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My long time friend, Al, asked me one day help him carry out a last request for a friend of his. the deceased was an avaid duck hunter and wanted his cremated remains flown over the Delaware marshlands and discharged. In this flight, Al took the right seat in my Alon and held the remains in the urn. At the appropiate time, we slid back the canopy and Al reached his arm out and as far back as he could. WHAT A MESS! DUST WENT EVERYWHERE! I vacummed the airplane and washed it several times before I felt comfortable flying it again. Al was also a pilot and we shared many happy ours of flying together, but this flight was a total disaster! There had to be another way. I asked around and other pilots had the same experience. I was told flatly, DON'T DO IT! Much to my regret, my dear friend Al contacted Cancer a couple of years later. He was a smoker, and it took its toll. Before he died, he asked me to dispose of his cremated remains over the Delaware Bay from my plane. He was dieing, and I could not refuse. However, my memories of the last attempt did little to make me feel good about the mission. I though hard and long over how this could be done in a dignified manner. I decided I wanted to do this flight alone, because if my plan did not work, I did not want anyone else to share in my grief. I took a strong paper bag that would hold aproximately 5-lbs. I then found a strong piece of cardboard (not corrogated) and cut it to fit evenly in the bottom of the bag. I then took Elmer's glue and glued that to the inside bottom. After it was dry, I then took an EXACTO knife and cut a very small hole in the bottom of the bag exactly in the center. Next I cut a 30-foot-long piece of strong string and inserted it through the hole. Leaving about 8" at the end, I then tied many knots on top of one another so the string would not pull back through the hole. I then glued the knotted string to the inside of the bottom of the bag. The 8" access was also coiled around the inside bottom and glued there as well. This dried a coupe of days before the actual flight. The morning of the flight, I poured the ashes into the bag. I then let the string come up the side of the bag and started looping the remainder of the string around the open end of the bag to close it off. This created a considerable ball of string, which is what I wanted. I placed the bag on the right seat of the Coupe and after I was belted in, I tied the end of the string to my seat belt. After I felt comfortable, I took off and flew over the golf course Al and I played so often. Al's wife and friends were at an abandomed warf overlooking the bay and I now headed for that. My wife, Barbara at this time handed Al's wife an envelope. Inside the envelope I wrote a revised edition of "HIGH FLIGHT" on a sympathy card and signed it for her keeping. At 300-ft. I flew over them and made a slow, 250' climbing turn to 3000-ft. There I leveled off, pulled the carb heat, opened the canopy and started a 250-ft descent back to 300 feet over the water. Flying about 500 feet from the dock and paraell to the group, I grasped the bag and set it on the wing root. At the proper moment, I simply let go! The bag slid off the wing and DOWN (according to whitnesses). It did not come anywhere near the tail of the airplane. I felt a light tug on my seat belt and I knew my plan worked. I had my pocket knife open on the seat next to me and immediately cut the string. I made a climbing turn toward land and flew home. A whitness told me later, "I saw the bag come off the wing and down. Then about 20-feet below the rear of the airplane a "Puff of what appeared to be smoke appeared. The small cloud drifted slowly to the water and it was all over." In conclusion, I must add that the person performing this should do everything possible to have this be a memorable event, not a disaster. Looking back, I can now add another suggestion. If you have someone in the right seat, they can deploy a boquet of flowers at the same time you let go. Plan carefully. Plan a flight for the loved ones to remember. This is a very humane way to follow through on someone's last request. Plan with dignity. Of all the many airplane I have flown over the years, I can say without a doubt that the "Coupe" is the ONLY airplane I would use for this mission. Goodby Al. I did it right for you. George _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bz8Sid.bAhN69 Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
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