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 When I was a child, whenever an aircraft would fly overhead, my imagination
would run wild. Since birth, I have been stupid about airplanes. My first ride
in an aircraft was in 1965, in a Western Airlines Electra, from Los Angeles to
Salt Lake City. I heard the Captain speak on the public address system, and
right then, I knew I wanted to be an Airline Pilot. Nothing else in the world
mattered. Not being a son of affluent parents, I could not afford to fly and go
to college. However, I learned that Air Force ROTC would pay for a private
license during my senior year, as part of a screening program for USAF Pilot
Training. As the saying goes, I soloed in a Cessna 150 at Provo, Utah (PVU) in
1969, and I’ve been learning ever since.
I graduated from BYU, in May, 1970, and two weeks
later, I was in Pilot Training at Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma. I’ve
flown the following Air Force aircraft: C-7A (Viet Nam), KC-135 (Fairchild
AFB and Selfridge ANG Base), C-130 (Selfridge ANGB and in the Gulf War for 6
½ months), and a stint as a T-38 instructor, (Vance AFB). I’ve flown for
Saudia (B-707), and yes we lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for 14 very
interesting months. I flew for the State of Utah (Beech King Air and Baron).
In the airline career that mattered for retirement, I flew for Hughes Air
West (B-727), which was purchased by Republic Airlines in 1980 (DC-9), which
was purchased by Northwest Airlines in 1986 (DC-9, A-320, B-757). Whew! I
don’t think I could have endured another merger.
Reporting for a trip was never like going to work. It
was more like being released for recess. What a thrilling career! I was so
busy flying professionally, and having so much fun, that I never had an
interest in owning an aircraft.
In 2004, an Air Force friend introduced me to his
Mooney 231. The more I thought about aircraft ownership, the stronger my
desires for a Mooney grew. Finally, I had to have a Mooney and I found a
broker with a 1974 C Model in Los Lunas, NM. I didn’t want to stop the
shopping process, for fear that I might have overlooked an incredible offer,
so I looked around a bit more. However, one of 7132V’s charms was her Garmin
430, and no other aircraft could seem to match the M20C from Los Lunas. I
was smitten and, with Gerry’s permission, I proposed to 32V on bended knee;
making her our own in March, 2005.
 I soon learned that I didn’t own her. She owned me. She
had the original 1974 exterior and interior, and there was really nothing
wrong with the fabric, plastic, or the carpet. But I swear that I heard her
say, “Please upgrade my interior from burnt orange to cream leather seats,
with an articulating pilot seat, and give me a new head liner, and side
panels.”
Sure,
anything for my baby. I asked Manny, at Exclusive Aircraft Interiors, in Las
Cruces, NM, to make her look like a Lexus inside. Boy, did he deliver.
Those seats are so comfortable, that we have flown over four hours at a
time, and not noticed any back side fatigue.
She looked at me with those beautiful cylinders peeking
from her cowl intake, and asked if I could put her in a hangar. I agreed
with her, but finding a hangar close to home was a problem. Chandler (CHD),
about ten minutes from our home, had a waiting list with the most senior
hangar hopeful having signed up twelve years earlier. Glendale (GEU), 45
minutes away, was our only option.
 In
the next two years, old age caught up with her avionics. Her number two
radio, an old KX-170B, was unable to access some frequencies, so I installed
a TKM MX170C in its slot. Then, her ancient KT78 went to transponder heaven,
so we replaced it with a Garmin GTX-327.
I was spoiled by the airline’s autopilots, and I wanted
one in the Mooney. We removed the Brittain wing leveler, and installed
a S-TEC 30 autopilot with GPS Steering.
I retired from Northwest Airlines in November, 2005.
Now, with lots of extra time, this allowed us to travel more extensively.
In December, 2006, we found a private hanger for lease
at Chandler and moved 32V to a more accessible location. This allowed me to
visit her more often and caress her aging skin. (She wasn’t demanding, but
I wanted to keep her happy). However, it seemed that no matter how much
I waxed her, nothing seemed to help her aging paint.
 On
January 2nd, 2007, my wife Gerry, suggested, (after my many
subtle hints), that we should give her a new paint job. That was just the
signal I needed. In just half an hour, I had an appointment with Renue
Aircraft and on the morning of the 3rd, I was on my way to
Cleveland, Oklahoma, just North of Tulsa. I had some reservations. Would I
still love her, with a new look?
Three weeks later, I had my answer. There she was, with the new Ovation 2
paint scheme, and she looked more sleek and svelte than ever. Since then,
she’s had a LASAR cowl closure mod. I’m not sure that she’s much faster, but
she looks better. We installed a Garmin 496 for weather information, terrain
warning, SafeTaxi and XM Radio reception. I believe that 32V is better
equipped, and safer in some ways, than some of the airliners that I flew.
What a joy she is to fly. She’s reliable and when other pilots walk by,
she’s friendly and flirty, but extremely loyal. (I have never caught
her cheating with another pilot).
Gerry and I have been to lots of places with her;
places that would have been impossible to access in a car, or commercial
aviation in one day. She has us so spoiled, that the thought of driving
somewhere nearly sends us into catatonic shock.
Jim Price
Humanitarian and all-around Great Guy
Chandler, AZ 85286-6144
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