When you read this I shall have wandered my way across the pond to the old country of my origin, a very good friend of mine’s son gave me his air miles to travel. There was no way I could afford the air fare which is out of site these days .So lucky me I am going home to a reunion of the Automobile Associations Brighton branch reunion, held each year, and because I have had the ASC’s Nationals at Marshall and Three rivers since 1993, never been able to go.

The air shows are a thing of the past all that I have done this year were not worth while, and the last one I was a lot out of pocket, with money that I haven’t got. My only sponsor this year was ASC, and that money ran out and it was sad I could not do my duty at Oshkosh for Jim and Deb ASC offered to pay for me to go to Nationals and I hate to let them down but could not resist the temptation to travel back to the old country for which I suspect the last time. I hit seventy-eight on the twenty first of July. Old age I am not enjoying at all.

The reunion is for the last company I worked for in the UK and its rather like the triple A, only being a smaller country in my view a lot better than what they can do over here, for instance if you break down with an irreparable car, they get you and up to five people plus your car back to your home wherever that is, of course not possible in our vast country. You can put England Scotland and Wales in Florida. Anyway Vern was invited to be guest of honor, arriving in the First car the AA ever bought, they started the service to motorists with motorcycle and sidecars. Rather fitting the cars got to be older than me but that’s Ok.

Arlington was a success and more people than at any other shows I have been to, even with bad weather Rain! The people came, not that the Ultralight area was very popular, rather like Sun & Fun and even without Warbirds and they were not really missed. I think the organizers can claim success yes it was a tat smaller, in the ultralight area they had the same number of vendors.

When it came to the Manufactures Showcase eight was all we had and four of them were Trikes, and about fifty lined the flightline to watch, made one feel like a spare thingy at a wedding. We had one eighty nine year old in a new Just Aircraft Highlander flying like he was at home at his ranch and had five F.A.A. bods waiting for him. He went home with his tail between his legs having had the riot act told to him by all five. I was not aware they had so many watching what was going on in our area.

There was one Ultralight, a DAC Pterodactyl that couldn’t fly it was waiting for bits, and of course, he got Grand Champion Ultralight.

Grand champion Light Sport Aircraft went to a local boy with a Ridge Runner with a Jabaru engine, what a beautiful airplane well deserved prizewinner. Lot of planes for sale, one a single seat Flightstar went for $3500 best bargain I have seen in years Took a while to sell though even with me recommending it.

Not much sold Ultralights seem not to be in vogue, I can’t understand why the owners don’t fit a five-gallon tank and fly the hell out of them