Story time

[DGP]

In his best Air Canada captain's voice he replies that we will be looking for the traffic. In about a second after he says that two dark blue jet fighter's scream by about 500 yards in front of us... both wearing Captain America paint jobs on their helmets...they where close enough to make this out...no problem. As I had yelled to Dennis ...what the f##k! Dennis calls JFK and says in the deepest voice...we have that traffic!!!!

[DGP]

We continue north and the controller wants us to drop down to 3000 ft and pass directly overhead of the airport at JFK. There is a line of 747 on final and we we will be passing over top of them with more traffic above us. All goes as planned and we are cleared out of their zone to the n/e and told to climb back up to 3500 and contact approach for Groton  in Connecticut which is our destination for the night.

 

[DGP]

We shut down and tie down for the night. We had planned on staying at the Foxwood Casino and Resort as they had  free limo service...well don't believe them...they said we were too far away for the free limo...dah....we are at the nearest airport.Well to he!! with them...we call up the Ballisimo Hotel which is 2 klicks from the Casino and book a room...call a cab and 40 minutes latter we are checking in. This place reminds me of the hotel in the movie...The Shining. It is huge and mostly empty in January...well we get our bags in are rooms which are also huge and find out that there is a Italian restaurant within walking distance...lets go Dennis...I am buying and bring on the red wine. This place is awesome...best Italian food I have ever had...or maybe it was the wine. Well another 800 miles done and we stagger back to the Shinning Hotel to crash out!

[DGP]

We are up early and getting a cab back to the airport was a chore but it finally shows up an hour later. it's a 20 mile trip to the airport. We get dinged for parking overnight and head out to the ship after calling the fuel truck.It is freezing cold outside and clear. The windows are totally iced up. Well this ship has never sat outside in the cold before so this should be a test. Battery shows lots of juice so here goes....she fires up and I close my door and crank on the bled air heater which has never been used. A very unpleasant smell greets us...we have oil blowing into the heater...something else to fix. We run on the ground at full speed to deice the windows which takes about 15 minutes. We are heading to Concord New Hampshire for our first stop which is only an hour and a bit to the north. We lift off the ramp and are going to fly over the Casino on the way out of town. New London where Groton airport is located is were they build subs for the US navy. We fly over a few floating in the river and pass over the Casino and head towards Boston.

[DGP]

It is not long and we pass about 40 miles west of Boston and continue north to Concord. We land in Concord and shut down. We walk over to the fbo and line up the fuel. The folks there remembered us when we came thru here heading south with the L4. They want to hear how that went. Well about an hour later we are airborne and heading to Bangor Maine were we will have to do some paperwork to get back into Canada. This leg is 175 miles so its another short flight. We land and the fun begins with the Customs folks.

[DGP]

So...as mentioned we had to do some paperwork for getting this ship into Canada. Well this CBP officer wasn't having a good day and we were next on his list of problems to deal with. It was blowing a gale out side on the ramp and very cold so I suggest we get in his truck to do the paperwork. Well he gives me a look like I must be with an alkida group and I says ...maybe not. Well I said we could get in the helicopter but I said It ain't much warmer....well we finally get the okay to use his truck but now he is really pissed. We are doing the paperwork and everything appears to be going well until I ask him if I have to file an outbound eapis...He goes ballistic...saying you had to file one coming into the USA. As I explain that I pick up the ship in Texas and didn't have to file an inbound eapis he says to go into the fbo and use their computer to file and give him a call when I have finished. He tells me to get out of his truck and get it done asap! Well I couldn't wait to leave his presents...so off I go and he does a burn out on the ramp...I can see this is going well!

[DGP]

I get our outbound eapis completed and give him a call...a very friendly female voice answers and I explain our situation...she gives buddy a shout and I can hear him yelling to tell those f___ing Canadians to get the F++k out of the USA. She says very politely....I Guess you heard that...which I reply...YES....we hit the sky for our hangar in Canada after giving Canpass a call....couldn't wait to get the he!! out of the States.

[DGP]

Thats pretty much it for story time....I turned down a job this summer flying fishermen out of a lodge in BC for my buddy who works out of Vancouver Island...too much travelling and I didn't want to fly an Astar....oh well...I may find time to write up some more stuff...its been 45 years!

[Winnie]

Yeah, good story man!

I ferried an R44 from Torrance to Blenheim, ON. Was quite an adventure, but nothing like yours! My favorite part was the morning we left Dodge City, and I slipped out a "Let's get the **** out of Dodge!" The fuel truck driver said: "I say the same every day..."

[Mark_]

Great story thanks!