From Pueblo, CO

[Pabloll]

I have been around aviation most of my life. My Dad learned to fly a Taylor E2, which he bought, in Alhambra, CA in 1937. Later owned a flying school in Pueblo, CO till WWII broke out. He then instructed AAF Cadets to fly. I found out my first airplane ride was in a Rearwin 9000L Sportster in 1942. Dad went on to be the first airport manager at Rifle, CO at what is now known as Garfield Cty Airport. Later he bought a ranch and went to work for the FAA at Eagle, CO in the FSS.

Always knew I wanted to go into the AF and work on Aircraft. I did so right after High School and wound up in the medics for 3 years. Cross trained in Avionics maintenance and worked on mainly heavys, RB-47s, KC-135s, C-5s, C-141s, C-130s, HH-53, Hueys, and several other aircraft.

Finally got my PPL then Commercial at the Nut Tree in Vacaville CA while stationed at Travis. Then got orders for Germany in 1976 and never got back to my love of flying until staying at March AFB in CA and found a LSA instructor with airplane and I jumped at the chance to get some time and find out if I liked it.

Bit on the rusty side but got my review out of the way flying a AeroFox. Neat aircraft, only problem I really had was long legs so they wanted to fight each other on rudder control. So now I can exercise my PPL as a sport pilot. Now to find somewhere where I can get a few more hours dual with an aircraft with a little more leg room to get the rest of the rust off.

Right now we are in Needles, CA as we run away from home each winter in the MH. Not much in the way of LSA aircraft around here.

May have to start working on the DW to let me get my own aircraft. hmmm, would that be great.

[drseti]

Welcome aboard; glad you found your way back into aviation. Quite a few of the newer LSAs now have adjustable rudder pedals, which should help you a bit.

I don't know offhand of any rental LSAs anywhere near Needles. But if you're RVing and trying to stay warm, there are a few opportunities in AZ. Roger or CT, if one of you is monitoring the forums, maybe you can point this gentleman in the right direction?

[Jack Tyler]

Paboll, I claim to be the only other forum member to know the Nut Tree (tho' other claims are welcome to dispute that). Welcome!

[drseti]

Challenge accepted, Jack! I flew there from KSJC on my first dual XC! Not only have I flown into Nut Tree, eaten lunch there, and ridden the train many times since, but David Power and I were ham radio buddies more than 50 years ago. (I wonder... do you know if the Power family still owns Nut Tree?)

[Pabloll]

Nut Tree got crazy once in awhile. Lots of students in the pattern at times and folks just out shooting touch and goes.

I was in the pattern one day in a Cardinal RG and announced over unicom I was turning final and about half way down I noticed a shadow merging with with my shadow so I got to heck out of the pattern and saw another Cessna had been coming down right on top of me. She never used the radio, nor been in the pattern we found out later, she was making a straight in approach from Sacramento and I did not see her as the plane kind of blended in with the cloud cover that day. It was a white aircraft and no landing lights on.

My instructor had been watching me from the office and called the pic of the 172 to please come into the office and he told me later he had quit a chat with her and called her instructor and informed him of what happened. So we also knew her radio worked as she answered the office.

Pays to pay attention to what is going on around you especially in the patterns.

I got my private out of VacaDixon which was 5 miles east of the Nut Tree. Actually was a good strip to learn out of. Mostly dirt with a mud hole in the middle when it rained where another runway intersected the main runway. So we had the freeway on the north end, mud hole in the middle and power lines at the south end. So I learned short soft field TOs and landings in a hurry.