I am going to take a small liberty here and say it wasn't my aeroplane.....
Back in '94, I was an F/O on 757's for Airtours in the UK. We went transatlantic via Bangor Maine to Orlando, Montego Bay, Cancun and Grand Cayman.
The layovers in Bangor were just awesome. We had an 8 day pattern, with a couple days off in Bangor. Parties.... OMG
So...........
I did my seaplane rating up at Pushaw Lake with KT Aviation.
Kathy Hodgkins was my instructor.
Sadly, Kathy was taken from us way too early in 2004, however, the memory of flying with her, around Bangor, Old Town and Bar Harbor are just stunning.
The best destination.......
Pushaw Stream.
I had done the lesson in the Skyhawk and as usual we did 30 minutes in the Cub, for fun.
It was a stunning day, calm, CAVOK.
Kathy said she would take me to a special place, so we set off at 500' across the woods of Maine.
A short while later, in glass smooth air, she said - we are on left base, slow up.
To What I asked..........?
You'll see, she said.
Then I saw it, a thin, silver line in the sun, the river was narrow, there was a bend in it, with trees either side up to the water's edge.
She quickly briefed me on the approach - set up, drop below the tree line, you have 30 feet either side, turn the corner and land
The touchdown was good, we stopped, turned the motor off and sat... in the middle of the small river, we started slowly going backwards with a lazy current.
In absolute silence, the banks of the river came to life. Things happened, birds and animals went about their business as though nothing was there, the air was still, warm, the smell of the hot engine, gently wafting back into the cabin with the doors wide open.
After a few minutes, we had turned the corner and Kathy said it was time to go.
She stepped past me onto the float, called for the mags and throttle and swung the prop. The wildlife disappeared.
The departure brief was interesting - get it onto the step, turn the corner, lift off, follow the next bend and climb away.
The smell, the sounds, the feelings of the warm Maine countryside, the memories of a great instructor and a stunning location are still there.
I now sit, at FL390 in my Airbus 330 flying down to the Caribbean, or Orlando and every time I fly close to Bangor, I strain to see Pushaw Lake, Old Town, Moosehead, Bar Harbor.
I took my wife up to Bangor a year later on a short Spring vacation - CBP at Boston queried me at immigration, they said, why are you staying in Bangor Sir ?
I'm Aircrew, I love the place, it is special, I said - he knew......
We are going back next year.
RIP Kathy
