Blogging About Planes
A very nice fellow wrote me a note via the website asking why I hadn't put together any recent blogs. He apparently enjoyed reading my drivel and wanted to make sure that I hadn't encountered an unfortunate issue that precluded my ability to put two or three words into a coherent sentence. As I wrote back to explain how busy I had been It dawned on me that since I've started writing these my frequency of posts has lessened. This is in no way reflective of my interests in writing nor some physical affliction that hinders my finger dexterity. It has almost everything to do with a lack of motivating topics from which to draw and a certain trepidation that what I write is truly drivel, interesting only to myself and the few others who stumble across one of my attempts at the humorous, (more or less) sharing of some of my experiences.
Interestingly, I've discovered too that I'm not a linear thinker but more of an abstract impulsive responder to external stimulus to stuff that either makes me happy or that tends to just piss me off. If you have read my diatribe on politics which I wrote after the last presidential election you'll know what I'm talking about. Another example is "FLAT, FLAT, FLAT. Can we talk about something else?" Both examples of items that I felt needed less attention in the Facebook groups and among those whose belief system is based on the old adage: "My way or the highway, asshole". Many others describe the great experiences I've had with people I've encountered along the road.
Lately, my creative (loosely termed adjective describing myself) juices have been at an ebb, and the only reason I can determine is that many of the things I've railed about, seem so much less important than they did before. Consequently, I've resolved to focus less on the stupid things people say and do, and more on the good stuff people say and do. One of my most read essays was about the best day I ever had selling planes. I should have taken the clue from that one particular positive experience. But there have been so many others that have gone unnoticed.
For me, plane collecting has been nothing but a positive experience. I've met dozens of nice and generous folks from all corners of the world. I've talked about planes with people whose knowledge of this topic is unsurpassed. I've learned more stuff in the past 8 years of my collecting career than I could have ever imagined. I have amassed an amazing collection of wonderful historically significant objects.
Folks contact me through this website asking questions about some plane they just got from "Grandpa's estate" or picked up at a nearby yard sale. I always take the time to answer the questions even though I know that their inquiries are usually based on "monetary rewards" of the sale of such an heirloom. If I can broaden their horizon with a tiny bit of knowledge about what they are so anxious to divest themselves of perhaps it will impress them to a degree that ultimately sparks an interest to maybe keep the item and perhaps do a simple restoration and save the item for future generations. I many times feel sad knowing the fate of some of these old relics because the just don't make them like they used to and have come to recognize that not everyone shares my or your passion for antique planes. Isn't that sad???
I guess then too, it's really not just about planes. It's about how they were used to build America and how families survived using these and other tools to put food on the table. I have every respect for people who today, still make a living or at least get great satisfaction from using 100 year old stuff that works as good today as the day it was taken out of the box for the first time. But I also have a great deal of respect for folks whose intent is to preserve them for the next generation and beyond. I've learned too that they are not mutually exclusive to each other, each having a role in the preservation of an anachronistic profession that has been such an important aspect of our growth as a nation.
