|
|
| Home-->Travel Stories-->Canada 2002 Page 3 |
|
SITE CONTENTS
Please send your comments and suggestions to: Copyright
© 2008 by |
|
By mid-afternoon, it was time for the entertainment. First off, Matt Cognata demonstrated some awesome hand-eye coordination skills with the demonstration flights of his radio-controlled helicopters. I have to say that I was really impressed with his skills, knowing a little bit about how difficult these are to fly. His trick of a backwards loop was most impressive!
Not to be outdone, Terry Jantzi brought along his patented (and legal I'm told) Jantzi 50 MM Potato Howitzer. I was told by a not too reliable source that he will have a web site up soon called www.IWANTAPOTATOGUN.com. Everyone took turns launching potato projectiles at a likeness of Osama Bin Laden. The amazing thing about this contraption is that it was built with common materials from the local hardware store and has only one internal moving part. I know the secret to how it is constructed. I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you.
After ensuring that Tom will have a good potato crop next year instead of beans, the entertainment turned to the annual builder's skill test. The objective of this year's test was to drill three holes, each three inched apart and in line with an initial pilot hole. The trick was that you had to do it in 5 seconds and freehand, with no measuring. Man, you should have seen the variety of holes. It was hilarious. Know who won? A woman from Quebec who was rumored to be a seamstress. She not only put each hole exactly at three inched apart, but they were in perfect alignment. No one else was even close. So if your Mom sews, better get her out there on your project. She can probably drill better than you!
The final entertainment activity for the evening was a golf chipping contest, which did manage to prove one thing. Builders are way too busy building airplanes to work on their golf game (present company excluded). Sometime 400 acres just isn't large enough. (Our apologies to Tom's next door neighbor.)
By then, Tom's assistants had the steaks finished and it was time to chow down again. The food was most excellent. All the trimmings were there including salads, rolls, and desserts. If you didn't get stuffed, you had to have fallen asleep. Tom handed out some awards to the winners of the contests and then there were a few jokes. "You might be a Canadian redneck if...........you have parts on your airplane that came off of a John Deere tractor!" (See Tom Martin's airplane for details.)
Right before sundown, three of the Indy gang went up for a formation air show. They swooped, dived, formed up and formed down. It was a great display and enjoyable to everyone on the ground.
As it started to get dark, we shoved as many airplanes into Tom's "hangar" as we could. We did manage to stuff six airplanes into this building even though the door opening was smaller than the wingspans. We then gathered around a roaring campfire for more stories of our top-notch building skills, excellent flying skills, and our abilities to get our wives to condone our aviation habit. (Yea right!) If you don't think there was some tall tales around the campfire, then you've never been to a gathering of more than two pilots!
The day ended around 10:00 PM with a van ride to the local hotel. The next day, the crew departed for a flight to Detroit City airport and a check-in with the "friendly" US customs agents. Of course for the Indy gang, a trip wouldn't be complete without an Utterback FUBAR. Seems Tom used some of his "military speak" on the customs lady who took his telephone call. When he said we'd be at Detroit City at "one plus thirty", she took that to mean we'd be there at 1:30 PM rather than an hour and 30 minutes from current time. So the group got to spend about an hour and a half on the 90 degree, deserted ramp of the airport waiting for customs to show up. This was the only glitch in the trip and it was a minor one at that. Overall, we had a fantastic time. Words are not adequate to thank Tom Martin and his family and friends enough for the great time. They are just wonderful folks. Here's the attendance list, to the best of Tom's ability to remember. If you were there and not listed, please drop me a line: CANADIAN FRIENDS AMERICAN FRIENDS Tom
and Diane Martin,
Lorne Harmon (drive in Michigan) |
|
|
"Truly
great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to
forget." |
