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Land of Enchantment Fly-in
Moriarty - September, 2005
"You call 'em and reserve the room yet?"
"Nope. I set it up over the Internet, Opal."
Have to bring Opal Walker into the computer age. Might be
a challenge as he has done without them for 94 years now. He has a 1946
Ercoupe; a technology he understands very well. "Let's get with
it then," he said, and we are on for the fly-in!
Long ago I read about the delights of simpler technology.
The author argued for cheap GPS systems instead of the fancy-dan jobbies they
were coming out with all the time. I bought one after getting good and
lost a couple times and really nervous once or twice (or ten or...). I
figured I'd only need two points - ROW and 0E0, for Roswell and Moriarty.
I had not even fired up the unit since leaving Portland, Oregon, so it took a
while and a fresh set of batteries to come up. We had two for the trip,
plus maps and a VOR!
Not that all that is needed. Opal has been flying this
country long enough to know each sage bush on a first name basis.
"Dang, it's early, Opal!" And kinda cool also.
`Suspect it'll get warmer later. Greenhouse effect from the canopy.
Three for the skies - Percy Wood (left), Opal Walker (right) and
Ercoupe 99762 (background).
We made it! The hosting EAA chapter news letter editor
walks away to the right after interviewing Opal. Pictures will be taken later.
We ran into Tom Benedict from Roswell. He and Opal go
back. Tom is in my EAA chapter (1193). So is "The Reverend" Krohn
who made it up in his Pulsar.
This Ercoupe is owned by Clay, who is a member of the hosting
EAA chapter. Clay acquired the plane recently and has not gotten hardly
any time in it. It has a very original panel, meaning he hasn't had time
or money to dude it up. I pushed the Ercoupe Owners Club. There is a
wealth of knowledge there.
Trooping the line. One of the best parts of any fly-in is
just looking at the planes. And a bad day at the airport beats a good day
at work!
There were old cars too! "They don't make `em like they
used to."
Chris gave Opal and I a ride to our motel. There was a
mini-display of transportation machines used on US Route 66 from bygone eras.
I believe this is called a buckboard - don't ask me where they got that name.
You know the line: "You ought to be on the stage.
There is one leaving at 5:00." Another "set of wheels" in front of the
Days Inn.
Here we are at dinner. Opal's on the left, with Chris and
Cynthea. Chris's mother is between Opal and Cynthea. Mine's the
vacant chair, and there was a nice couple transplanted from the east coast to my
right.
We had a super time. George, who is kind of the spark plug
behind the Moriarty aviation scene thanked Opal for coming up. Opal had
not been there for 5 or 7 years, but he used to be a regular at this event.
Since Opal was the only one at the banquet that had his plane on the line, he
received a very hansom picture as a memento.
It is the next morning and the ramp is empty. Opal walks
out for the pre-flight. You can see the many trailers for soaring craft.
Moriarty is a hub for soaring, and people come from all around the country and
across the globe. There had been excellent conditions, called "a wave,"
yesterday according to Chris. He picked up at our motel.
The two white towers in the background make excellent land
marks. One aviates south of the field and aligns them with the runway for
a good 45-degree entry to the down wind. Worked for us!
"Back at the ranch." Shows to go ya that I can make better
than good landings. "A good landing is one you can walk away from" goes
the phrase. "A better landing is one where you can use the plane again."
Obviously a better one. Opal "promoted" me to the left seat for the trip
home! Sure is good to be back where I belong. My flying has adapted
to the 415-D model from the 415-C. The differences can be viewed on
www.ercoupe.org.
So that's it for our "excellent adventure." The Geezer
Coupe strikes again!
About the Author: Percy G. Wood learned to fly in the
mid-1970's in his home town of Portland, Oregon. His brother had talked
him into buying a Cessna 150 from which Percy earned his private pilots license.
That plane was with him for 14 years. Percy's next plane was an Ercoupe
from the "Used Ercoupe Lot" in Tucumcari, New Mexico. That plane carried
him back to Oregon in 1994 and was his prize possession for 10 years.
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