HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 28 VOL 7
FEBRUARY 28TH 2008
WEATHER; NICE, MED HUMIDITY, 43/74 DEGREES
GAS; STILL $3.02- $3.06
WE WENT TO HOME DEPOT AND LOWE’S TODAY ABOUT THE FIREPLACE AND TO SEE IF WE COULD FIND SOMETHING WE CAN USE ON THE DECK SAFELY! HOME DEPOT SAID IT WASN’T ONE THEY SELL SO WE WENT TO LOWE’S AND EVEN THOUGH PEGGY BOUGHT IT AT THE DURANT LOWE’S STORE AGREED WE COULD BRING IT BACK TO THE SHERMAN STORE FOR A FULL REFUND AS LONG AS IT’S NOT DAMAGED OR HASN’T BEEN USED NEITHER OF WHICH WILL APPLY HERE!
LOWE’S AGREED TO TAKE THE ONE PEGGY AND PAUL GAVE US FOR THE AMOUNT SHE PAID FOR IT AND WE WENT TO THEIR GARDEN CENTER AND FOUND ONE MADE OF CAST IRON WITH A SCREEN ALLTHE WAY AROUND AND WE DECIDED TO GET ONE OF THOSE WHEN WE TAKE THE BIG ONE BACK, WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE RED CLAY CHIMNEAS AND DECIDED AGAINST ONE OF THEM SINCE FOR $20.00 MORE WE CAN GET THE CAST IRON ONE WHICH WE THINK WILL LAST A LOT LONGER AND DO A BETTER JOB OF HEATING THE DECK!
KELLY WANTS TO WAIT TILL NEXT SATURDAY WHEN HE’LL BE OFF FOR HIS BIRTHDAY TO TAKE THE FIREPLACE BACK AND THE INTREPID TO B&B TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION CHANGED OUT! IT’LL BE GOOD TO GET THE INTREPID ON THE ROAD AND SEE WHAT KIND OF SERVICE IT WILL GIVE US COMPARED TO THE ’91 ACCLAIM? WE FILLED UP TODAY AND GOT 22.36 MPG AROUND TOWN WITH THE A/C RUNNING SOMETIMES WHEN IT’S BEEN WARM! NOT BAD FOR AN ENGINE WITH OVER 300,000 MILES ON IT!
THE P-38 LIGHTENING
EARLY ONE JANUARY MORNING IN 1939 MY DAD WOKE ME UP TO GO WITH HIM TO LOCKHEED TO SEE A NEW AIRPLANE THEY WERE ROLLING OUT! EVEN THOUGH I WAS STILL HALF A SLEEP I KEPT ASKING HIM WHAT WE WERE GOING TO SEE AND HE KEPT SAYING, A NEW INTERCEPTOR FIGHTER AND THAT’S ALL HE WOULD SAY!
I FELL ASLEEP AND WHEN HE WOKE ME UP FOR THE SECOND TIME I STAYED AWAKE, THERE WERE ARMED ARMY GUARDS STANDING ALL AROUND THE BUILDING WE HAD PULLED UP TO. MY DAD TOLD ME TO STAY IN THE CAR WHICH I DID, HE GOT OUT AND WENT IN THROUGH A SIDE DOOR IN THE BUILDING AND I DON’T MIND TELLING YOU I WAS PLENTY SCARED, I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE HE HAD GONE AND WHEN/IF HE WOULD COME BACK!
AS I SAT THERE ONE OF THE GUARDS CAME UP TO THE CAR AND MOTIONED ME TO ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW WHICH I DID, ABOUT 3 INCHES! HE ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AND I TOLD HIM MY DAD SAID TO STAY WHERE I WAS, HE NODDED HIS HEAD AND SAID “GOOD BOY, YOUR DAD WILL BE OUT IN A MINUTE”.
ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEARD A LOUD CREAKING NOISE AND LOOKED TO THE LEFT AND SAW THE BIG DOORS OPENING AND A LITTLE FUNNY LOOKING TRUCK CAME OUT AND BEHIND IT WAS A HUGE AIRPLANE BEING TOWED BY THIS FUNNY LOOKING CAR!
MY DAD CAME OUT OF THE BIG DOORS AND MOTIONED FOR ME TO GET OUT AND COME WHERE HE WAS STANDING WHICH I DID AND VERY FAST! AS WE STOOD THERE THIS HUGE AIRPLANE HAD STOPPED AND THEY HAD TO BACK IT UP TO CLEAR SOMETHING INSIDE THE BUILDING! IT SATRTED MOVING AGAIN AND WHEN THE FRONT WHEEL CLEARED THE DOOR I COULD SEE A MAN SETTING IN THE AIRPLANE. THERE WAS A WINDOW HELD UP ON THE GLASS COVER HE WAS UNDER, HE WAVED TO ME AND SAID; “WELL HOWARD WHAT DO YOU THINK OF OUR NEW GIRL?” I LOOKED UP AT MY DAD AND ASKED HOW THAT MAN KNEW MY NAME AND HE SAID; “I TOLD HIM YOU WERE OUT HERE AND ASKED IF HE WOULD WAVE TO YOU AND HE SAID HE WOULD.” THEN MY DAD TOLD ME HIS NAME WAS MILO BURCHAMP, CHIEF TEST PILOT FOR LOCKHEED AIRCRAFT CORPORATION THE COMPANY MY DAD WAS WORKING FOR!
I NOTICED THERE WERE NO OUTER WINGS ON THE AIRPLANE AND ASKED MY DAD HOW IT COULD FLY WITHOUT WINGS? I HAD BEEN BUILDING A MODEL CALLED “THE PACIFIC ACE” AND KNEW WINGS WERE IMPORTANT FOR AIRPLANES TO FLY! MY DAD SAID ALL HE COULD TELL ME WAS THE AIRPLANE WOULD HAVE THOSE OUTER WINGS WHEN IT WAS GOING TO FLY! I FOUND OUT LATER IT WAS TOWED OVER TO LOCKHEED AIR TERMINAL AND PUT BEHIND A COVERED FENCE AND TAKEN APART AND HAULED TO “MARCH ARMY AIR BASE” IN RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA AND PUT TOGETHER AND TEST FLOWN BY MILO BURCHAMP! THEN AFTER IT WAS ACCEPTED BY THE ARMY THEY WANTED TO SEE HOW FAR AND FAST IT COULD FLY SO THEY PLANNED A COAST TO COAST FLIGHT WITH A LEUTENANT KELSEY ( I THINK THAT WAS HIS NAME) AT THE CONTROLS! IF I REMEMBER RIGHT HE MADE THE COAST TO COAST IN RECORD BREAKING TIME AND DID IT ON THREE REFUELING STOPS! THE BAD PART OF THIS IS HE UNDERSHOT THE RUNWAY WHEN HE WAS LANDING AND DESTROYED THE ONLY P-38 THEY HAD! I’LL RESEARCH THIS AND IF I’M WRONG I’LL PUT THE CORRECTED INFORMATION IN A FUTURE CHRONICLE!
THE P-38 WAS THE DREAM OF “KELLY” JOHNSON, DIRECTOR OF THE FAMOUS LOCKHEED “SKUNK WORKS” TILL HE RETIRED!
THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE.
HOWARD
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