In 1966 may father passed away when I was a senior in high school. We had a flying club and airstrip on our farm. Both the Champ and Cherokee were sold and I never looked back at them. Last month I met one of the Older members of the flying club and asked him if he still had his log books. He called back later and gave me the N number of the Cherokee (N5353W). I looked it up and found it at the Mattoon airport just 30 miles from where we live.
I called the current owner (a retired professor at EIU in Charleston) and met him at the airport. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. The plane is in pristine condition, never repainted or changed inside or out. It brought back such wonderful memories of my dad and our farm, that this 62 year old hardened soul had tears in my eyes. It made me feel like a teenager again with that love for flight. Remembering the families of the members, washing the airplane, building the hangar, and hangar talk while everyone flew and rode in the airplanes. I forgot how much I loved those times, but one look at the Cherokee and it all came flooding back. I think once flying gets in your blood, it never leaves. Reuniting with old planes is one of the best tonics in life to re-live the past. If you get the opportunity, look up your old family airplanes, or old owners of your plane and reminisce of the times of days gone by and even make new friends. Fred PS: I also found the Champ in Michigan, being restored by an A & P mechanic. I can hardly wait until he is done and I can relive another memory of my past.
