Well, here we are, Mark Henshel, his neighbor(taking the picture), and I, Rich Mattson, standing with our trusty steeds at Duquette International Airport. We had just finished our pancake breakfast at Moose Lake Airport and had stopped in to ask for the bearing to Fairbanks, AK. Since Dick and Liz were not at home, we all hopped in the 140 for a couple of spins around the pattern, and a few low passes at wave-top level on Oak Lake. I hope Dick wont have too much trouble unwinding the fishing line from his prop.
We then decided to head for Mark's airstrip in Wrenshall so he could take a few aerial shots. We accelerated down the runway and unwillingly departed from this little piece of heaven grass strip called Duquette International. On the way to Wrenshall, my radio went dead, so I just figured we were proceeding as planned. Little did I know that Mark and his neighbor were taking an unplanned detour back to Cloquet Airport due to low oil in the injection system tank. (OK, so I was busy flying the fields down low when they split from me. It's a blast down there!!). I continued on to Wrenshall on the south side of the Nemadji River while they were on the north side. But alas, just before getting to Mark's strip, I realized that they weren't coming with. I could still see the little white dot but it was getting smaller by the minute. Oh well. Time to work my way back to Cloquet, but first a peak at the strip.
Mark's new strip is coming along nicely. It appears that he has it about half the length he wants it, probably somewhere around 900 feet. I didn't land, although it would have been plenty smooth enough even for the "cheerios" size wheels I presently have on my Aerosport. A low pass, a quick climb to miss the deerstand at the end of the runway and off I went at 300 feet agl soaring the fields of Wrenshall, headed back for home base.
When I arrived, Mark seemed a little glad to see me, if that's what it means when you get one of those weird double Russian kisses on the side of the head and a bear hug. I guess they had last seen me in a steep descending turn headed for the ground and thought I was now sleeping with the earthworms. A search party had already been formed and were fueled and ready for take-off when I buzzed back on to the scene. Surprising what can be accomplished in 20 to 30 minutes. I'm really glad I have friends like that who watch out for me. I guess I had better improve my radio system to keep them from worrying next time.
Despite the scare, I think we all had a great time and look forward to our next "gREAT aDVENTURE". I know I do. Thanks for watching out for me Mark!
