Reunion With 754
My last flight in 754
It is 7:10 am on the 12th of March 2022. I’m climbing out of Anchorage on an Alaska Air flight headed for Greenville, South Carolina to meet up with an old friend. Several old friends actually.
Three flights later I met a couple coming home to South Carolina from an Alaskan vacation. They went to Fairbanks hoping to see the Aurora Borealis and ended up in Anchorage for the Iditarod start. They got to see the Fur Rondy but no northern lights. They did hike to a glacier that I had never heard of, Castner Glacier. I have since looked it up and hope to visit this summer. We have thousands of glaciers, so it doesn’t surprise me when I learn of one I must visit. 
Maybe I’ll get some good photos.
A while ago I got an email from Chooch with an attachment video of some Huey hovering, taking off and returning to land. It wasn’t the prettiest of flights so I figured it was probably Chooch just proving he could still do it. Turns out, it was, and he just had to share. He had been flying “his” Huey from Vietnam, “Choo Choo’s Train”.
Chooch must have formed quite a relationship with the Robinson’s (754’s new owners) because he later wrote to us and said that the owner has invited a few us that share a history with 754 to come to their home and reunite with the entity that literally brought us back from the war, every day. He said that some of us would even be invited to take the controls. We’re all over seventy, what could possibly go wrong.
No one would ask that question if they could have seen my roommate for the event (the Honorable Judge Tisdale) and I trying to get from the airport to our hotel. His Honor had already tried to check in but couldn’t because he wasn’t listed on the reservation. Silly me, I assumed that since he had already been there, he would be able to find the hotel again. I should have been suspicious when he picked me up at the airport and said, “We should have no problem getting back to the hotel, because we have a full tank of gas”.
After trying to check in to two other hotels, we finally found our gathering place, the Embassy Suites here in Greenville, SC.
Nice place. Although, I don’t think it is high season for the golf course.
There is a nice outdoor pavilion.
I love this type of construction.
The interior courtyard can give you vertigo.
If you look straight up.
The interior balcony railing is a simple arrangement of three strips of wood and there is 2400 feet of it on the eight floors. 
I figured you would want to know that. Today is the big day, we get to meet 754 again.
To be continued, I can hardly wait.
So far I've reached acceptable proficiency at the following, in chronological order: Silversmith, infantryman/door gunner, helicopter pilot, fireman, carpenter, residential contractor, FAA Air Traffic Control Specialist and crotchety old retired guy. Currently, I'm learning to fly again and that is what this is all about. 7/7/2020 edit: As I have had the opportunity to reflect (old people do that a lot) on my actual proficiency level at the above occupations, I feel adjustments are in order. The term "acceptable" depends on the observer, their own proficiency and experience level. Acceptable to me might be woefully deficient to the master. I think it would be more accurate to claim that I have earned a living wage at all of these occupations but never got rich. Actually, I feel that I have gotten rich at the last one. I have what I need and am profoundly grateful for all of it. The future looks bright indeed, as I have learned to fly again. For that I have all of you to thank. Thank You!
I consider myself lucky to be alive. My piloting was corrupted by Mr. Tisdale (C/227 1CAV) in SEA and by Mr. Coleman some 20 years in Oregon. I guess I’m even luckier to know them. Thanks for the post!