Pilot Club Meetings

  • January Pilot’s Meeting
  • We met at the Piping Pilot’s Pullover Taphouse and we self-served ourselves: chicken, meatloaf, lasagna, salad, brownies and bread pudding. Others served us C₂H₆O in various forms and mixtures. As the great gathering of all pilot types arrived, the atmosphere EXPLODED while the pilot camaraderie was rebuilt, once again.
  • Pilot camaraderie is a sense of bonding and mutual support among pilots, as well as a shared sense of responsibility for the safety and well-being of passengers and crew that pilots experience. Pilots often work in high-pressure and high-stress environments, and camaraderie among pilots can help to alleviate some of that stress. C₂H₆O helps with stress too. Pilots rely on each other for support, guidance and mentoring, and they often develop close relationships with their colleagues. Pilot camaraderie also extends to pilots working for different airlines, in different countries and all commercial and recreational pilots. Pilots share a common bond through their profession and look out for each other’s well-being, even if they work for different companies or fly different planes or different operations. It is common that pilots join pilots’ associations that promote the interests of pilots and help to foster a sense of community among pilots. The QB is one of these great pilot associations. The excellent pilot camaraderie at the ORF Exclusive Pilot club helps pilots to cope with the high-pressure and high-stress environment of their profession. Drinking, telling pilot stories and laughing helps cope with pilot stress.
  • Jim Jetter won the pilot magazine raffle; Dave Diver won the 50/50 raffle. Clink Climber tried to steal the election (the raffle), but he did not have the numbers. Pullupper and Pushdowner were conspiring a top-secret technique on how they may win a future money raffle. We did not have a booze raffle because we had no booze to raffle off. Maybe we will raffle off two bottles next month.
  • The big Swede, Jetrouter, was our one and only visiting guest; he told Sweat Swedish stories. Cryman proclaimed his two cents worth on his love of books, particularly pilot books. Captain Kurt and First Officer Spark shivered over a past memory of having dinner in a South America restaurant when terrorists with guns storm in. Rocket Ron and Glide man reminisced of a flight in Rocket Ron’s airplane with the top canopy open. Even though Rocket Ron claims he would never sell his plane, he spoke for hours about the great selling features of his most precious Rallye plane. Star Shooter, father and son, arrived together but hung out separately. Shooter Junior hung out with the younger pilots and Shooter senior hung out with the older pilots s. Ramjet grabbed Sliderprop’s attention with a discussion on Ramjet’s daily struggle with not eating bread. He has lost over 20 pounds eliminating bread in his diet, but he’s BARELY HOLDIN ON; Ramjet wanted badly to eat the bread pudding desert. TQ, TW, JP, RF and that other FedEx guy provided a joint and disorganized explanation on how the FedEx cargo business model operates versus the passenger business model. Some were impressed and inquired about the cost of shipping themselves in a cargo box. Readreader Dog has a new aeronautical chart shirt and he made sure to show everyone. He mainly wanted to inform everyone that now he knew where he was. The leader slugged down a few drinks and everyone preferred the cause, effects and results it had on him. Tigger and Jigger were the last two pilots to leave, per TOP SECRET information.
  • It was a fantastic cohesive gathering and a great colorful turn out of various pilot types. Bring new lies to the same place next month. Enjoy the day, if not the night!
  • February Pilot’s Meeting
  • There is a group of pilots who love to gather together to share their exciting and adventurous flying experiences. The group is called “the ORF Exclusive Pilot’s Club,” and every month, they meet at an airport hangar or restaurant bar to catch up with each other and swap stories.
  • One of the pilots, a SEASONED VETERAN, always has the most incredible tales. He had flown all over the world, from the mountains of Peru to the deserts of Africa, and had faced numerous challenges and dangers along the way. But through it all, he had remained calm and collected, relying on his extensive training and experience to see him through.
  • ANOTHER PILOT, is known for his incredible feats of precision and skill. He was a champion aerobatic race pilot, and his stories always had the other pilots on the edge of their seats, as he described his death-defying loops and rolls.
  • Our NAVY pilots tell of their responsibilities for flying a variety of aircraft, including fighter jets, transport planes, and helicopter gunships, to conduct missions such as reconnaissance, surveillance, search and rescue, and combat operations. We are reminded that they play a critical role in supporting and defending our country, making them an essential component of our modern military.
  • There is a COMMERCIAL AIR LINE PILOT who has seen it all. From passengers with bizarre requests to dealing with severe turbulence. He has a wealth of tales to share about the everyday challenges of flying a large passenger jet. And finally, there was the CARGO PILOT, who had a passion for exploring the world from above. He had flown over some of the most remote and beautiful places on Earth. He discussed the challenge of flying real fast in order to deliver the freight on time, while attempting to save on fuel. He has endless stories about the everyday and every night challenges of flying boxes around the world while struggling to stay awake.
  • As the pilots sipped their liquids of choice and chatted, they laughed, gasped, and cheered, as each one shared their most exciting and memorable experiences. This is a tight-knit group, bonded by our love of flying and our passion for adventure. And even though we all came from different backgrounds and flew different types of aircraft; we have one thing in common: a thirst for new experiences and a love of the skies.
  • As the night lingered on and the moon rose, the pilot gathering slowly started to disband. They said their goodbyes, promising to meet again next month to share even more incredible stories. And as they walked out of the meeting, they looked up at the awe-struck full moon sky, each one filled with a sense of wonder and excitement, eager to get back up there and experience the thrill of flight once again.
  • We will meet next month, same time, same place with new pilot lies. Bring new pilot stories to the pilot meeting.Enjoy the day, if not the night!
  • March Pilot’s Meeting
  • Arriving at the Jets Star Executive Airport the glowing sun began to set, while the full moon rose in the sky. The airport takes on a magical quality. The sky is painted in a palette of oranges, pinks, and purples, as the sun slowly sinks below the horizon. The colors gradually deepen, casting long shadows across the tarmac. As the last rays of the sun disappear, the airport lights flicker to life, casting a warm glow across the runway. The moon, now fully risen, casts a silver light across the landscape, creating a stunning contrast against the deepening blue of the sky. The airport takes on a different character at this time of day. The hustle and bustle of daytime activity gradually fades, replaced by a more serene and peaceful atmosphere. The air is cooler and quieter, with only the sound of occasional planes taking off or landing. As the moon continues to rise and the sky darkens, the airport becomes a tranquil and almost mystical place.
  • The stillness is only broken by the occasional sound of a plane taking off or landing, and the gentle hum of cars arriving at the airport. For the pilot members arriving at the airport at this time, the scene is breathtaking. The beauty of the sunset and the moonrise is a reminder of the magic and wonder of flight. The experience of arriving at the airport at this special time of day is mind blowing and would have stayed with them for a long time, if it was not for the gathering of multi-personality types at Devil’s hangar. The stillness and beauty of Mother nature is replaced with the rambunctious atmosphere of various pilots communicating, joking and laughing.
  • Glugger won the Booze raffle; Tightwad won the 50/50 raffle and Readman won the pilot magazine subscription. T served us great food. Lovelace served us much-needed booze and we served ourselves intriguing ear-burning pilot stories. Our new first-time guest Race Rider is a former Navy RF-8 pilot, an Eastern Airlines pilot, a NASA test pilot, and the only American to fly the Russian TU-144 plane. We anticipate Rob will be one of our future guest speakers.
  • Our guest watched “Flying the Feathered Edge,” the life story of famous Bob Hoover, while we initiated Ticker and Nicker. Congratulations Tick and Nick! Members that miss these initiation events are missing out on some of the best fantastic humorous experiences. Join us next month at Jets Star Executive Airport.
  • Enjoy the day, if not the night!
  • April’s Pilot Meeting
    • It was a wild pilot soiree that no one would soon forget. The evening began with the sounds of a live rock-n-roll band playing upbeat, lively tunes that filled the air with excitement and anticipation. In the corner of the room, a bar was serving a wide selection of ice-cold beers, wines, and classic liquors that were sure to suit every taste. The fine dinner soiree arrived from T’s kitchen. The lavish dinner was served in Don’s Hangar at Jets Star Executive Airport. Pilots dined on delicious home-made, mama’s secret lasagna recipe. The seasoned comrades were dressed in sleek, stylish pilot shirts. Arriving members were chatting and laughing as they mingled and moved around the airplane hangar getting reacquainting with each other. Rocko and Rollman had even come in vintage planes, refurbished just for this special occasion. K man won the booze raffle and R man won the 50/50 raffle. Everyone present is current on their pilot magazine subscription, therefore we did not have a magazine raffle.
    •  Gary the Lip gave us an update to the new “Q” Routes entering our airspace. Jim the mechanic donated pilot-emblem beer glasses. Fred the cool one, told stories of his corporate days of flying the “Doobie Brothers” rock band. Shooter the elder, told of his recent flight trip in a King Air from Florida. Mr. clean Joe arrived with the best and freshest haircut. In a few months Jet Man will be transferring to the Memphis hangar to co-inside with his relocation to FedEx’s main pilot hub. Doctor J and Doctor G slipped their unofficial doctor’s advice, “take the Prilosec for the acid indigestion and don’t tell anyone.” The oldest father, Ray displayed kindness, or maybe it was sympathy, with his act of buying a fellow pilot a drink; thank you. We thought Deadman Dan had died, only to find out that he has been hanging around dead people for an awful amount of time (Dan works in a funeral home). Willie Nelson is not the singer and did not sing to us. Brain man and others sang, “the cigar smoke is killing me.” One of the guests told a great joke; which guest? What joke? Consuming alcohol affects the memory and ability of writing about it.
    • The main event of the night was the INITIATION of Scarelore and Whaler into the “Ancient and Secret Order of the pilot club “put on by a team of experienced pilots. Cracking Chris and popping Tom have added a new fantastic operational twist to our initiation process. The penalty for publicly writing the what and how of their contributions is death. Guests and some members remained in the hangar and watched in awe the “Flying the Feathered Edge,” a life story of famous pilot Bob Hoover with views of planes flying upside down, doing barrel rolls and loops, and performing other daring stunts.
    • After dinner, the band began to play again, and everyone couldn’t help but to get up and dance the night away. The wild pilot soiree was an incredible night that will be remembered for years to come or at least till we meet again. Everyone enjoyed themselves.
    • Enjoy the day, if not the night.

May’s Pilot Meeting

The sun was setting as the group of pilots gathered in the hangar. They had just finished a long day of flying, and they were all looking forward to a relaxing evening with friends. “Summer is for flying, aviation is for fun,” Jim said as he poured himself a glass of wine. “Sunset dinner in the hangar with planes and friends- nothing else better,” William agreed. “Anytime baby,” Steve said as he helped himself to a plate of food. The group chatted and laughed as they ate, enjoying the company of each other and the beauty of the evening.” I had a lot more fun in my 20’s in the 70’s than I’m having in my 70’s in the 20’s,” Jetrider said. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” “To the aircraft we fly and the women we love, may the former be ever well rigged and the later ever well rigged or vice versa,” Dave said, raising his glass. The group laughed and drank in agreement.

“Another great night in hangar airport paradise,” Chris said. “Time to retire at 71.5, Go Pilot’s,” Ron said. “Father of son who started Love Cloud Las Vegas ‘Mile High Club’ for Ducking in the air at 5,000 feet,” Dave said. The group laughed again. “All the best,” Bill said. “Life is great if you fly more!” William said. “Back at the hangar for Cheffy’s great catering!” Robbie said. “Flying is still the most fun you’ll have with your clothes on,” Curt said.

Everyone enjoyed themselves. The group laughed and talked for a while longer, then they all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. As they drove away, each pilot thought about how lucky they were to be a part of this group. They were all passionate about aviation, and they loved spending time together. They knew that they would be friends for life. The next day, the pilots were back in the air, flying their planes and enjoying the freedom of the open sky. They knew that no matter what challenges life threw their way, they would always have each other and their love of flying to keep them going.

Enjoy the day, if not the night!