Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines

Last weekend, I was honored to be asked to hang out with some fabulous men at a small airfield near my home -- Campbell's Field.  No, my husband didn't mind.  They were the most awesome men and had such amazing stories to tell.  They spoke of their planes intimately, as they would a lover.  Why?  Because flying is their passion, their love.  One gentlemen is 82 years old and suffers from cancer, yet he refuses to let his age and chemotherapy treatments affect his love for flying.  He flies every weekend, weather permitting, and often during the week.  He built his plane from a kit.  He said he tweaked a few things so that she would fly smoothly for him.  He performed a few stunts which took my breath away.  Nothing keeps him down.

Two of the other men recounted their stories of World War II missions.  They flew as part of the Memphis Belle crew and were asked to have their photos taken with the stars of the movie.  That photo hangs in the restaurant across the street, along with framed newspaper stories about them and other flight memorabilia.

All of the planes on the field are vintage.  One of them has been rebuilt from the ground up, with each trivet carefully measured and set into place by hand.  No machinery manufactures these planes. The material covering the wings was stitched by one of their dear friends and each stitch is perfectly placed next to the previous one.

If you ever get up my way, call me, I will take you up there.  They love visitors.  It gives them a chance to tell their stories and relive the days of old.  They might even take you for a ride.