Friday, April 15 — In at 6:50, Clear, calm, cool. Malibu and Eclipse on the ramp. Worked on pictures in office and stayed here awaiting what I believed would be a visit from Dr. John and Greg V who wsa flying his AT-6 to the TBM Avenger fly-in in northern Illinois. I had reason to believe they would contact me during their time on the ground here, but they did not. By coincidence (I was out in the lobby getting more coffee) I saw them taxiing out, saw their photo friend with camera watching them from the parking lot side of the fence and from my office, happened to see the AT as it lifted off from Runway 13. I was bitterly disappointed. I had thought better of both of them, and I allowed my disappointment to sour the rest of my day at AKM, but it didn’t slow me down! . Spent the rest of the afternoon upstairs processing magazines. Also on the positive, I used a rattle can of Tamiya semi-gloss black enamel to paint the final coat of underside black on the B-52 nearing completion. THAT was significant. Went to a gallery reception as a favor to a FRIEND and took some pictures. Met the owner and some other nice people. Did not see one artist I knew from earlier years, but I saw some of their art. Had a good time. Had a dish of ice cream at the downtown ice cream place on 6th street and at it at an outside table watching people, THAT was an act of whimsy and delight, out of character for me given the way the day had gone, but I enjoyed it a lot. Saw a friend Sam D. who was on his way to a concert by the US Air Force band. Good to see him again. Home by 8. Day rating based on the progress I made with AKM: B+
Here’s a picture I took several years ago during a visit to the 183d Tac Ftr Gp., IL ANG at Springfield. The pilot is Ken Irland. I was standing on a maintenance stand placed next to the airplane. A few minutes later, Ken took off. Nice guy. Thanks to the rest of the crew who allowed this picture to happen. 🙂
Abe Lincoln's Air Force 