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Let's Do It Again!
Barry Geier
About 5 or 6 years ago at the Van Nuys Airport (small commercial airport 30
miles north of LAX) they were having their yearly air show with military
aircraft etc. I've gone for years since once it gets into your blood your
hooked. Anyhow I'm walking with my kids and I turn the corner and "bam" a T
Tail. It was a Mississippi ANG, I think it was a B model.
I beat up a conversation with the FE and Pilots. After twenty minutes they were
convinced that I knew something about the 141. I asked them what time they were
leaving etc. When I got home I looked all over for my old ear protectors and
finally found them. My wife thought I was nuts.
I made a deal with flight crew to help pre-flight and block out the StarLizard.
My wife still thinks I'm nuts but finally came around a couple years ago when
at the next show 60152 from March Air Reserve Base was on display, we walked
the a/c and she finally understood.
Back to the air show. I showed up about an hour before block time and the
flight crew was really surprised that I returned. They said ok and the FE
walked around with me doing the preflight. The C-141 was the first plane in the
parking area, making it the last to go, so there were airport ground crews
helping the other aircraft. When the 141 got ready to go they came over and
were told their services were not needed. We cranked the APU, I pulled the
pins, chocks, (god they were really heavy- must be my old age) pulled the aux
power and they cranked engines. I shook hands with the FE, who then reached
into his pocket and handed me a wing patch for the Miss ANG. God, the smell of
JP4, the wine of the engines, noise all brought back memories in a second. I
walked out in front of the a/c to marshal it out.
What a rush to go back almost 30 years again right there on the ramp at Van
Nuys. The pilot flashed his lights and started to move and I'm frozen in place
not moving backwards. I finally realized what happened and did what I was
supposed to do. I turned him onto the active taxiway, got a salute from the
copilot and FE and returned one back smartly. They taxied down turned onto the
active and departed. As they broke ground they gave me the wave with the wings
and headed south. The airport "follow me" truck came over to give me a ride to
the parking lot and a real young guy sitting in the back asked me how I rated.
I told him if you have to ask you will never know!