AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2021 - 57

removed my old fabric, fixed some of my
old bones, and gave me a new coat of paint.
After installing the new fabric, they applied
many coats of silver to protect my skin from
the intense UV rays in northern Minnesota.
Bob also decided this was an excellent
opportunity for some improvements. My
seats were redesigned, quick-release fasteners
were added to my cowl, and a new
fuel cap with an indicator replaced the
old cork. Now I could know for sure how
much fuel I had inside. Bob also put me on
a diet, and by the end of winter I weighed
only 650 pounds.
I was better than new. I felt good, light
as a feather, and ready to fly again. Today,
I am still wearing my 1973 fabric. Well,
most of it-I've had a few new patches
here and there.
In 1976 a new generation of Mohrs was
born. John got a baby! The newborn's name
was Ryan. Soon, he followed the family tradition.
John brought him back home, and I
took him flying with now proud " Grandpa "
Bob. Wow, I couldn't believe it. I was flying
the fourth generation of the family.
Years went by, and around 1986,
unexpected things started to happen. I
suspected something was not right the
day that my now old friend Cessna 180 left.
What was going on?
Bob was 63 years old and life around
the lake was changing. After so many years
working hard, he and Dorothy earned a
rest in warmer lands. But what would happen
to me?
Bob took me up for one last flight and
he told me, " Don't worry, you are part of
the family. John and Uncle Jimmy will take
care of you from now on. " That was our
last flight together after 40 years of sharing
countless adventures.
My new home was still in Minnesota,
close to a city called Princeton, and I was
back on wheels. For some reason, when I
was on the ground, I couldn't stop when I
wanted. Later I discovered that Bob had
removed my brakes as part of my diet. Well,
who needs them?
My new home was originally designed
for horses, and I barely fit. At least I had a
roof to protect me during the cold winters.
The runway was also cozy: 1,000 feet with
trees on both sides and power lines at the
end. I really needed to be careful on takeoffs,
especially on warm summer days.
Ryan grew up quickly and was definitely
a Mohr. He loved flying and was a
gifted pilot. With John's help, I gave him
his first hours, and again I took a Mohr up
alone for the first time in 1992.
After gaining some experience, Ryan
was flying everything he could get his hands
on, especially if it had a radial engine. He
was also a gifted mechanic. While in college,
he would escape every time he could to
visit me. Operating in summer from Uncle
Jimmy's tight runway allowed me to teach
Ryan how to get the best of my performance.
I forced him to learn how to squeeze all the
power from my old C-65 engine. Use ground
effect, stay on it until I had enough speed to
climb hard over the trees at the end of the
runway. Another lesson I taught him is that
I could land in much shorter distances than
I needed to take off. I was a great instructor.
During those visits, Ryan told me he
was something called a CFI. Thanks to
Brothers Bodey, Mavryk, and
Haak get to take turns squirming
in the same narrow, straightbacked
seat while flying over the
same Minnesota countryside
as their grandfather, great
grandfather, and great great
grandfather. The land looks
different in many places, but I'll
teach them the same stickand-rudder
skills that previous
generations learned. The Mohrs
have always kept me in top
mechanical shape-but they're
not much on creature comforts.
I'm as light and nimble as ever
with no battery, alternator, or
starter to weigh me down.
AOPA PILOT / August 2021
57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2021

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