On Saturday I was the one at the fly-in that goes around and gives out the one free meal per plane ticket to the planes that show up. So I'm going around handing out tickets and a Travel Air 6000 flown by Hank Galpin arrived. Hank was doing his thing and giving rides in the 6000 to people there and I'm watching him taxi out and back from flights. I'm thinking "man I'd really like to see about going up but can't do it well I'm volunteering".

Once people and planes had left and the tables and chairs were picked up Hank was still hanging around. So it worked out that myself a guy named John and his maybe 6 year old daughter would get to for a flight from Plains to Polson on Hanks way back to Kalispell, and Johns wife would drive to Polson and pick us up and drive back to Plains and drop me off ( John and his wife live in Thompson Falls). Before loading up it came down to who would sit where, John and I both wanted to be right seat, but his daughter wanted to sit with dad. So I got to ride right seat. But man that hurt me when she said that but it worked well for her because she had her dad with her as she was a little uneasy at first as she never flew before. But before we landed she liked flying.

Anyway your here for a video, hope you enjoy.

Warning; music may be objectionable to some viewers.

That was a cool experience.

That was cool! Thanks for sharing.


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Very cool!

What a beautiful plane and a BEAUTIFUL airport. Where is that?

It was an amazing flight, I loved every minute of it!

Mountain Doctor wrote:What a beautiful plane and a BEAUTIFUL airport. Where is that?

Take off was from Plains (S34) and landed at Polson (8S1).

Wasn't NC8084 by chance was it? Bill DeCreeft of Kachamak air service here in Homer had one that he restored to immaculate condition. I never paid the money to ride in it, he sold it and have kick myself in the ass ever since.

No it wasn't, it's NC9038. The owner pilot Hank and someone else rebuilt it, MTV knows a bit more of the history of the plane then I do.

Headoutdaplane wrote:Wasn't NC8084 by chance was it? Bill DeCreeft of Kachamak air service here in Homer had one that he restored to immaculate condition. I never paid the money to ride in it, he sold it and have kick myself in the ass ever since.

Bill's was NC9084.

ExperimentalAviator wrote:No it wasn't, it's NC9038. The owner pilot Hank and someone else rebuilt it, MTV knows a bit more of the history of the plane then I do.

Hank's Travelair was owned by Johnson Flying Service, it suffered an engine failure and ended up in the Payette river. It was later purchased by Bill and and the pieces taken to Homer to be rebuilt to be a companion aircraft to NC9084. It was never restored and Hank later purchased it and spent ten years in the restoration.

N9084 was sold for a pittance, no one cared about historical aircraft then, and on the way to Homer the next day. It was a fun flyer.