(We had a joyful aviation-related show this morning shortly after dawn. It amounted to a cross section of many of the local fliers in a Commemorative Capitol Wing fly-by at Refuge Farm. The humans were active yesterday in a precise flight, the old piston engines snarling and whining as throttles were adjusted to maintain course and speed. The sound propagation from the old laboriously maintained engines is remarkable. The movement through the sky reverberate in a manner that can be felt lightly on the skin).

The Commemorative Wing was close yesterday. They must have had an orderly group launch up at T.I. Martin Field. You can imagine the Fire Ring group was attuned to feel the vibrations in the air as they joined up, flying southwest from the field. They managed the flight’s gentle left-hand turn once they were past the shadow of Mount Pony, the taller lump of Piedmont rock nd soil that thrusts up near the junction of our farm lane and the big highway that carries traffic east toward the southern end of the growing strip of Washington DC’s megalopolis.

The engine roar is distinctive and an odd contrast to the much more subdued flap of the road wings of the three Turkey Buzzards that have been active much closer in over the pastures downhill. And closest of all, at least two hummingbirds are still hitting the feeder bolted to the railing on the back deck. There may be a third still in residence, adding to the dramatic weekend airshow displayed by human and avian visitors to The Farm. Conversation turned to what it is that determines the decision in those tiny brains to rise from the perch with sweetened water and head accurately for a 2,000 miles flight to warmth, sugar and water down by the Gulf.

Morning diversions in the early Fall. We are still rural in composition here, but we can feel the change in progress. The sounds of truck traffic fro that road is now mixed with that of the chickens next door. And the non-aviation noise of that irritated dog two doors down on the road. It is a relaxing morning mixture of noise signifying precision from the human pilots, organization from the lanky buzzards, and preparation from the H-birds.

There was the sound of modest conversation, too. The local preservation community is aware of the changing density in sound and things. We got three notes as attachments to keep us informed yesterday about the pressure of new solar fields and data centers being encouraged by the various developers and Commonwealth governments. We are ambivalent about it, of course. We are here because it is rural and the sights we see are pretty much what Lee and Grant’s people saw. Of course we support the right of property owners to do what they need to with land they own. And we are simultaneously opposed to erection of massive towers strung with power-lines to carry the solar electricity to the folks seventy miles up the road.

That end of the conversation about things above is always a little strange, since we have agreed to provide the power of sunshine when the sun is in the sky. Even if the people up north don’t need it until after sunset when they get home. That means we have to build the new solar arrays that will sit on our fields 24 x 7, producing electricity only when not useful. We are usually sort of organized and would have thought that discussion would have begun the other way around, priority-wise. But that is the paradoxical nature of conversation these days.

So that is one noise produced in the general fly-by of morning. Why do we celebrate the intrusive sound of the ancient aircraft over The Farm? We like it due to the reports from Old Salts who are attending a fly by of their own way out west. The place is one many of us called a temporary home long ago. We called it “Miramar,” where the Navy Officer’s Club bar was renowned as a place for conversation and laughter, among other things. The base by the sea was then known as “FighterTown USA,” for the quality of the pilots who drove their Tomcats, Crusaders and Phantoms in massive roars against the sky.

The Marines own and operate it now, another feature of change. We naturally accept it. But the highlight at the former FighterTown is the appearance of the Blue Angles in their new Super Hornets. Their twin jets produce a seminal thunder of authority that shouts: “Ready Now!”

Our commemorative fly by is authoritative, but in an old-fashioned sort of way. We think they use the green roofs of the outbuildings at The Farm as a landmark for the formation turn back east for the approach to T.I. Martin Field’s runways 4/22.

They are nice ones for landings, and can accommodate formation approach fly-ins if desired for pilot proficiency. Not all four of their historic airplanes can land abreast, of course, but the 5,000FT grooved asphalt of both are in good shape full length and 100FT wide. Touchdown point is unmarked, but the runway edge lights provide nice definition and can accommodate landings after sunset. Oh, we run them on electricity generated from natural gas, so don’t worry on final. They illuminate after sundown on either 4 or 22 when light is a useful thing. Regardless of what we are commemorating.

Speaking of which, the Commemorative airplanes are coming back toward The Farm. There is something jolly about the snarl of those old engines, you know?

– Vic

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