a hectic weekend at the Inn with a Sunday luncheon
for the Iowa Chapter of the Ninety-Nines -- the International
Organization of Women Pilots. We have hosted their annual meetings for
the last five years, and it's always fun -- but a LOT of work.
Everyone wants different food, and they all need rides from/to the
airport, and there are always plenty of tours to give and questions to
answer. In short, it's an intense -- but fun -- day.

After all the hoopla subsided, and we had delivered them all safely
back to their planes, we found ourselves with three hours of daylight,
crystal-clear blue skies, and keys to an airplane. It was time to fly!


With daylight limited, we headed for "The Good Earth", a restaurant
next to the airport in Muscatine (MUT), Iowa that is known for
home-made pies. After a big lunch, dessert was all we could do, so
Mary, the kids, and I enjoyed huge slices of freshly baked pies, with
dollops of rich vanilla ice cream on top, and steaming cups of hot
cocoa. It just couldn't get better.

Waddling back to Atlas, I couldn't help but ponder how lucky we were.
With another record year nearly under our belts, an ever-growing
clientele of repeat customers, and a widening circle of aviation
friends that truly spans the globe, this was a day for Thanksgiving --
just a few days early.

It was with these thoughts in mind that I advanced the throttle and
felt the wheels grow light.

Climbing at over 1500 feet per minute into the 20-degree sky, Atlas was
lighter on his feet than usual, thanks to only carrying half-tanks for
a change. (Counter to our usual practice, we had skipped fueling after
our last flight, and didn't need any more to complete this one.) With
"only" enough fuel on board to fly for 2.5 hours, our 235 literally
flung us skyward, and we whooped as we rocketed in an express elevator
up to 4500 feet!

Leveling out on top of a cold haze layer, the Mississippi far below,
the sun was setting in a perfect, flaming ball at our 10 o'clock
position, appearing as if it were resting atop a never-ending bowl of
milk. My 13 year old daughter (usually so jaded by flying that she
sometimes throws fits about doing it) quickly asked for my camera upon
seeing the glorious view. My spirits soared higher still, as my
reluctant little flyer had at last found *something* about flying that
was cool and unique once again...

In absolutely still air, we effortlessly sailed over all below, whether
created by man or God. The setting sun cast mysterious shadows on the
haze and the earth, below, and then -- the music started to play.

The CD from "One Six Right" has been soldered in our player since the
day we bought it at Oshkosh, and Mary had silently pushed the "play"
button. As the opening bars from the movie started playing, all
chatter on board instantly ceased as we wordlessly took in the beauty
and sheer magnitude of the view.

The piano portion gradually gave way to the orchestral crescendo, where
(in the movie) a gorgeous Douglas DC-3 pulls up and away in a smooth,
effortless wing-over. Almost without thinking, I found my hands and
feet suddenly guiding Atlas through the same routine, in time with the
music.

Each crescendo was met with a gradual pull up and bank to the
left....then, as the music subsided, we would roll over on the wing,
smoothly and gradually descending back to our original altitude, only
to pull back again, this time powerfully to the right. The push overs
at the top were gentle, but firm, and resulted in some easy negative
Gs, but nothing violent or uncomfortable. All maneuvers were done as
smoothly as possible, never exceeding normal category flight, and were
choreographed perfectly to the "One Six Right" theme song.

Mary and the kids were in utter rapture. I'd done this kind of flying
alone, but never with the family on board, but the conditions were so
perfect, and my attitude so in tune with the situation, that it seemed
utterly natural and routine. We were wheeling and soaring through
space, up 500, down 500, then down another, then over on a wing, all in
time with the music and without so much as a ripple in the sky.

It was perfect. Life was perfect. Nothing could ever mar the
experience, and nothing will ever scar the memory. For that one, brief
period, everything I was, everything I am, and everything I ever will
be was expressed wordlessly in flight, through my body, in my flying --
and we all knew it.

With the music ending, the moment passed, and we were sated. Happily,
we flew the remaining miles back home, back to the land, back to the
real world, changed and thankful.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article .com,
Jay Honeck wrote:

snip much verbage

It was perfect. Life was perfect. Nothing could ever mar the
experience, and nothing will ever scar the memory. For that one, brief
period, everything I was, everything I am, and everything I ever will
be was expressed wordlessly in flight, through my body, in my flying --
and we all knew it.

With the music ending, the moment passed, and we were sated. Happily,
we flew the remaining miles back home, back to the land, back to the
real world, changed and thankful.

Our son serenaded us through tonight's dinner with armpit farts. We
are blessed.


--
Scott Post

Our son serenaded us through tonight's dinner with armpit farts. We
are blessed.

Ain't life grand? ;-)

BTW: If you haven't heard the music I'm referring to, it plays
continuously on the "One Six Right" website.

Hear it he http://www.onesixright.com/
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Beautiful! Nothing more to say.
Oz Lander

--
I'm not always right,
But I'm never wrong!

ROFLMAO!!! Well Scott, be thankfull... that they came from his armpit.
Last night I had to hollor through the wall of our bedroom for my son, Nick,
to quit playing with a woopi cushion... or at least I HOPE it was a woopi
cushion!
Jim

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhzzzzzzzzzz. Thanks.
jim

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com...
Our son serenaded us through tonight's dinner with armpit farts. We
are blessed.

Ain't life grand? ;-)

BTW: If you haven't heard the music I'm referring to, it plays
continuously on the "One Six Right" website.

Hear it he http://www.onesixright.com/

Sounds like a instrumental version of this one with a bit more tempo:
http://www.gcsdistributing.com/?pv=tr&tf=TDP&DT=UT

"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...
BTW: If you haven't heard the music I'm referring to, it plays
continuously on the "One Six Right" website.

Hear it he http://www.onesixright.com/

Sounds like a instrumental version of this one with a bit more tempo:
http://www.gcsdistributing.com/?pv=tr&tf=TDP&DT=UT

I believe it is. The song in the war tribute is "Homeward Bound", written
by Marta Keen. I couldn't find anything crediting her for the piece on One
Six Right, but I'm pretty sure it's the same piece.

Pete

In article .com,
Jay Honeck wrote:
Our son serenaded us through tonight's dinner with armpit farts. We
are blessed.

Ain't life grand? ;-)

BTW: If you haven't heard the music I'm referring to, it plays
continuously on the "One Six Right" website.


I hadn't heard that. I bought my wife a copy of the DVD but it's hidden
away in the basement until Xmas. Don't tell her.

--
Scott Post

BTW: If you haven't heard the music I'm referring to, it plays
continuously on the "One Six Right" website.

I hadn't heard that. I bought my wife a copy of the DVD but it's hidden
away in the basement until Xmas. Don't tell her.

Good choice.

The music, BTW, is beautiful, but nothing sensational. Its power comes
from the connection your mind assigns to it after seeing the movie a
time or two.

That movie is just stunning. Your wife will love it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"