a school bus...
a inflatable castle for bouncing inside, a fire truck, an ambulance, food...lots of stuff. Desmond had a good time. So did we.Last Thursday the Airbus A380 did a fly-by at the Wichita Airport. There is an Airbus facility here. They only do engineering, no manufacturing, so as a "thanks for all the hard work" sort of gesture, Airbus had the A380 do two low passes over the field for all the local employees. The Airbus folks got a bus ride to a prime viewing spot somewhere, but a bunch of Cessna people just wandered as close as security would allow to the runway...not very close, but close enough to get a good look.
Not too exciting for most folks maybe, but many in Wichita are "airplane-types" so here it made the T.V. and print news. I went to work early to see it, and it was worth it. Really, other than when I fly overseas (unlikely), when am I going to see one of these? The thing is, yes, big...real big, but the two most surprising things about it were how quiet it was and how slow they could get it to fly. I guess the Airbus people here worked on the wing design.Also over the weekend, my search for a utility trailer ended. I bought one at an auction. Desmond and I went together. I went over what I had budgeted myself, but D and I just got caught up in the excitement of bidding and went for it. We still got a very good deal, I think, and it's just what we needed/wanted...no compromises. It seems nearly new throughout, but the wiring (for the lights) was kinda screwed up. I suspect that was the reason that it was at the auction; someone just didn't feel like fixing it or going through the hassle of selling it as is. Anyway, D and I got it home and fixed up the lights real good...
It's a good thing Desmond has a diaper on, otherwise it would be plumber's butt in full effect in the photo. I gave Desmond his very own screwdriver. You can see him here threatening passers-by with it.
We got the trailer back to 100%, took a nap and then loaded the dirt bike for a ride. I joined a local motocross club that has a bunch of riding tracks and trails, so we went out there. In typical McDonald fashion, I broke the motorcycle after the first lap. Better the scooter than myself, I guess, but it was pretty disappointing. Don't worry though, I'll have it back together before the week's end.Lastly, Desmond's aunt from Illinois sent the best photos of their visit during the reunion. Shown here at the zoo with D and his Grandma French Fries.
Thanks J-loyce!
5 comments:
Who's Land Rover is that?
What's so secret about the Airbus that they had to keep you a safe distance from it?
Alright,
Grady.
They have about three Land Rovers at the zoo. They are parked along the walking paths, usually among picnic tables and benches. Who knows if they even have engines, or run, but I think they're there to add a bit of safari flavor to the zoo experience.
We were at Cessna's plant at the airport. It was all employees, so we could get "inside the fence" at the airport, which means that we were on the airfield. We could walk around on Cessna's ramp (the area between the hangars/buildings and the taxi/runways), but we're not allowed to run out onto the taxiway, for instance. There wasn't any special rules or additional security for the sake of the A380, at least not at the airport. I think that the roads around the airport had a few more traffic cops, because people were just pulling off the road to watch.
Hey...wait a minute on that judging...I haven't sent my pics yet!! The church fair looks like fun...glad D got to ride a real horse...way to go boy! Cool plane, it looks like the ones that fly really low out here a lot lately. They are huge. G'ma ff's
Desmond looks forward to taking a horse-riding lesson from Grandma French Fries...he wants to learn how to do the jumps.
I can't wait to give you a riding lesson, honey!! Let me know when you are coming out! I will pick out the best pony just for you. Love you....G'Ma ff's.
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