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Rocky Mountain Aircraft Services My dream of flying to Oshkosh in an F-16 or as captain on one of my carriers S-80’s or a 737 is fading fast. But since my first visit in 1972, I’ve arrived not only in a Seneca but a Piper Arrow, a Cherokee Six, a 235 (Charger), a Cherokee 140, the Duke (multiple times), a Honda 350 and 550 motorcycle, a station wagon, a Ford Explorer and this year the Jeep. I’ve attended the show for one day many times and when overnighting, I’ve slept in a car, an airplane, a tent, an apart- ment and in hotels. I’ve attended as a teenage student pilot, a private pilot, a fighter pilot, a Duke owner, an airline pilot, a Wings of Mercy pilot and as a writer for Twin & Turbine. We’ve been rained on (one year was nicknamed “Sloshkosh”), blown over, seen severe thunderstorms, a water spout, been carried off by mosquitos, scorched to the point of heat stroke and cold enough to wear extra layers. I’ve sported very long hair, an Air Force/airline crew cut and now barely any hair at all. And I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. It Smells Like Fun Unlike the structured IFR and VFR arrival procedures into the greatest family reunion at Wittman Regional, and in a departure from the traditional military writing protocol, this month I’m taking my own advice, riding in the back and taking a break from standard procedure. And, in accor- dance with the fighter pilot motto, a shoot-first and let God sort it out philosophy is my defense. I’m teaching a lesson to myself: Slow down and smell the avgas. I could say slow down and smell the jet fuel, but I burn Jet-A at work and the smell has become more like, well, work. For me, avgas has always been the smell of fun, especially at Oshkosh when it smelled like Mennen aftershave. Thanks, Ed Mahler and your Special AeroSport. I needed that. Regular readers of this column have likely noticed that I employ a certain format. First, I tell you what I’m about to tell you with a salivating introduction. Next, I actually tell you the information, story or event. And finally, we review what was told with a chest thumping, head-shaking or tear- jerking summary. Well, this article is going to deviate from the USAF format but not far from the level of sarcasm and wit that you’ve grown to recognize and expect. This month, I’d like to wax poetic about airplanes and Oshkosh – and don’t worry, wax poetic was a euphemism, there will be no poetry. While humor, sarcasm, use of Elizabethan tongue, historical quotes, run-on sentences, made up words and even poetry (“Gettin’ Hitched,” T &T February 2019) are not used in of- ficial military correspondence, they often find their way into the writings of this ex-fighter pilot – don’t tell Tactical Air Command (now Tactical Air Control). But the overriding formula has been one in which there is (eventually) a lesson applicable to aviation. The lessons applicable to aviation are usually summarized in a final hair-raising or tear-jerking Faulkner level of quality paragraph seldom seen in modern published periodicals. Did thouest notice the humor, sarcasm, sentence architecture and fighter pilot arrogance? That was the theme of the show this year after all. Pilots not only have to learn, memorize, remember and keep track of massive amounts of information, but fly with hand-eye coordination beyond the ability of the average Preferred Airparts LLC August 2019 / TWIN & TURBINE • 33