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Inbound for Landing: The Medal of Honor
GARY WAYNE COX Ernest E. West, Medal of Honor recipient Aircraft: Helicopter…4…0….7…Mike…Charlie…departing the ramp northbound… Unicom: Have a safe trip… All of the stories I have written have taken place during my tenure as airport manager. This one does not. It originated from Big Sandy and my brother, Larry Joe Cox, was my pilot, but…
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The Big Number 3
BY GARY WAYNE COX Aircraft: Big Sandy Unicom…Cessna 2..3..3…Foxtrot…entering downwind for runway…3… Unicom: Winds light and variable…no other reported traffic… The runway designations at Big Sandy are 3 and 21. Those are the numbers painted on each end of the runway. Now, what do they mean? Imagine a big circle going all the way around…
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Inbound for landing: I left too soon
BY GARY WAYNE COX * Aircraft: Big Sandy Unicom…Citation six…two…six…Bravo…Charlie…10 miles to the northeast, inbound for landing…* *Unicom: No answer…* I’m usually open from dawn to dusk at Big Sandy Regional Airport, except Sunday evenings and some holidays. When you run an airport like Big Sandy, you never know when your business is coming or…
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Inbound for Landing: We’ll need a top-off
BY GARY WAYNE COX Aircraft: Big Sandy Unicom…Cirrus…2…7…3…Mike…Echo…approaching from the south…airport advisory please… `*Unicom: Winds favoring runway 3…at 7 knots…no other traffic…* ** `I try to treat everyone the same here at the airport. It doesn’t matter if they are in a big jet or a small plane, I want to make them feel welcome…
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Inbound for Landing: Uncle Charlie, Navy Double Ace
BY GARY WAYNE COX Aircraft: Big Sandy Unicom…Centurion…3…7…3…November…6 miles to the northwest…inbound for landing…is the cafe’ open… Unicom: Winds calm…no other traffic…and yes, the Cloud 9 is open… I make my living selling aviation fuel and hangar space. A busy day for me usually means a good day for my business. I enjoy having those…
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Inbound for Landing: The biggest plane
BY GARY WAYNE COX Aircraft: Big Sandy Unicom…Gulfstream…5…2…2…Bravo…Papa…short final…2..1… Unicom: Bravo…Papa…winds 230 at 8 knots…no other reported traffic… The question I’m most often asked at the airport is, “What is the biggest plane that can land here?” I don’t know the answer to that because I don’t know the capabilities of all the different aircraft.…
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Inbound for Landing: A lesson in civics
BY GARY WAYNE COX Aircraft: Big Sandy Unicom…Citation 7…7…3…Bravo…Charlie…10 miles to the northeast… inbound for landing… Unicom: Bravo…Charlie…winds calm…no other traffic… I get to meet a lot of interesting people from all walks of life at the airport. Airplanes are actually more than just a mode of transportation; they are “time machines.” You can cover…
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Angels use airplanes too
BY GARY WAYNE COX *Aircraft: Big Sandy Unicom…TBM…3…4…7…Mike…Echo…10 miles to the northeast…inbound for landing…* Unicom: Winds calm…no other reported traffic… I’m sure most people haven’t heard of the Angel Flight program. It’s a network of pilots from all over the United States that transport patients for hospital visits. Pilots who are signed up with the…
Tag: Gary Wayne Cox
