A late thought, but GrassStripPilot made the comment about developing family traditions and I was just reminiscing about another happy family Holiday...
I know Randy on the SuperCub site delivers presents from his ski equipped cub. I was wondering what others have done in incorporating their aircraft and the gift of flight into the holiday traditions?

When weather cooperates and there is not too much snow on the ground, we have been fortunate in using the plane for harvesting the Christmas Tree. Forest Service permits are reasonable and selecting trees from the approach path of a forest service strip saves work which would otherwise be done in several years. With the extended baggage and ability to seat the kids both on the left side(2nd and 3rd row), I have been able to load a >10 foot tall tree without difficulty. Before cutting the tree, take a length of rope and starting at the bottom, do a MayPole like run around and around to tie all the branches up and in. Cut base, roll it up in a tarp and Viola!

The past four years now, on Christmas Eve, we've managed to get out to the airport and fly around in the night sky looking for the red glow of Rudolph's nose as it guides the big guy's sled. The first year it was overcast and snowing with some lower clouds. Being to the left of the path of an aircraft climbing into IMC was just perfect. With it's strobes off in preparation for entering the cloud deck, it provided a good couple years of kiddos telling the story of how we chased Santa, but he was just too fast and disappeared behind the clouds before we could catch him! This year I didn't get off work until 11pm but the kids were still psyched to meet me out at the hangar for our flight. Yet again, a near miss in our attempts to catch the super sled, and yet again found he had managed to sneak into the house in our absence!

Why do they have to grow up so fast...

Wishing you a Happy Holiday!

Matt

That is awesome! Never thought of going to chase Santa. I also like the Christmas tree hauling idea. Once of my fondest memories growing up is going to the mountains to get our Christmas tree, something we did every year. Using a plane instead of a truck makes it even that more fun!

Nevermind. Christmas and flying have no relationship in my life. Have a great New Year, guys. Fly safe.

Ten feet long is pretty big for a viola. And I thought you had to cure the wood first for a musical instrument.
Just kidding. I did learn to haul external loads on a Beaver/Floats back when. Trees were OK... canoes etc.
The one that got me in trouble was a bundle of re-bar. It sort of readjusted itself and the ropes got loose... and slid forward off the float right into the Alaska wilderness. I always wondered how deep in the muck those lengths of rebar went! Have delivered Santa in helicopters, the kids love that.
With all the new LED Christmas lights at Walmart... wonder if a 12 volt set would look nice in the plane???
All options are now open for new traditions to be born.
Hey.... I thought I just saw flyengr's 180 at Carlsbad. Must be at Lego Land today.....

I had a great local flight Christmas Eve afternoon, and a couple hours later handed an 8x10 aerial photo of my long time friends house to their daughter, that I've known since she was born and has just moved out. "If you get homesick, here's a shot of the old place". Most everyone else got bottles of the ABW hot sauce. At 3 bucks a bottle, affordable enough to hand out in quanities and just different enough, before they even taste it, to make a slightly unusual gift. I handed out 30 or so bottles and didn't bother wrapping even one of them, as they were lucky to get anything

I think I told the story here that when I recently called ABW to order my 29's, I first ordered more hot sauce, gave them my credit card number, address etc., and only as a seeming afterthought told them to throw in some Airstreaks! I'm hooked on the stuff

This was the first Christmas away from both of the families for my wife and me. Luckily, Santa gets out to Okinawa and he stopped by the squadron for a visit.

I'm sure Santa had his hat snugged on tight for that bit. Suspect there's a lot of air movement there even with the prop feathered!

Flightlogic. Just saw your comment. Ha! Didn't even see the io instead of oi, but will blame it on learning to type on the Ipad. These things are addictive!