daily scratchpad

(3)

1967 was the year I started pilot training. Incredibly, I met my old First Sergeant (from Schilling AFB) in Denver not long after we arrived (in Denver). He had retired from the USAF and had become an insurance salesman. He reminded me that we had been paying monthly payments on a life insurance policy he had sold me many years ago in Salina, and that I could cash it in. I cashed that sucker and used the money to pay for my private pilot license, with the intention of using my GI Bill to pay for my commercial license. All went well. I got the private license, then used the GI Bill to get my commercial, multi-engine, and flight instructor certificates. My records indicate the last two ratings were obtained in 1969, so I presume that the commercial rating was obtained in 1968. My pilot logbooks were later (tap) stolen in Florida, but I still have the 'Cole's Aviation Pilot's progress Flight (boom) Logs for for everything but the commercial.

Meanwhile Kootch got a job at K-MART. She would keep that job for the next 34 years, (!) rising through the ranks. She retired as the 'office manager' in AD 2000. She is still retired. VERY retired. K-Mart was located just actoss the street from us and she could walk to work in just a few minutes. The photograph was taken by Kootch from the right front seat of a 'Cherokee 140.' The large white thing is the leading edge of the wing. Notice the swimming pool. Our apartment was on the third floor overlooking the pool. There was no apartment above us from which some freaky old Jewish queer could harrass us. Those were the good ole days...