About 55 years ago, I used to fly most Saturdays airport hopping in my 1947 Ercoupe 415, serial #4854 all over WV, Ohio, KY , PA ,Tenn, VA, and NC. Burning 5 gal an hour with 80 fuel being about 28-30 cents a gal and auto fuel about 8-10 cents a gal less. So the cost of fuel was pocket change. I liked going to the South Columbus , OH airport. Good bunch of guys. Old friend also had a hanger there. Ed Low. Also didn't want to miss when they had an airplane flee market.
I would leave the grass field on the Kanawha river at Buffalo,WV to Gallipolis , Oh on the Ohio river then follow Rt-35 to Chillcothe, OH and then RT-23 up to the South Columbus airport , east of the radio towers. IFR-- I follow rivers and roads.
One day I left South Columbus heading home and always flew very low over the corn fields west of Rt-23 to get past Rickenbacker Airbase and past Circleville down to Chillcothe, then pick up RI-35 at the V in the railroad tracks for Gallipolis. One day on the east side of the river at Chillcothe before you get to RT-35, I saw a P-51 setting in a grass field at a farm. So I circled back and landed. A man came out of the barn and invited me to get out and visit. He also invited me to come to the farm house and have supper with him and his wife. So I did. He flew P-51's and his wife had been a Wasp and had a T-6 in another building with an Ercoupe. Had a wall full of pictures of both of them during the War. After eating he said, lets go flying in the Ercoupe and see if it flys any different that yours with the metal wings. He was slim but tall and we got in and I flew from the left seat in his fabric wing Ercoupe, it did fly better than my metal wing Ercoupe. So we landed and I stayed as long as possible so I could get back to my home grass field before dark. His name was Mr. Lacy. A few months latter someone at the grass strip said a men in an Ercoupe landed before you arrived and was looking for you. Said his name was Lacy. Nice people
Added-- Now his farm strip is a large shopping center.
I would leave the grass field on the Kanawha river at Buffalo,WV to Gallipolis , Oh on the Ohio river then follow Rt-35 to Chillcothe, OH and then RT-23 up to the South Columbus airport , east of the radio towers. IFR-- I follow rivers and roads.
One day I left South Columbus heading home and always flew very low over the corn fields west of Rt-23 to get past Rickenbacker Airbase and past Circleville down to Chillcothe, then pick up RI-35 at the V in the railroad tracks for Gallipolis. One day on the east side of the river at Chillcothe before you get to RT-35, I saw a P-51 setting in a grass field at a farm. So I circled back and landed. A man came out of the barn and invited me to get out and visit. He also invited me to come to the farm house and have supper with him and his wife. So I did. He flew P-51's and his wife had been a Wasp and had a T-6 in another building with an Ercoupe. Had a wall full of pictures of both of them during the War. After eating he said, lets go flying in the Ercoupe and see if it flys any different that yours with the metal wings. He was slim but tall and we got in and I flew from the left seat in his fabric wing Ercoupe, it did fly better than my metal wing Ercoupe. So we landed and I stayed as long as possible so I could get back to my home grass field before dark. His name was Mr. Lacy. A few months latter someone at the grass strip said a men in an Ercoupe landed before you arrived and was looking for you. Said his name was Lacy. Nice people
Added-- Now his farm strip is a large shopping center.
