Stan Foster

PRuffin

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2003
Messages
1,320
Location
Barnesville, Ga.
About a week or so ago I finally got back to the hanger to unload my gyro from the trip to Bensen Days.

I had everything unloaded and just finished stringing my blades when I hear something coming in pretty close.
I went outside and an R22 was about 200 feet up and about a quarter mile or so away. I thought wouldn't that be cool if he spotted the runway and came in a set down.

As I started back in the hanger to put my blades on I heard a change in the sound of the chopper so I went back out and he had turned and was looking like he was flying a final.

He turned and came in a flew up to the hanger and landed. I thought this is too cool. I didn't know him but that's alright, come on in the house!

He got out , we talked a while and then he spotted my air command in the hanger.
We went over and talked about it a while and I told him about going to Bensen Days.

He ("Hank" I believe he said his name was) told me he had heard of Bensen Days not too long ago.

He is an airline pilot and a week or so ago he was walking through an airport and saw a guy with some kind of Gyro Pilot shirt on.

He then asked me if I knew a guy named Stan Foster.......

Seems this guy only lives about 12 miles north of me.

Small world Huh?
 
Phil- Unfreakin believable!!!!!!!!!!!! I met him in Atlanta during my layover back to Illinois. A guy came up to me and menttioned my shirt I had on, that bright green You Can See Me Flying At Bensen Days Shirt. We got to talking and he is real interested in the Helicycle and had been watching all my You Tube videos. He was in as captains uniform and I asked him what he flew. He said a 737. But to have him just happen to fly over your place and then to land is just too much of a coincidence. Thanks for telling me this! Stan
 
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Phil- did you not also make those wild green bensen Days shirts? The odds of all this happening is amazing. First of all, I had to have that shirt on with the wording, that just happened to catch the eye of that 737 captain. Then he had to break the ice with me and start asking me about Bensen Days and what I flew. I then showed him my Helicycle on my phone, and he then blurted out he had seen that helicopter on YouTube. All this why we both were hurridly walking through Atlanta. He said he had been studying the Helicycle and he flew an R22. Then for him to just happen to see your place, and just happen to land and you just happen to be there. Then how he just happened to remember my name and happened to mention to you. Wow! Then if I am correct, if you made that t-shirt that caught hia attention, another big WOW! Stan
 
Rotors Rule..hehehe, it is strange how the Helicopter and gyro people just seem to find each other.

that is too cool.
 
Stan, I did make the shirt you were wearing.

It turns out the guy already knew the owner of the private strip that I hanger at. But hasn't been here for a number of years. He was coming over to visit him and show him his new R22.

Turns out they started flying together around the same time many years ago.
Weed Hoppers I believe.

Still pretty stinking cool that he met you in an airport while wearing a shirt I made. Talking about Bensen Days and all and then show up here and only living 12 miles away from me.

The odds I believe are even greater now because the guy we met is a friend of the guy that owns the air strip that I am the only one who flies out of.

Anyway, thought you would get a kick out of it.
 
Phil- to top it off, the Atlanta airport was packed, thousands of people. I was walking at a very fast pace weaving around people and that airline captain picked the right few seconds to be in my hustle, while he was reading the back of my shirt. I mean I see guys with flying shirts on all the time, but I never start a conversation. Interesting that he did. This is about as strange a set of circumstances when a guy from New York ran into Terry Eiland in Wisconsin. That was another overwhelming set of circumstances. I need to re tell that story in a new thread tonight. Stan
 
Phil Ruffin
This has got to be a couple of the greatest encounters only pilots get to experience. It is like a magic hand that only guys like us here understand. I cannot comprehend it all , only a glimpse here and there , thanks for the glimpse Phil.
 
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