THE SEASONS ARE A’CHANGING!
By John M. Dahlen
How’s that title for demonstrating an amazing grasp of the obvious! After one of the wettest summers on record here in Anchorage, hopefully everyone has gotten their winter supply of salmon, halibut, moose, caribou, garden vegetables, berries, and all the other outdoor groceries we are so blessed to have access to here in Alaska. The leaves are now golden and falling, as the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, darker, and colder. We have already been seeing northern lights and termination dust when it’s not raining. I hope everyone has a safe winter whether still flying or just hangar flying and keeping the buttered rum hot for the rest of us. Fall fly-ins with the traditional pumpkin drop competitions and other good times are on the immediate horizon as this edition of the Transponder goes to print. Watch our Facebook page or website for more details on upcoming social events, including holiday get-togethers, our annual General Membership Meeting, raffle ticket sales, and of course the 2025 Great Alaskan Aviation Gathering! Before we know it, we are going to be into the densely packed holy day season with its wide variety of international and multi-denominational rituals and celebrations, followed closely by 2025! This is a good thing because 2024 has pretty much offered us another “Here, hold my beer and watch this” experience!
We are immersed in so much ongoing negativity coming from election season nastiness, the worldwide violence among individuals, and the wars between governments of sovereign nations, all heaped onto the burdens normally shouldered by good citizens everywhere, that I want to wrap up my 2024 thoughts with each of you on a brighter note!
In the interest of full disclosure, the authors of the “Turkey Season” meme and “Twas The Night Before Christmas” are unknown. The approach plate is an old Jeppesen creation. And Santa’s portrait with the Super Cub at Lake Hood was taken by our own Regan Tunstall. I hope you enjoy them!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp,
Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ.
The aircraft were fastened to tie downs with care,
In hopes that — come morning — they all would be there.
The fuel trucks were nestled, all snug in their spots,
With gusts from two-forty at 39 knots.
I slumped at the fuel desk, now finally caught up,
And settled down comfortably, resting my butt.
When the radio lit up with noise and with chatter,
I turned up the scanner to see what was the matter.
A voice clearly heard over static and snow,
Called for clearance to land at the airport below.
He barked his transmission so lively and quick,
I’d have sworn that the call sign he used was “St. Nick.”
I ran to the panel to turn up the lights,
The better to welcome this magical flight.
He called his position, no room for denial,
“St. Nicholas One, turnin’ left onto final.”
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Rutan-built sleigh, with eight Rotax Reindeer!
With vectors to final, down the glideslope he came,
As he passed all the fixes, he called them by name:
“Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now Trini and Bacon!
On Comet! On Cupid!” What pills was he takin’?
While controllers were sittin’, and scratchin’ their heads,
They phoned to my office, and I heard it with dread,
The message they left was both urgent and dour:
“When Santa pulls in, have him please call the tower.
“He landed like silk, with the sled runners sparking,
Then I heard, “Left at Charlie,” and “Taxi to parking.”
He slowed to a taxi, turned off of three-oh,
And stopped on the ramp with a “Ho, ho-ho-ho…
“He stepped out of the sleigh, but before he could talk,
I ran out to meet him with my best set of chocks.
His red helmet and goggles were covered with frost,
And his beard was all blackened from Reindeer exhaust.
His breath smelled like peppermint, gone slightly stale,
And he puffed on a pipe, but he didn’t inhale.
His cheeks were all rosy and jiggled like jelly,
His boots were as black as a crop duster’s belly.
He was chubby and plump, in his suit of bright red,
And he asked me to “fill it, with hundred low-lead.”
He came dashing in from the snow-covered pump,
I knew he was anxious for drainin’ the sump.
I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And I filled up the sleigh, but I spilled like a jerk.
He came out of the restroom, and sighed in relief,
Then he picked up a phone for a Flight Service brief.
And I thought as he silently scribed in his log,
These reindeer could land in an eighth-mile fog.
He completed his pre-flight, from the front to the rear,
Then he put on his headset, and I heard him yell, “Clear!”
And laying a finger on his push-to-talk,
He called up the tower for clearance and squawk.
“Take taxiway Charlie, the southbound direction,
Turn right three-two-zero at pilot’s discretion”
He sped down the runway, the best of the best,
“Your traffic’s a Grumman, inbound from the west.”
Then I heard him proclaim, as he climbed thru the night,
“Merry Christmas to all! I have traffic in sight.”
Few parts of the world are as culturally diverse as Alaska. So, in my family’s tradition, I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and all the best in good health, happiness, and prosperity for the new year! Equivalent best wishes are offered to the multitudes of you whose traditions are different than mine. As I sign all my e-mails, “Individually we are unique, but together we are incredible!”
John is an active life member and a regular contributing writer for the Transponder. If you would like to see a topic covered, he can be reached at “OneAlaskanGuy@hotmail.com.