Those Wonderful Men in Their Flying Machines

As you probably know, when I was kid we lived next to an airport and desperately wanted to become a pilot when I grew up. The proximity of our house was so near the strip, that when we were having lunch, we could hear the roar and the rushing of air when an airplane was overhead on its way to the landing strip.

My favorite spot was the airport terminal. I knew everybody there, and everybody there knew me. I talked to the pilots asking all sorts of questions and they tried to answer back. When a group of US pilots arrived at Changuinola to survey the area, I became their guide, and they took me on many rides on their choppers. The feeling of the air on my face and the motions of the helicopter are hard to forget after more than five decades later.

Alas, my father found out of my furtive trips on choppers and Piper Cubs, he spanked me hard and restricted me from ever riding choppers or small planes without his permission. Of course his permissions were never granted. So instead of a wonderful man on a flying machine, I became a wonderful man with an adding machine. Instead of a pilot, I turned out an accountant fixed to a desk. The only blue sky I could see, came from the small window of my office. And that my friends is my experience with choppers and planes.

This nostalgia for planes has been inside me, and every time I have to go to the airport or see an airplane flying high above my house in Panama City, I say to myself, “That pilot up there could have been me.”  It didn’t happen, so there no use crying over spilled milk.

This is the last post on a theme of airplanes and of the recent airshow at the former Panama Canal Zone.  We have reached the end of the road and tomorrow we will move on into new territory.  Meanwhile, lets feast our eyes with a couple of pictures of those wonderful flying machines.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a small plane on exhibition during a large air show in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

That’s it guys.  The airshow is over.  I’ll keep my ear close to the ground to decide won hat our new subject will be and keep the ball rolling.  Enjoy this beautiful Saturday morning.  If you’re a flyer, have a good flight and savor the view.  Good Day.

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Flying Instruments

Snapshot of a dashboard of a helicopter cluttered with all kinds of flying instruments. This chopper owned by Panama Civil Protection Service (SINAPROC) was on display at a recent airshow in Panama City, Panama. It can be used to transport people as well as converted into a modern flying ambulance. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Indulging a Break

Snapshot of a helicopter pilot taking a break during an airplane show at the former Howard Air Force Base in Panama City, Panama. It was a very bright day with dark shadows. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Cruising Through an Airplane Fair

I recently forayed into a large airplane fair organized by the Panama government at the former Howard Air Force Base.  I found a large gathering of people including small children who were interested in watching the abundant number of helicopters, acrobatic planes, parachuting exercises, flying ambulances, speed boats, a large DHL yellow freight carrier and a whole lot more of interesting flying objects.

Amongst the visitors was a gorgeous small girl in a beautiful pink automobile.  She was one of the stars at the airplane fair at the former Howard Air Force Base.  She looked as cute as a button.  Take a look.

Snapshot of a small girl cruising through the premises of the former Howard Air Force Base during a recent airplane fair organized by the Panama government. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Marketing From the Sky

Last Saturday afternoon, while I was drinking a fresh glass of delicious Chagres water (Chicha del Chagres), I glanced out the kitchen window and saw a gargantuan-sized piece of cloth hanging in the sky.  I said to myself, “What in the world is that?”.  I used other words, but I can’t replicate them here.

Anyway, I went outside and found out it was a giant banner hanging from a wire attached to a helicopter.  The ad was promoting a local bank.  I don’t recall having seen an ad this size in Panama before.

Before the chopper disappeared from our piece of sky, I dashed to my office and fetched my Birthday camera to capture the scene.  I was faster that an Olympic sprinter and shot the jumbo ad with ample time.

This is the aerial marketing activity taking place at Residencial El Bosque last Saturday.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a helicopter towing a jumbo advertisement canvas above our house in Panama City, Panama. The sky was crystal clear. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

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Joke: The Big Fan

A blonde went to a flight school insisting that she wanted to learn to fly. As all the planes were currently in use, the owner agreed to instruct her by radio on how to pilot the solo helicopter. He took her out, showed her how to start it and gave her the basics, and sent her on her way.

After she climbed 1,000 feet, she radioed in. “I’m doing great! I love it! The view is so beautiful, and I’m starting to get the hang of this.”

After 2,000 feet, she radioed again, saying how easy it was to fly. The instructor watched her climb over 3,000 feet, and was beginning to worry that she hadn’t radioed in. A few minutes later, he watched in horror as she crashed about half a mile away. He ran over and pulled her from the wreckage.

When he asked what happened, she said, “I don’t know! Everything was going fine, but as I got higher, I was starting to get cold. I can barely remember anything after I turned off the big fan!”

Source:  Bits & Pieces

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