Looking for James Bond.
Looking for James Bond. In June of 2012 I had just completed the last task in building my amphibious airplane by adjusting some propeller settings. I walked out to the tarmac, gazed around the Sarasota airport for people and planes, but I saw none. The sun was glowing yellow-red low on the horizon and it occurred to me that my turbine powered amphicious airplane, christened N71RJ, was a perfect match for James Bond, but where was he?
Perhaps Mr. James Bond was too busy fighting SPECTRE , terrorists, neutralizing bad guys or charming beautiful ladies to think about his next and greatest and very secret toy. To protect the Free World, Mi5, James Bond and I would have to keep N71RJ top secret for future missions. So there I stood and day after day I waited – still no James Bond! Since he didn’t show up I concluded “I’m your man!” I’ll fly my turbine-powered airplane to Boston and wait for James Bond to show himself there.
You Only Live Twice!
Once without and once with an airplane; without an airplane life is routine and mostly dull. I used to work forty hours a week, commute five, attend meetings another four and try to squeeze in eight hours of sleep too. It never really adds up right and compromise becomes the norm. Each week seems like a repeat of the last: same people, same problems and same arguments. However, flying N71RJ, I forgot all that. I’m in the moment sometimes weaving around clouds, sometimes flying over mountain tops, and other times following great rivers and each of them taking my breath away while enjoying it immensely. Thanks to an AWOL James Bond, my second life is surely sweet.
It’s like adolescence for my Seawind amphibian; still growing, active and taking to the sky like a lark. And lark-like N71RJ will migrate to a warmer clime soon where there is no snow – just warm breezes kissing golden sand beaches. Here beautiful women – and spies flock to soak in the sun. Moreover, I think Mr. James Bond is more likely to spot my dream airplane and its amazing turbine power here. It’s the one amphibious airplane most fit for his next secret mission and his smart watch.
Imagine for a moment,
James Bond dropped in the sea as shark bait by SPECTRE. To save himself and the Free World, he triggers a rescue beacon hidden in his swatch. N71RJ, my Super Seawind while circling from afar picks the satellite signal, homes in on his location, turns and soon remotely lands near him. Bond climbs aboard and is soon flying under the sun and onto another spy mission – this time with N71RJ and SPECTRE defeated again. Next month from Florida shores I’ll again look out toward the setting sun for James Bond, Secret Agent man, to tell him his plane is still waiting, but this time for once, if he gets the plane, I get the girl. When you have a Seawind amphibian, you truly do live twice: one with and one without the Earth’s surely bond, James Bond.
Waiting for Mr. James Bond to claim N71RJ, Super Seawind .
