Of Kids and Things

It was a nice group of 21 kids who came out to the Kokomo Airport this morning for a field trip.  They were from a local Christian school, and the little brother and also two former teachers of one of my current private pilot students were also there, so my student came out and helped too.  We did the usual, Steve talked about what makes airplanes fly (and like I said, they were too young for us to joke about the correct answer being "money"), we let all the kids get in and mess with the C-172, the C-340, which we hooked up to an APU so I could turn on the avionics, and then they one at a time got into the T-6 as well.  There was a group of itty bitty girls who all crowded right up to me, craning their necks back and looking straight up, quietly asking a bunch of questions.  They were the cutest little things, big glasses, little dresses, serious expressions, but I felt like a giant--I almost got down on my knees so I'd only be a foot taller than they were.   Most of the kids were concerned that the 340 was "on" when they first got in there, so I kept saying "the engines aren't on, just the stuff inside.  We won't go anywhere!"  Some of the kids were way too little to get much out of it but "cool, airplane!", but a couple of them had some really good questions, one about pressurization, another about weather, etc.  Sometimes the groups of kids are more rowdy than others, but for the most part the kids really do a good job--this group did great, they were a pleasure to work with.

I was at the post office today when a teeny, tiny, very elderly woman came in and said her car wouldn't start.  She had her very elderly husband with her, too, and they were both very sweet, and both a little bit difficult to understand.  A woman from the post office went outside with the keys to the car, and a few minutes later came in smiling and said "It started right up for me ma'am", and the couple were on their way.  The lady who started their car said to the lady next to her "The poor dear was trying to start the car with the wrong key."  I was really glad that 1) the car started okay and they weren't stuck somewhere, and 2) that the post office lady was so kind and willing to help.  That was sweet of her.  It also made me a little sad thinking about the time coming when you should really not be driving any more, and what do you do then?  Even if you have someone around to drive for you, and not everyone does (and REALLY what do you do then??), but even if you do, that is not a loss of freedom that I would guess I would take gracefully, at all, personally.  I hope that couple has someone nearby who can help them out soon...

Before picking up Kaylee, I stopped at Aldi's to get some stuff.  I had 30 minutes before I had to be at her bus stop, which was just 5 minutes or less right down the road there.  I get into Aldi's, and it was like the Apocalypse had happened and Aldi's was the last place in town to get supplies.  That place was Packed Out.  Bumper to bumper carts, people going willy nilly in directions instead of the usual grocery store etiquette, and when I got to the checkout lane, there was ONE cashier, and she was backed up into three aisles.  This is a cash only store.  She ran out of dollar bills to give the guy two in front of me.  She had to call  the manager over, who went to the back and got change, which took awhile, as the line built up more.  Then the lady in front of me went, and then it's my turn.  All I have is a $100 bill.  She doesn't have enough change to give me change for it.  (At a cash only store she didn't have enough cash to give me $60 change).  The lady behind me offered to change my $100 for some $20s, but the cashier couldn't figure out how that would work.  Finally I looked at my watch and said "I have five minutes to pick up my daughter.  Can I have my $100 back?"  I swapped it with the lady's $20s, then gave the cashier $40, and then had to tell her how much change to give me back because the cash register no longer matched what she'd put in and she couldn't figure out the proper change from $38.07 out of $40.  She was a cheerful young lady, at least, and I did feel sorry for her with a stack of people behind her and one problem right after the other.   Kaylee's bus was coincidentally late by about 5 minutes, which means I still beat it there, which worked out juuuuust fine.  :)

I've got about 8 pages of printout stuff I'm looking over tonight, hoping we get to fly tomorrow.  One guy already canceled with a broken airplane.  Another is iffy because of the possible light rain in the morning.  I know John will want to fly regardless, and I think Glenn will too, but...we'll just have to wait for morning and see what we get.  I'm going to ride in the backseat of one of the Yaks for the flyover, and take pictures of the 5K runners down below, hopefully, then hitch a ride to Huntington, where we're supposed to fly all day.  I still don't know what a snot valve is and I don't truly get how the air system works, but I can at least familiarize myself with where everything is and what the procedures are.

Kaylee is just plugging along.  Now that tennis is done she has a lot more time.  She's preparing for a Taekwondo Tournament in early November, and her school play which is in late November.  She's getting taller and more grown up on me all the time. She almost always puts herself to bed, too.  I don't have to tell her when to go, or argue with her to get her to go.  She comes in, gives us a hug and says "I'm going to bed"  How nice is that??  :)

Steve gives the opening talk to the kiddos

 

Lined up waiting for their turn to go into the T-6

 

One of the little cuties.  :)

 

 

And this was Kaylee and I with our goofy Halloween contact lenses in.  She has green cat eyes and I just have green.  I don't know if you can see them in the big version of this very well or not...