There I was, on short final approach to runway 360 at Kansas City Downtown airport when the controller announced, “6214Lima, make an immediate right 360!

I was making a flight into that same airport, just across the Missouri River, where we used to go when I was a child and watch from the roof of the terminal the triple-tailed Lockheed Constellations land.

Runways are numbered according to their compass headings, so this one I was landing on to the north was 360. One aimed straight south would be 180. Single-digit directions have a “zero” preceding, i.e., landing on a runway oriented to 2 degrees on the compass is numbered 02. (as at Nevada’s Municiple Airport)

Well, I had radioed in that I was landing on runway 360, full stop, and had declared a base leg and then “short final”. My Grumman Yankee was a low-wing two seat plane, and apparently there was a high-wing plane such as a Cessna also on short final. That would mean that we could not see each other and were likely about to converge. I’ve read of fatal crashes resulting from this scenario.

Thanks to the alert controller in the tower, I made an immediate 360 turn to the right, passing between some of Kansas City’s skyscrapers in the process. I’m sure that some office workers wondered what a plane was doing flying by so close to the windows!

The rest of the flight was uneventful, which in flying is usually a good thing!

EPISODE 18

There I was, sitting in my plane at Nevada with the engine running when a plane to my right dipped its wing and then crashed!

I have witnessed two airplane crashes and this was one. I had invited 80 year old Don Gobin to go flying with me. The walk-around inspection had been done, the instruments checked, and we were warming up the engine for takeoff. This red airplane appeared from the south and wagged its wings, often a sign of distress, in this case a loss of radios.

That plane had been purchased recently by an F-16 pilot from Nellis AFB and he was flying to Nevada from Texas where he had the plane’s electronics worked on. His father was waiting for him at the airport.

Well, that plane made several strange passes, including a low one that took out a portion of the landing light system! Finally it turned north and flew slowly just west of us when it dipped its right wing and went down. The impact was hidden from us by a slight rise, but the pilot’s father jumped into his car and rushed to the crash site.

The plane had struck the ground just south of highway 54 and then bounced across and landed in the ditch just north of the highway. Miraculously, the pilot had only a slight injury of one hand and his forehead and walked away from the plane. He was kept in the local hospital overnight for observation, and I went to see him the next day.

The other crash that I saw did not end as well. It was a few years ago and happened at the Kansas City Air Show. Some of you may have been there. A young lady had just given a fantastic performance in her small plane and then there was a short rain delay. After this, her fiancee gave us an equally impressive performance in his plane, up until he entered a vertical spin from which he did not recover. His plane dove into the ground and exploded in a fireball, thus ending that air show.

EPISODE 19

There I was, sailing along in the Goodyear blimp America!

I was a pediatric intern at the time at Baylor in Houston when my resident, Sandy Lewis, asked me if I would like to take a ride in the Goodyear blimp! I did not hesitate, and he furnished the tickets. At the appointed time Valo and I drove north of Houston to the blimp base along I-45, and there she was, the blimp America, a sight to see up close!

The weather was clear, but rather windy and we had to wait while they decided whether we would be allowed to go. Finally the okay was given, and as we entered the small gondola I noted that there were 16 men standing beneath the blimp holding ropes! As far as I know none of them ascended with us as we rose up into the Houston sky.

I recall that it really did seem like an air ship, as it would pitch slowly downward, making it necessary to place your feet up against the seat in front of you to keep from sliding forward. It was a short trip. A small airplane shot past us along the way; our top speed was 50 mph.

We turned and landed back at the base, and the arrival back to earth was a bit bumpy (remember the windy weather?). I never learned how Sandy had arranged for that ride, as he told me that he “had bought a new set of Goodyear tires.” Perhaps he won a contest and was afraid to fly?