Goodbye Sixteen Charlie

Well, the day finally came when I had to watch Friedel take to the sky with 3316C, now officially his and Peggy's aircraft, as he headed east for the trip to Germany. Cathy feels somewhat differently, but for for me there is great sadness in knowing that I will never fly 16C again, and that Cathy and I will never add to our wonderful memories of the adventures we shared on our Bonanza trips together. 16 Charlie was a part of our lives for many years, and together we shared a lot of joy, and a little angst, while we owned her. If ever there has been proof of the "men are from Mars and women are from Venus" theory, men's attachment to inanimate objects such as 16C is it. Cathy sees the financial upside of selling the plane (which, in light of my minuscule paycheck, not to mention pending furlough, I must appreciate too). I however, constantly think back to all of the good times shared and until this very day, always looked forward to the next flying adventure. For now, I will simply have to be satisfied with the memories.

Many readers of this blog have enjoyed flights in 16 Charlie, and I thank each of you for sharing the fun. The original trip to Montana to pick her up with Gord, flying down in his wonderful 1950 B model Bonanza, then flying back to Calgary in formation. Trips to my sister's wedding in Oregon, my mother's home in Washington, camping trips to Montana, trips to North Carolina for Mike and Rhonda's yearly "pig pick'en", trips down the Chicago waterline with my friend Jeff and my friend Rick, lunch trips with Jamie and Brandon. Flying with Cathy to Montreal for her US immigration; countless trips from Calgary up to Cooking Lake Alberta to visit Cathy's Brother Randy and his family. Trips out to Ontario to visit our friends Shelley and Phil. Flying 16 Charlie from Washington state across the United States to Illinois; all of these adventures are forever etched in my mind, and more importantly, recorded in my log book for the future years when the mind tends to let the memories fade (who am I kidding about "future years", and where the hell DID I put my car keys...?).

My sadness of selling 16 Charlie is tempered by knowing that Friedel and Peggy will be FANTASTIC owners. Friedel said it best when he told me just as it was my dream to fly for the airlines, his dream has been to own an early Bonanza. When he came to the US back in May to look at several Bonanza's and pick one out, just like me, he fell in love with 16 Charlie at first sight. Peggy and Friedel are true aviators and own a 1942 Stearman in an airshow act that travels throughout Europe. Please have a look at their great web site here:
http://www.wing-walkers.de/web/eng/team.php

Lastly, for those who have never owned an airplane, please understand that it is the relationships with others that is enhanced by airplane ownership that makes that ownership so special, and I should acknowledge some of those people. My mentor Gene kept 16 Charley safely tucked away in the hanger up in Waukegan, even after I no longer worked for him. Anson, Gene's mechanic, who kept an eye on her when my schedule kept me from doing so, and on occasion helped de-bug a problem or two. Speaking of mechanics, for the past three and a half years 16 Charlie has been maintained by a man that I feel is not only one of the best Bonanza mechanics in the country, but probably one of the nicest gentleman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Jim Finefield and his son Paul, along with all of the other fantastic employees at Finefield Aviation at 3CK have not only the knack, but the true passion of keeping antique aircraft flying. And finally, a special thanks to Cathy, who opened her mind, her heart, and not insignificantly, our bank account, to ensure that our years with 16 Charlie were both happy and safe. For someone as fiscally conservative as Cathy airplane ownership was difficult, but not once did she ever balk at a single dollar being spent to maintain 16 Charlie safely. I was blessed to have found such a wonderful and beautiful old airplane, and such a wonderful and beautiful, not-so-old wife with which to share the fun times.

Friedel, God speed and tailwinds on your journey across the ocean to Germany. If owning 16 Charlie brings you and Peggy even half of the happiness it brought Cathy and I, your Euros were well spent. I sure hope to be able to come see 16 Charlie in her new home sometime soon.