Page 14
The INDEPENDENT, April 19, 2000
Local m an’s skills bring pilots from far away for special training
V e rn o n ia M u n ic ip a l A irp o rt
M a n a g e r M ik e S e a g e r is fe a
tu re d in a n a rtic le in th e F e b ru
a ry 2 0 0 0
is s u e
of
S p o rt
A v a itio n , th e m a g a z in e of the
E x p e rim e n ta l A v ia tio n A s s o c ia
tio n .
“J o u rn e y to V e rn o n ia ” w a s
w ritte n b y G e ra ld M c K ib b e n , a
M is s is s ip p i p ilo t, w h o d e
s c rib e d th e “ ...2 ,0 3 0 h o u rs ,
m o re th a n 2 6 m o n th s , a n d
e n o u g h m o n e y to b u y a b o u t 37
p ic k u p s ..." he s p e n t b u ild in g a
V a n ’s R V -6A , an e x p e rim e n ta l
a irp la n e .
A fte r all th a t, he c o u ld n ’t get
h u ll in s u ra n c e until he sp e n t
tw o h o u rs in tra in in g to le arn
th e d iffe re n c e in h a n d lin g the
R V c o m p a re d to th e C e s s n a
1 7 2 s a n d P ip e r C h e ro k e e s he
w a s a c c u s to m e d to fly in g . To
S e a g e r flie s th e tra in e e s
fro m V e rn o n ia , in his o w n RV-
6, io R ich a rd V a n G ru n s v e n ’s
g ra s s la n d in g s trip in N o rth
s ip p ia n sa id “w a s o n th e o n ly
fla t real e s ta te I s a w in th e
w h o le a re a ." W h e n th e y to o k
off, M c K ib b e n w a s c o n c e rn e d
P la in s. O n c e th e re , th e y use an
11-y e a r-o ld R V w o rk h o rs e th a t
a b o u t fly in g “ rig h t to w a rd a to w
e rin g m o u n ta in ." S e a g e r e x
p la in e d th e y w e re ju s t c o a s ta l
h ills, but th e v is ito r s a id “ ...in
M is s is s ip p i w e w o u ld still call
w a s a c tu a lly th e fa c to ry p ro to
ty p e .
M c K ib b e n is e n th u s ia s tic
a b o u t S e a g e r’s tra in in g , b u t
a ls o d e s c rib e s his v ie w of V e r
n o n ia a n d th e “ N o rth W E T ."
“V e rn o n ia is a sm a ll to w n
th a t has a fro n tie r lo ok, a n d I
th o u g h t I w a s o n th e se t o f th e
T V se rie s o f a fe w ye a rs b a c k
c a lle d N o rth e rn E xp o su re . A ll
th a t w a s m is s in g w a s th e
ra th e r d e c re p it lo o k in g c o w
m o o s e lu m b e rin g d o w n th e
stre e t. M o s t b u ild in g s a re b u ilt
o f th e D o u g la s fir, w h ic h is
a b u n d a n t in th e a re a , a n d I
w a tc h e d tru c k s g o d o w n M a in
S tre e t h a u lin g tra ile rs fu ll of
p r o te c t h is in v e s tm e n t, he
n e e d e d to ta k e a trip to V e r
n o n ia , “ ...a to w n th a t I’d n e v e r
h e a rd o f .. . ” b e c a u s e V e rn o n ia
is w h e re M ike S e a g e r lives.
S e a g e r is o n e o f o n ly tw o
p e o p le w h o p ro v id e s c h e c k
o u ts , o r “tra n s itio n tra in in g " in
V a n ’s R V d e m o n s tra to rs . H e
h a s g iv e n 1 8 0 0 h o u rs of RV in
s tru c tio n a n d h a s te s t flo w n 4 6
n e w ly b u ilt R V s, in c lu d in g his
o w n . H e is a ls o b u ild in g a s e c
o n d RV.
D o u g la s fir lo g s .”
M c K ib b e n d is c o v e re d th a t “ It
ra in s a lo t” in th is a re a a n d , a t
8 :0 0 a .m ., w h e n he w a s s c h e d
u le d to fly, it w a s fo g g y a n d
drizzly. It w a s still to o fo g g y to
fly at 10:00 a .m ., b u t S e a g e r
to ld him th e fly in g p ro s p e c ts
lo o ke d g o o d fo r 1 :00 p .m .
T h e fo g lifte d a s S e a g e r sa id
a n d M c K ib b e n fo llo w e d h im to
th e a irp o rt, w h ic h th e M issis-
Professional Directory
th e n e xt d a y fo r th e c o a s t, g o
ing th ro u g h w h a t he d e s c rib e d
a s “ s o m e o f th e p re ttie s t c o u n
try ” h e ’d e v e r se e n .
Mike Seager walks past a hangar at Vernonia Airport. In the
forground is his experimental RV-6.
B e fo re le a v in g , h o w e ve r, he
a s k e d th e c le rk a t th e V e rn o n ia
D is p la y o f a r t b y P a c if ic s e n io r s
In n if h e (M c K ib b e n ) m ig h t
h a v e tra v e le d th e fa rth e s t to
g e t tra n s itio n tra in in g . T h e a n -
s w e r w a s d is a p p o in tin g ; th e
p rio r w e e k th e re h ad b e e n a
g u e s t fro m H o lla n d fo r th e
s a m e re a so n a n d , b e fo re th a t,
a p ilo t fro m E n g la n d . T h e n a
K a n s a n re g is te re d b e fo re M c K
E ig h t P a c ific U n iv e rs ity s e n
io rs ha ve a rtw o rk o n d is p la y in
^ e U n iv e rs ity C a w e in G a lle ry
M ic h a e l C h o n g , K in s e y E rik-
s e n , M a s a k o F u jim o to , A rie
H ig g in s , N a d a L in g e l, J e a n
th ro u g h M a y 19 d u rin g th e S e
P e re z ,
ib b e n left.
T h o u g h M c K ib b e n d id n 't
kn o w it, th e re h a v e a ls o b e e n
p ilo ts fro m m a n y o th e r c o u n -
trie s. T h e y all c a m e to V e rn o n -
ia fo r th e s a m e re a so n : T h is is
w h e re M ike S e a g e r lives.
n io r A rt S how . T h e fin a l e x h ib it
o f th e a c a d e m ic y e a r in c lu d e s
p ie c e s d o n e in s e v e ra l m e d i
u m s ra n g in g fro m p h o to g ra p h y
to s ta in e d g la s s to w a te rc o lo r
to oil pa ste l. A n o p e n in g re c e p
tio n w ill b e h e ld on W e d n e sd a y,
A p ril 19 at n o o n in th e G a lle ry
anc^ *s ° P en to th e p u b lic a t no
c h a rg e .
S e n io r s tu d e n t a rtis ts in th e
s h o w a re : A n g e la A d a m s ,
n
M o s t In s u ra n c e s A c c e p te d
Outpatient Alcohol & Drug Services
A p p o in tm e n t
Mark Livingston, M.D. • Laura Nichols, P.A.C.
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C a ll
th a t hill a m o u n ta in ."
A t th e e n d o f th e s u c c e s s fu l
tra in in g p ro g ra m , th e y re tu rn e d
to V e rn o n ia a n d M c K ib b e n left
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