You Know Me and My Funny Stories...

Well, here's another, typical "Linda Story".

This weekend is the Wings Over Houston airshow. Last year's show was the first one I'd ever been to and it was what got me started flying. The participants have been bringing their aircraft in all week and the airport has been closed at certain hours with so many flying in. The feature attraction this year is the Canadian Snowbirds (similar to the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels).

Well... I was taxiing back to the T-hangars to park the plane after a lesson with Flight Instructor, Chris, when I asked, "Do you think they would let me walk back out here with my camera and take some pictures of the Snowbird planes?" They were all lined up so beautifully there along the taxiway (not to mention the C-130, the F-16s and F-15s and old war planes and Apaches, etc., etc., etc....).

Chris shrugged and said, "I dunno." Big help.

So when we got back I called the tower, talked to Dave, the controller who was on Ground Control this evening, and asked if I could get permission to walk out there and take pictures. I had just talked to him on the radio and he know my voice as one of the students there.

"Sure," he said, "What do you have on, so I can let Security know you're okay?" So I told him, t-shirt and jeans. So he says to go ahead.

So I'm talking on my phone to another pilot friend of mine who's going with me to the airshow on Sunday and I see one of the Security SUVs head toward me. The guy driving, Jeff, comes up to me and asks what I'm doing. At first, I said to my friend on the phone, "Hang on, let me tell this Security guy it's okay." But then Mr. Jeff Security decides he's going to flex his muscle power and tells me I can't go out there. He said since I had no Airshow I.D. then I was not authorized. I told him Ground Control said it was okay and he says, "Well he's not in charge, I am."

So we go back and forth (imagine that) and I even asked if he'd escort me out there since he was so concerned about me not having proper I.D. He said he didn't have time for that. Then he told me I had to leave.

:( boo hoo.

So I turned to walk back out the security gate (to which I know the combination), and promptly call Dave in the tower and say, "Well, cancel looking for me. Your security won't let me out there."

Dave says, "WHAT?!" So I repeated it. And, I told him what Mr. Jeff said - that Dave's not in charge, Jeff is. ;)

Dave tells me to hang on - he'll take care of this.

I hang on, and he comes back on the phone and says, "Okay, Tim is coming to pick you up in a van and escort you out there so you can take all the pictures you want!"

I see a van heading toward me and he slows to pick me up, and as I get in I hear the conversation on the security radios - "See that woman in the white shirt? I told her she couldn't come out here..." to which my new buddy, Tim, replies, "She's with ME!"

Poor ol' Jeff. He stutters around and doesn't know what to say.... ;)

Well Tim takes me out to the Snowbird planes and I snap one head-on picture (as I'm drooling, just standing this close to these incredible machines) and then walk over to one end to get all 12 in a row when - my camera says, "battery exhausted!"

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Embarrassed, I walk back to the van and get in quietly, thanking Tim for helping me out. He's surprised that I'm not taking more pictures, so I fess up - "I'm out of battery," I said sheepishly, feeling badly for having caused so much trouble and only getting one picture.

Tim says, "Well I'm working tomorrow too, so you just go home and charge up that battery of yours and come back out here and we'll do this again!" WOW! How cool is that!?

"For real?" I ask.

"Ya, sure," he says.

So I'm going back tomorrow, and after I get my stash of pics I'll post them here.

Oh, but there's just one last part to this story (of course). As we were leaving Mr. Tim Security had to check out a vehicle they weren't sure was supposed to be there. It all turned out okay, but I was waiting in his van as he stepped out to talk to this guy. Meanwhile, Mr. Jeff walks up to the van and opens the door on my side! So what can I do? I look at him and grin. I wasn't sure what he was going to do or say.

He jokingly said, "We need to escort this lady out of here... just kidding."

It all turned out okay. And, I'll be back tomorrow with full battery for lots of pictures.

I called my pilot friend back finally, the one with whom I was talking when Mr. Jeff first asked me to leave, and he answered the phone, "So what jail are you in? Is this your one phone call? I'll get you out by Sunday in time for the airshow."

Hmm! Everybody's a comedian! ;)