Farewell, Snowbird

My old brethren on MGTOW Forums might remember the "Show Us Your Ride" thread ... where I posted a photo of my Piper Tri-Pacer airplane, "Snowbird."

Well ... today, I finally signed over the Snowbird to a fellow who's going to restore the fuselage and give my birdie a New Home.

It was bittersweet to see her again, fun to go through the "stuff" that I'd left aboard as I quietly abandoned her at the airport where she'd languished after I gave up on flying her, and deeply satisfying to know that she was going to be reborn, like a Phoenix out of the ashes, to fly again ... hopefully, to fly to the extended potential that I'd built into her, with six-hour-range fuel tanks and full all-weather flight capabilities.

But ... after my mother (and 99%-often copilot) went West, much of the pleasure in flying went with her. After I had the wings re-covered - at great expense - I was out of the habit of flying. And after Nine-Eleven-2001, the restrictions that Homeland Security had put on flying in my neighborhood had gotten so onerous that it wasn't worth it ... not to me ... not any more.

So, today, the Snowbird was hauled off on a trailer, by a guy who knows a lot about restoring planes like her. I helped him remove the wings and load and secure her on his trailer, to haul back to his home - well outside of the flight-restriction zone. I lost a lot of money on her ... but she'd gone from "airplane" to "project" in the last few years. Her new owner is both dedicated and qualified for making her airworthy again, and flying her.

I did bring home her mascot, "Bärli," the little teddy-bear that my last USA girlfriend had given me a few months before she jilted me and I bought the Snowbird to cope with the loss! I've cried my tears ... kissed Snowbird goodbye ... and frankly, tonight, I'm happy that the Snowbird will be used as an airplane, again.

(And Dan, her new owner, has promised me a ride in her when she's flying again. Thank you, Dan.)

Please be sure to share with us when you do go back up in the 'ol girl.

I was looking up my old base. The wing I was assigned to retired the fleet they had that I worked on. Two of the birds are now serving as Museum pieces. Sure enough, one that I worked on frequently is one of them.

Both of them still look great, too. Even from Google Satellite pics and internet pics. They could have those birds flying again in no time if they wanted to.