You are fired!

Recently your old long-time pilot the column writer was invited to a meeting with our McCook Mayor. Our airport manager, also known as City Manager was present. Our Mayor asked this old guy to resign from my membership on the local Airport Authority Board. I’d been considering resigning due to oncoming frailties related to age. I told her that I’d accept if she would appoint another pilot to the board. Didn’t happen. She told me that I’d resigned and she would be replacing me with a wonderful young man that is not an aviator but a flight nurse. Relief and frustration!

In Nebraska there are two systems to govern municipal airports. In one an Airport Authority is formed and they appoint the airport manager, pay the bills for airport maintenance, hire the FBO (Fixed Base Operator) and dip into the city’s budget as required and approved by the city government. The second system, the one adopted by McCook the City Manager is also the Airport Manager. The city pays all the bills, hires the FBO, and all the income and bills flow through the city general fund. There is also an Airport Advisory Board responsible to the City Council hence the members are appointed by the mayor. Advisory Board Members are to have an “interest in aviation”.

I love the McCook Airport. It was there that I learned to fly back in 1953. At that time there was no concrete in sight, just grass. Over the years there have been vast improvements to the facility we know today. Over the years it has been known as a friendly place especially for general aviation but also for larger businesses class airplanes and even for feeder airline equipment. Many pilots were trained here and some of my former students are now flying the latest military fighters as well as more than a few are professional airline pilots. No longer. No trainer aircraft are available and no flight instructors working for the FBO. It has developed an unfriendly attitude toward general aviation. So now we see the ramp mostly empty and only corporate jet aircraft land get fuel. Sad!

On a happier note, Grannie Annie and I drove to Stratton to attend a bit of their annual Stratton Days Celebration, this being number 50. We missed the “Mud Bog” which is vehicle races through a deep muddy track and Grannie was wondering why they didn’t clean up some of the cars as they hauled through the parade caked with dried mud all over. That would have been fun to watch—if one didn’t get too close! The parade was fun, sitting in the shade, on a hot day. A couple of local farm girls, rodeo princesses, all dressed in pretty western dress riding their well-trained horses.

Special restored tractors, many cars and nicely decorated floats of business plus a local melodrama group. A long lineup of Stratton’s fire truck’s and their ambulance and medical rescue vehicles.

Stratton doesn’t scrimp on their rescue teams services and notably all are maned (ladies too) by volunteers.

Part of what makes Stratton’s parade special is listening to the commentator on a good speaker system.

Describing the action was long time resident and former banker Bill Zahl who personally knows about everyone in the parade and describes them in colorful complementary detail. Their hometown parade is similar to what happens along the line of neighboring small towns in Southwestern Nebraska and are just fun to watch.

Grannie Annie especially enjoyed a trio of local guitar players “The OLD Pickers” that sang mostly older western tunes for all the crowd for an hour or so before the parade began. No fancy gyrations and understandable words so different from what is modern music. Enjoyable.

Incidentally Mr. Zahl made a comment that Stratton is now a great little retirement village. Think on it; low taxes, nice homes available at reasonable prices and activities for people of similar age. Sure would beat big city retirement living!

Grannie and I skipped the free BBQ, talent show and street dance that followed. After all we had to drive back home sober, and our “more mature” bodies were getting a bit tired.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail