On January 13, at about 6:15 am, I slipped on a two-inch streak of ice on the lip of my top front porch step and commenced an uncontrolled flying tumble to the concrete “landing.” My neighbors heard my declarations of extreme distress (moans louder than an AV-8B in VTO mode), called police who called an ambulance, and on Thursday, a terrific surgical team re-attached the upper quad tendons which had separated from my kneecaps at the moment of my reunion with Mother Earth at the end of Sunday’s tumble. Thanks to the staff in the Orthopedic Department of Springfield’s Memorial Medical Center, I was restored to status which permitted my return home (with a LOT of help from local friends) last Saturday. the 26th. I continue to improve daily. My legs remain in locked, extended (no bending at the knees) leg braces, but I’m getting around home with a “walker,” and doing okay.
Though I will not be cleared to drive for at least another two or three weeks, and since I have been unable to recruit AeroKnow Museum volunteers to occupy the AKM office at Landmark Aviation at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport,, from the lobby, the museum looks closed. It is not. Even though no one is there, and again, thanks to help from local friends, I am working on things that need to be done here at my home office. I cannot respond to research questios or e-maills asking for the museum Abbreviations List. I also cannot update the AKM website. The mail AKM operations computer is at the museum office.
I am a week and a half to two weeks away from personally returning to the airport, and even then such a visit will require me to hitch a ride in the back seat of a friend who drives a car with a clean back seat that can accommodate me and my foldable walker. Because my AKM keys are now in the hands of the manager of the afore-mentioned business, a first return visit will have to be made on a weekday between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. Even if you have not visited AKM before, but would like to provide transportation out and back, please comment with words to that effect so I can e-mail you with my cell number.
AeroKnow Museum is very much alive. Visitors will be welcome anytime I am there. Thanks for your understanding re this unexpected circumstance.
Abe Lincoln's Air Force 