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Just when you think you know your kids…they fool you. I have 3 boys. My
two oldest boys are very different. Crosby reads voraciously. Sammy is a good reader but would rather not. Sammy walks in the front door after school, passes through the kitchen for a snack and is out the back door to play. Crosby comes home from school and decompresses in his room listening to music. Sammy loves roller coasters and will ride anything. Crosby does not like roller coasters and would rather swim the day away at an amusement park. So, when I took the boys for a barnstorming, open cockpit biplane ride, I expected Crosby to be unsure and Sammy to be all about it. Was I surprised! Crosby is pictured below giving a thumbs up and Sammy spent the ride with his head in my lap!
What is barnstorming? In the 1920s and 1930s Barnstormers were pilots who flew throughout the country selling airplane rides and performing stunts. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of aviation.
Dewey Davenport, Owner of Goodfolk & O'Tymes Biplane rides was our barnstorming pilot. Dewey is a commercial pilot by profession but talking to him let me know that being a commercial pilot simply pays for his passion of educating folks about the history of airplanes, training young pilots, and entertaining people with rides. His Xenia, Ohio hanger has multiple airplanes and Dewey knows the individual history of all of them.
I first got the idea to go barnstorming after reading Illusions by Richard Bach.
We rode in a 1930 New Standard, a plane built in 1930 specifically for barnstorming. The plane was then converted to a crop duster for a number of years and then restored to its original glory by Dewey. After taking off from a grass runway, the ride itself was loud but breathtaking. I really felt like I was back in time: picture the Eddie Rickenbacker or Snoopy-googles as he takes on the Red Baron. We traveled for 20 minutes in the air taking in the farm land around us. As we landed Dewey’s description was spot on, it was “like a butterfly with sore feet.” Bounce, Bounce, Bounce.
For a quick and unique experience for anyone aged 1-100, I highly recommend you check them out (after you have your estate plan ready to go that is ---kidding, sort of)!
For more information on barnstorming, check out : www.gobiplanerides.com
