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Maine = family, friends, food, and chicken-palooza

humptybump

Well Known Member
The Devastator had downloaded the weather report for the weekend and was itching to get out of the hangar.

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Given Zen's latest rebellion at flying, I made a local resort appointment for her and then planned a trip north to my old stomping grounds in Maine.The winds up high were not favorable so the Devastator and I decided the first leg of our mission would be to insure New York was safe from Russians.

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The city looked good and no signs of a Russian invasion. Lady Liberty gave us the all-clear sign so we toddled along.

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A fuel stop at 7B3 and the kind folks of Hampton Airfield was just the ticket. Kind of fun seeing a 1920's New Standard giving barnstorming rides and an instructor taking a student up on an L-4!

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Finally, it was time to get to Maine. Where I had a gracious invite to land at Eagle Field - where the runway is literally like a golf course - mowed every other day by a 16' wide greens mower. With the Devastator resting in the owner's hangar, it was cocktail time.

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Saturday morning was family time with my niece and here hubby. The afternoon was free time so I went back to Eagle Field to say thanks for the use of the field. It turned out, the hangar usually has a Cessna 185 in it but was out for annual.

Since the Plane was ready, I offered to take the owner to pick up his plane - a pilot shouldn't be without his plane for any longer than necessary.

This particular 185 is pretty unique. It's the very last one built and it has only ever has one owner - Ken. It's well equipped and immaculate. (Low time too.)Ken also happens to be a long time trustee of the Owl's Head Museum - another bucket list item for pilots who like old airplanes.

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Sunday was departure day but not before rising early for Chicken-palooza.

Warning: this next bit is NSFV - that's "not safe for vegetarians" ...

My brother and several of his friends stock their freezers with chicken every year. It starts with a whole lot of chicks - 60 for my brother. It only takes about 8 weeks before the little fuzzy chicks are up to 8-10lbs.

Everyone gathers with coffee, muffins, (the usual additional beverage of choice), and their chickens. This day, there were only 200 chickens to process.

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All of equipment is homemade but amazingly efficient - there's an automated dunker on the scalding station, rubber fingers on the insta-plucker (takes 5-7 seconds to make 3 chickens completely naked), two people work each of two stations cleaning the birds, and then they get a shower and a cold bath.

With a couple people at each station, a chicken only takes about 5 minutes (start to finish). Even with all the jokes and horse play, this crew finishes close to 75 chickens an hour!

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It was time to head home. Heavy but broken clouds along the flight plan route with slightly favored winds called for a "climb high, lean hard" route home.

I ask Yoda to takes the controls and Yoda came back with the usual reply of "have the controls, do I". (obviously, Yoda and the force fligh a much straighter course than I do.)

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The in-flight food service was barley battered crispy fish and chips (left over from Gritty McDuff's) along with a choice of water or Coke a Cola product.

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3 hours and 20 minutes later, this farmer was back on the ground and prepping his iron horse for late afternoon chores.
 
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Glen,

Posts like this are great incentive. It's especially nice to see one starting and ending close to home. Thanks!
 
Don, keep on building! There are so many places within reach of an RV that there's no fear of getting bored !
 
From what I've learnt today the report is quite incomplete it seems to me :)

I have to agree with you on this one but at least he doesn't take days OR WEEKS to complete the report! There is more to this trip than meets the eye but only a few (you and me) get the gruesome details of the mass slaughter! :D
 
VAF is a family friendly place. This trip writeup has been approved for all audiences. Visitors to 53VG can get the director's cut of the horror film :eek:
 
A great place to fly in to in midcoast Maine is KBST (Belfast Municipal Airport). The airport is located on the outskirts of town which is still a working harbor front town on Penobscot Bay. Transportation to town is easily procured and there are lots of things to do right there with all the shops, restaurants, and City Park on the harbor, to keep you busy for hours. If your lucky enough to be there on a Thursday, the Weathervane Reasturant located on the wharf at the towns docks offers a lobster special called "Wicked Twin Thursdays". Two whole 1# lobsters with all the fix in's at an unbelievable market based price.
 
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