Romeo Victor To The Rescue!

Once upon a time, there were some very bad people who managed to make a living by selling puppies at a Mississippi flea market. These animals were not well cared for, to say the least. They also managed to abuse a few children along the way, resulting in the death of one. This atrocity was exposed and arrests were made. A popular television program, "America's Most Wanted" has recently shot a story about this because the culprits, Janet and Ramon Barreto, are now fugitives. During the filming of the story, a number of animals were borrowed from the Tupelo animal shelter to play the parts of some of the puppy mill dogs. One of the program's producers is Cindy Miller, who decided to find homes for all of the "actors" rather than return them to an uncertain fate at the animal shelter. One particular dog, a six year old shih tzu named Benjamin, was destined for a home with Cindy's friend, Andrea, in Columbia, South Carolina. The problem was how to get Benjamin there. I think you know where this is going.

When I was in Tampa last week, I met an administrator for the internet-based group, "Pilots NPaws." They have a forum where those needing to transport rescued animals can list the locations and desired destinations of the animals. Pilots on the forum can peruse the forum and volunteer their services to transport these critters. Experimental aircraft such as mine are no problem, unlike the other charitable aviation groups, which will not even let us carry a donor kidney. Since Pilots N Paws is a registered 501c3 corportion, all expenses incurred are tax deductible.

So, Cindy put a post about Benjamin on the web site. I read it and volunteered to take the lucky pup for a ride in my magic carpet to his new home.

I left on Saturday morning and arrived at Tupelo around 8:30. Becky Paul from the Tupelo animal shelter arrived at 9:00 with Benjamin. After a brief introduction, we packed Benjamin into my carrier and loaded him into the baggage compartment of Romeo Victor. I removed the passenger seat to make loading and unloading the carrier easier.

By the way, a Petco 300 carrier is the largest size carrier that will easily fit in the RV-7. Benjamin could actually have fit into a smaller carrier, but this is what I had, and it worked very well.

As soon as we lifted off, Benjamin turned his back to me and appeared to go to sleep. There were no accidents involving doggie excrement or other bodily fluids. He was the perfect passenger.

The weather was perfect, with a nice 15 knot tailwind going eastbound. I decided to fly to Aiken, S.C. rather than Columbia in order to avoid all the air traffic going into Columbia for the football game between the Gamecocks and the Florida Gators.

Andrea and her daughter arrived shortly after I did, bringing my lunch with them. Benjamin emerged from his carrier and took right up with his new family. He likes to be petted and obviously enjoys human company.

So, Benjamin became my first non-human passenger. It was a nice feeling knowing that I had a part in delivering him to his new home with a loving family. However, the real hero here is Cindy Miller, who found homes for Benjamin and fifteen other residents of the Tupelo animal shelter. Thanks, Cindy.

I Love This Airplane

On Thursday of this week, I got up at 0 dark thirty and launched for Tampa to squander a couple of days at the AOPA Aviation Summit.

It was a great excuse to get a few hours in Romeo Victor. I contacted Memphis approach control after departing from Dewitt Spain, and a familiar voice greeted me by name. My friend, Roman Greene asked where I was off to and wished me a good trip. I had a nice tailwind the whole way, with ground speeds right at 200 knots (about 230 mph). I love watching the sun come up from 9,500 feet.

I was able to fly a direct route to Plant City, Florida because there are no restricted areas along this part of the west Florida coastline, unlike the panhandle area with all its military bases and training areas. As long as you stay within the ADIZ, which is clearly outlined on the Garmin 696, you don't have to worry about meeting one of our country's enforcement jets. I don't mind a short route out over the water.

I enjoyed me two days at the AOPA convention in the convention center. I was able to attend some interesting forums with topics on travel and pilot proficiency. I met up with an old friend, Dave Hirschman, who writes for the AOPA Pilot magazine. I bought a couple of inflatable floatation vests, so you can guess what I'm planning to do soon.

I left Saturday morning and made it home in time for a bike ride before the Alabama game. Roll Tide!