Sherwin-Williams Training Trip

     On Sunday September 18th I departed for Wichita KS to attend the Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings Training Program being held at their offices in the suburb of Andover.  I drove nonstop (except for gas and bathroom breaks) 970 miles in 15 hours, arriving at the Hampton Inn Wichita Northeast around 10:30pm local time.

     The next day I got all the bugs washed off the truck and toured a few of the local airports that helped make Wichita the Air Capitol of the World.  I called the CAF Jaybird Wing and spoke to Col. Ben Sorensen about our previously arranged plans for a flight in their Fairchild PT-23 Cornell.  The timing was good and I headed to Westport Airport, also known as Dead Cow International.  Short story: I had a wonderful time at the airport and flying over Wichita in a 1943 primary trainer.  I've posted a YouTube video that captures the experience in detail.  The video footage wasn't all that great, but I added a lot of stills and post-production work to make it informative and entertaining... if not a bit cartoonish.  Please check it out; you'll be glad you did.  Click on this link to view the video:

http://youtu.be/WvdTnuDgttY

     After leaving Westport, I went across town to McConnell AFB to check out the Kansas Aviation Museum.  Contrary to what it said in the Aviation Museum book I had brought with me, the museum was closed on Mondays.  So I took a few photos of some outdoor treasures while I was there and made a mental note to return Thursday.  I checked out the location of the Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Service and Training Center on the way back to my hotel.  I did some restaurant research and found that some of the best restaurants in Wichita were only a few miles away.  I had a wonderful culinary experience that evening at the Greystone Wichita.  Expensive, but worth it.

     Tuesday morning started with one of the many beautiful sunrises I was to witness during this trip.  Then I was off to attend the first day of the Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings Training Program.  It was two full days; 8:30 to 5:00, with an hour lunch at a local restaurant hosted by our program instructors, Steve Voisin and Sal Gomez. There were only six of us in the class; five were RV builders and the sixth was a very experienced painter who was researching new techniques for some Cirrus Aircraft factory repair work he was doing.  Rather than follow a set syllabus, Steve and Sal tailored the course to concentrate on the needs of the participants.  We started with introductions, an overview of the program and a tour of the facility.  Then we got some some hands-on training that would continue after lunch until the end of the day.  For lunch, Steve and Sal took us all out to Lloyd Stearman Field in Benton to dine at the Stearman Field Bar and Grill.  That evening I dined at the Granite City Brewery and enjoyed their in-house brews and great food... but walked across the street to return to the Greystone to end the night with a Tumbleweed for dessert.  It was too good to resist.

     Wednesday started with another spectacular sunrise.  Steve had to head off to another location to conduct other business, so Sal took over the class himself and most of Wednesday was spent in their paint booth getting more hands-on training.  For lunch Sal took us out to Abuelo's for some very good Mexican food.  We finished the course with a long question-and-answer session.  For me, the two day training program was worth every mile I drove and every penny I spent.  I got all the information I was seeking, I got all my questions answered, I got a lot of practical hands-on experience and I even got a free respirator.
     I ran some errands on the way back to the hotel, and thought about going to another one of the great local restaurants... but when it came right down to it I realized I'd rather be at the Stearman Bar and Grill than anywhere else, so I drove back to Benton for the evening.  It turned out to be a very fortuitous decision.  Excellent food; excellent beer; a window seat with a runway view and cool airplanes in the pattern.  I made some new friends, took some fantastic photos, and had another very enjoyable evening.

     Thursday morning started with yet another incredible sunrise.  For the rest of the trip, my time and schedule were my own, and I was going to make the most of it.  After getting packed up and out, I headed to downtown Wichita to see the sights.  I found the museums and parks along the Arkansas river. explored the Keeper of the Plains monument and thoroughly enjoyed the late summer morning.  From there, I returned to the Kansas Aviation Museum and did a quick tour, including the old control tower.  I had planned to visit Barrett Precision Engines in Tulsa at around 3:00pm.  It was a three hour drive and I got there with time to spare.  Barrett's facilities consist of several buildings in a small industrial park.  It had an unassuming outward appearance, but I knew I was in a very good place when the first thing I saw as I walked in was a framed portrait of the Polen Special.  The shop was humming with a lot of business.  Rhonda gave me a complete tour of the facilities, and Allen greeted me briefly as he bustled about getting work done.  I liked what I saw and heard, and I'll be in touch with them when it's time to get my engine.

     It was time to start heading back home.  I drove northeast to Springfield, Missouri where I had made my final hotel reservation of the trip.  I got there around 5:30pm, settled in and then walked to the Fridays next door for a few beers and a light dinner.  The evening sky gave me one final show before I went back to my room and slept well.

     The next day was spent driving for 12 hours, stopping only for gas, lunch and bathroom breaks until I got home.  The total travel mileage was just under 2300 miles, and the new Ford F-250 turned out to be a surprisingly comfortable long-distance vehicle.  Not very economical... but very capable.

       I'm still waiting to hear from Van's on the quickbuild kits and Grove on the landing gear... but it won't be long now.  I've got a lot to do in the meantime.  There are a couple more trips to take before winter sets in, and as of today I've got a heater in the main shop, so I can now work through the winter.  More on that in the next post.

Summer Summary Pt. 4: Thunder Over Michigan 2016

     Last year I got the ride in the B-25 Yankee Warrior.  This year my mission was a ride in the B-17 Yankee Lady.  The date of the sortie was set for Sunday August 21, 2016.  There were early concerns about the weather, but the storms moved through the day before, leaving us with a favorable forecast.  We arrived just as the gates opened at 9:00 a.m. and I checked in at the flight booth right away.  Before long, we were transported to the aircraft, briefed and seated.  I took my position in the left side of the radio room as the crew went through their checklists.  Yankee Lady is a workhorse; she's used to the routine and fired right up, ready to go.
     The flight... was great.  This was my third B-17 flight, and they were all wonderful.  On this day, the sun, clouds and wind created conditions that made the aircraft dance a bit in the air... but the Yankee Lady is a graceful dancer, and it made the experience even better.  I made the most of my time in the air, explored as much of the aircraft as possible, and got a fair amout of video.  I tried to keep the video clips short; I wanted samples of all aspects of the flight, but I also wanted to put the camera down and enjoy the moment, too.  I think I succeeded in both.   I put together a movie of the experience for my YouTube channel; it can be found here: Yankee Lady Flight
     I didn't take that many still photos of the flight experience, but here are a few of my favorites:

     We flew to the west over the farmland and also orbited Ann Arbor and the U of M campus.  By the time we approached Willow Run to land, other warbirds had taken to the skies, and we were greeted by P-51s buzzing the field as we taxiied in, and the B-25 Yankee Warrior took the runway for takeoff as we cleared the active.  After we shut down and exited the aircraft, we were gathered together to help perform a ceremony of gratitude for a WWII Navy veteran who had shared the flight with us.  I didn't get his name... but it was an honor to be a part of the ceremony and capture it on video.  Mission Accomplished.

     After that experience, I thought the airshow would seem tame... possibly even boring after my extensive AirVenture exposure.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  It was a completely different show from any other I'd ever seen, and the weather conditions made for some spectacular photo opportunities.  I ended up shooting more than 850 photos... about ten times more than I thought I would.  When I uploaded them to my computer, I found myself laughing in astonishment at how the clouds, the lighting and the aircraft came together to help me capture some truly excellent photos.  It inspired me to create a slideshow for my YouTube channel.  It may seem like overkill to make two movies of the same event, but for me it was two events: the flight and the airshow.  The flight was captured by mostly video and the airshow was all photos.  The photos might be my best ever, and I didn't want to leave any out, so I had to make the slideshow.  Here's the link: Thunder Over Michigan 2016 Slideshow

     It's difficult to select just a few to share here, but I'll give you a baker's dozen for a teaser:

     The Yankee Air Museum staff in charge of organizing the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow make some great improvements over last year.  Handicapped parking was now on pavement instead of the grass field; things seemed much more organized; all the volunteers had smiles and great attitudes; the flightline layout was much-improved, allowing the general airshow attendees equal viewing access as the suite patrons... and the airshow itself was masterfully conceived and executed.  We watched the last flights from the vantage point of our excellent parking spot, and as a result getting out after the show ahead of the crowd was easy.

     I want to thank Andy McKee and Razor & Tie Music Publishing for allowing me to use Andy's music on the slide show.  I didn't want to publish this post until the slideshow was published, and I didn't want to publish the slideshow without Andy's music, and I didn't want to use his music without permission... so all's well that ends well.

     Speaking of which, well... I should end this post.  The next installment will be after the Sherwin-Williams Training Program and other ventures and adventures.  Stay tuned...