I am a Motorcoach . . .

. . . Two Seven Three, following up the Florida Spring Training trip with a local “Famous Firsts Tour” and sharing with you a bit of education on aviation. The location is the humanitarian aviation organization, Wings of Hope, at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri.

Do you recall from the last blog the unpleasant business about buckets of spare parts? Well, I discovered there is a dreaded spare-parts condition for aircraft as well. It is referred to as “a basket case.” When an aircraft is no longer flight worthy, it can be reduced to baskets of spare parts doled out for keeping other aircraft flying. An airplane in such a condition can be donated to Wings of Hope and auctioned to raise money in support of the organization’s many charitable endeavors around the world. It is one of three ways donated aircraft can have an impact on the Wings of Hope mission. Another is filling a humanitarian service need in one of the Wings of Hope overseas locations (such planes are typically high-wing models due to the rough terrain in those environments). The third function of donated craft is raising money through auction to a business or individual in the market for an airplane of that type.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Here are a few details about why Wings of Hope was included in this Famous Firsts Tour. In 1959 there was an extended famine in the Turkana desert region of Kenya. Getting provisions to where people in need were located was a huge challenge. In 1961, as Catholic Missionaries traveled to the area with whatever help they could provide by whatever means they could get there, some folks got busy on a solution that would transport people and supplies efficiently. Soon they were raising money to buy a small airplane. The plane would need a pilot, so the first trainee was Sister Michael Theresa Ryan. She would, on first try, become the first Catholic nun to pass a pilot exam. In 1963 this “flying nun” was partnered with a newly purchased Piper Cub and they began flying mercy missions in Kenya together. Flying further and faster than the unlikely team, their story whipped up a storm of requests for small aircraft desperately needed for similar remote missions (New Guinea, India, Cambodia, Alaska . . .). Behind the championing of two St. Louis businessmen, Bill Edwards and Joe Fabick, and the heroic efforts of many others, this humanitarian aviation organization was formed.

Waiting for my passengers to return from their Wings of Hope tour, I decide to see what might be of interest around the exterior of the organization’s headquarters. Without wandering more than fifty yards from the front entry, I came upon a lone craft outside the main hangar.

“Hey little fella, how goes it?”

“Who you callin’ little? I’ll tell ya who’s little when I get up in the air again where I belong . . . say, no more than a thousand feet, at which point your boxy red self will be neither red nor boxy, but just a hard to see speck. And that says nothing of 20,000 feet, from where you’ll be invisible down here on the ground.”

“Whoa, whoa there partner, I meant no harm. No need to get defensive and cranky. Let me try a do-over. Hi, I’m Two Seven Three. And you are . . . uh, that’s interesting, you’ve got letters in your name. You got a foreign background?”

“No, the N should tell you my name’s not of foreign origin. The FAA gave me my name and all U.S. aircraft start with N.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for future encounters with airplanes. As you can tell, I have a lot of those. So, what’s with the edgy attitude?”

“Yeah, I apologize for that. Just not dealing well with change this time around. Years ago I was the property of an aviation navigation and radio equipment company, just used for demonstrating their stuff for prospective buyers. I was glad for a change of owners back then. And the new owner, Howard, did turn out to be super! I mean, we quickly became a team and it’s been that way for fifteen years or more. Right from the start I could tell he was proud of me. He has always made me feel appreciated for all my special qualities. But the new owner then is my former owner now. I’ve been “donated.” Now I’m just grounded, waiting around for . . .”

“Uh, maybe we should keep your mind off of whatever changes you imagine you’re waiting around for. Tell me about those special qualities of yours.”

“OK, sure. To start off with, I’m a Mooney 231, with a 6 cylinder, 210 horsepower turbo charged engine, known throughout the industry as one of the most efficient and fastest performers in my class of aircraft. The turbo makes all the difference. That’s what enables me to reach that altitude of 20,000 feet I mentioned earlier.”

“Really? How so?”

“Well, the higher you get off the ground the thinner the air gets. For example, at eight thousand feet you’ve got half the atmosphere as at sea level. At the higher altitudes the air gets too thin for regular internal combustion engines to maintain the necessary air-fuel mixture. The fuel runs too rich for the engine to produce ignition, which I’m sure you know is where the power comes from. My turbo charger compresses air so that it has the necessary density to sustain efficient air-fuel mixture even at 20,000 feet. My efficient engine combined with my sleek aerodynamic design made flying from St. Louis to Howard’s place near Little Travers Bay in Northern Michigan a quick and easy three hour trip.”

“I’ll have to agree, those are some special qualities. I can see why any owner would be proud of you. But what makes you so attached this Howard fella?

“O, where do I begin . . .? He was thorough, thoughtful, always prepared, never put me in situations of unnecessary risk, and pampered me with excellent maintenance. Even the way he opened and closed my doors and compartments conveyed the regard he had for me as an elite machine – no slamming or jerking things around.”

“Now, I’m just a “boxy red” ground dweller, but even I can appreciate preferential treatment in my day-to-day experience. Can you give me an aviation-specific example of how that looks in your day-to-day activities?”

“Well, Yes, of course. As big and strong as you are, you probably think nothing of loading up with luggage and passengers galore and heading out on your adventures. But every aircraft has its particular weight constraints. You start with your Empty Weight, then you’ve got your fueled weight, and finally what’s called Useful Load – people and cargo. All of this is important because excess weight can prevent liftoff by the end of the runway, or, at the other end of the flight, it can stress the landing gear. You can make adjustments in fuel weight to make room for more useful load as long as you have enough fuel to get to an alternative to your destination airport, plus one hour. So, you see, in my world load weight is a big deal with lots of details requiring the thoughtfulness and thoroughness I mentioned. And weather is another example. It can be fifty degrees on the ground at liftoff and below zero at 10,000 feet moments later. Any sign of precipitation and you’ve got a chance for icing. Stormy weather is nothing to mess around with either, especially for a “little fella” like me. Howard always planned in at least one extra day for every trip, just in case a change in weather pattern introduced unsafe conditions.”

“Sounds to me like someone as thoughtful and thorough as your former owner would make sure of a safe landing for you with a new owner worthy of inheriting his delight in you. Hey, I see some of my passengers heading toward the front entrance. Gotta get back to my post. Happy travels.”

“You as well. Thanks for dropping by.”

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

CELEBRITY NEWS: What do Harrison Ford, Roy Clark, General Colin L. Powel, Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Dole, and pioneer pilot Barrington Irving have in common? They are all members of Wings of Hope Honorary Council.

IRONY IN THE NEWS: Having begun in the United States in the 1960s, the global reach of Wings of Hope finally reached the U.S. when the organization launched its Medical Relief and Air Transport (MAT) Program, a U.S.-based free transport program.

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, Wings of Hope offers a tour of its facilities you will want to make room for in your travel itinerary when in the vicinity of West St. Louis County.

Quote Of The Day samples

“There is always somebody isolated and forgotten who needs help gratis . . . who needs hope peace and life.” ― Guy Gervais, Wings of Hope volunteer pilot.

“Our future, all of us, will be determined by the clamoring of those who have no hope in their lives. By sharing what we have, we can change their future, and subsequently ours.” – Harrison Ford, Wings of Hope Honorary Council

“Making the world a better place is not easy work. Organizations like Wings of Hope allow us to do our part.” – General Colin L. Powel, Wings of Hope Honorary Council