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this Roswell, New Mexico place. And so are lies. Lies about aliens and lies about airplane heaven. This isn’t airplane heaven – it’s airplane hell.Reddy the Red FoxWe had a Red Fox kit when I was young – mom named him Reddy. Dad found him abandoned in the woods while hunting. He was just a baby and a search for his mother was unsuccessful. Dad felt compelled to bring him home so we raised him as you would a domestic pet dog. He seemed to enjoy life with people but as he grew up, he developed the signature musky smell of a male Red Fox. Not as bad as a skunk, but close enough. We kids didn’t mind but for dad it was frustrating and for mom it was intolerable. One day, we all piled into the family station wagon along with Reddy and headed to the Allegan State Forest, an hour north of home. We drove several miles into the woods along a tiny dirt road that was more like a forest service trail. We all climbed out of the wagon and played with Reddy. After a few minutes, we got back into the car – without Reddy. Dad drove back up the trail. From the roll-down window in the back of the station wagon, through our tears, we boys could see Reddy running along trying to keep up. Then he started to limp. He had picked up a pricker in his domesticated paw. Dad stopped and we removed the pricker from Reddy’s paw. Mom had brought along some raw hamburger in anticipation of this issue. Dad put it on the ground for Reddy and we once again drove off. The tactic worked and Reddy was left behind.The son has become the father and I’ve left my darling Super-80 behind.Shrink WrappedJim Gorman (Gorman-Rupp Pump Co.) donated his Duke, the last one built, to the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee. It’s a beautiful Duke and will remain beautiful for a long time. “My” F-16, the first one in which my name was embossed on the canopy, is in the boneyard at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ – officially called the AMARG (Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group). Still in one piece, albeit shrink-wrapped and sans the motor, it’s in a row of fighters slated to go to a loving museum somewhere. The fate of this MD-80 is almost certainly much grimmer. My darling Super-80 is not being donated. It will not be kept safe, warm and polished – nor shrink wrapped. There will be no tours or visitors admiring her beauty, genealogy or pedigree. No children will be inspired by the vision of her to become an airline pilot. Unlike Davis Monthan, there is no “regeneration” in the name of this Roswell, New Mexico place. And no one asked if my Darling wanted to be an organ donor – they certainly didn’t ask for my permission. It’s possible that this was my last flight in the Mad Dog. An appropriate punishment for a betrayer, one undeserving to fly the magnificent machine again.Able to keep flying with no hydraulics or electricity. No recorded announcements, no entertainment systems, no impersonal texts, e-mails or tweets. An old-school airplanewith old-school customer service. Bob Crandall made a brilliant decision in the 80’s, got a great deal and put the MD-80 to work. Reliable and dependable, it’s been the workhorse – the heart and soul of the company. Plain and simple, the Super-80 built this airline.My Darling,As I leave this Roswell, New Mexico place and fly off into the distance, will the MD-80 stare toward the terminal, wondering when I will return? Will it sit, waiting for its pilot-master to round the corner? Will she feign a pricker in her paw? Accustomed to sitting overnight at airports around the country, perhaps the realization of betrayal won’t begin until tomorrow morning, or the next, or the next – when no one shows up to fly. When will you accept that you were abducted and abandoned? On the day you are unceremoniously disassembled, I think. Please forgive me, my Darling Super-80. T&T•Kevin Dingman has been flying for over 40 years. He’s an ATP typed in the B737 and DC9 with 21,000 hours. A retired Air Force Major, he flew the F-16 then performed as a USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Offi- cer. He flies volunteer missions for the Christian organization Wings of Mercy, is employed by a major airline, and owns and operates a Beechcraft Duke. Contact Kevin at Dinger10d@gmail.comOCTOBER 2016 TWIN & TURBINE • 17