RCSE'ers- I've been unsubscribed for about 5 months, but felt the following human interest story justified a re-subscribe in order to post the following human interest story of fellow glider guys to you members. Many of you will agree that, as a whole, you can't find a better bunch of guys than we have in the soaring community. The following is a short story regarding one of RCSE's more ~colorful~ members, Cliff "Osohigh" Lindgren and a relatively newbie to soaring at Sunset State Beach, Steve Spitler.
Cliff is a regular flyer at Sunset State Beach, but hasn't been there much in the last year or so after having been bit by the DS Demon. You'll more likely find him flying other sites that have better DS than Sunset. When Cliff does fly Sunset, it is usually when some big winds hit and he can get a little frontside adrenaline fix. He'll break out the "heavies", i.e.: John Higgins' Rodents or F-20's, or Brian Laird's loaded out Slope Scale stuff. Although I haven't flown much with the Steve Spitler (the ~newbie~), I have know him for years and years. He is a very civic minded guy. Cub Scout leader, High School surfing coach, volunteer extraordinaire for the community, etc. You'd have to look far and wide to find a more giving individual. About a week ago, Cliff went out to fly Sunset because the winter season had brought on the typical "grumpy pilot syndrome". Even in light wind conditions, any flying is better than none at all. He went out to Sunset to fly, sporting his brand new Levi Jeans for an afternoon of soaring. After flying for awhile he left and went home. On Cliff's way home, he realized he didn't have his wallet, but thought that maybe he had left it home since he had just put on his new Levi's there. When he got home, the wallet was not to be found. If you've ever been in a similar situation, you know the drill....retrace steps, panic, look here, look there, panic, make phone calls, ask friends, panic, etc. It wasn't so much that his wallet had about $700 US Buckaroos, but the driver's license, ATM cards, credit cards, NRA card, Social Security card, the "weak-kneed sister" Emily's phone number in Pawhuska, etc., that can take weeks to cancel, replace, or relocate. After all the gut wrenching retrospect, Cliff deductively concludes that if an honest person found his wallet, they would find his business card (Lindgren Excavating) inside and call his business phone. So, on a chance, Cliff goes to his office and checks his answering machine. Walla! I don't need to tell you who found the wallet that got ejected out of the new Levi's on the bench, do I? I didn't think so. None of us have been flying so long that we can't remember what it was like to be a "newbie", right? So, Cliff is trying to decide how to thank Steve Spitler and reward him for being ~that kinda guy~. Cliff can simply say "thank you so much", or lay a $20 spot or a $100 spot on Steve and feel good for both of them, and walk away......or Cliff could do the "unthinkable": He drove over and picked up his wallet from Steve, gave him a huge handshake, a big thank you, and THEN presented him with a brand new John Higgin's F-20 kit! Why do I term that deed "unthinkable"? You see, Cliff Lindgren knew that Higgins rarely produces kits anymore. So, a few months back, Cliff begged John Higgins to produce and sell him a couple of kits for his own personal collection. I know Cliff pretty darn well, and he wouldn't even sell me one of those kits, for any amount of money. But, Cliff also knew that Steve Spitler (the "newbie") was held in awe by the site of a Higgin's F-20 or Rodent screaming by on a well blustered day. And there you have it. A true story about two great people involved in OUR hobby/sport. You all know of, or have heard of similar situations. The parting thought was expressed in the first paragraph: "...as a whole, you can't find a better bunch of guys than we have in the soaring community". Alright, so I've been unsubscribed for 5 months or so....if you took enough time to read this, you got your 5 months worth of bandwidth. Scott Hewett RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
