AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2021 - 59

I'm a workhorse, not a showhorse. If 25 rivets are good
enough to secure my eyebrow baffles, I'll take 100. And
don't even talk to me about carbon fiber. That's not my style.
that, he could teach other people to fly,
and he asked me, " Would you like to go
back to college with me and teach others
how to fly a tailwheel airplane? "
I was out of my mind. I never thought
I could be a college professor. I confess
I didn't know what I was signing up for.
These new students had never been in an
airplane like me. They were used to flying
modern ones with a wheel in the nose
that I heard were so easy to control on
the ground.
For me, flying is all about emotions
and feelings, not about numbers and manuals.
You need to feel me, and I will force
you to do that, especially on the ground.
If you don't feel me, I am going to scare
you. In a blink of an eye, I will make you
go right, then left, and then right again.
The only problem with my teaching technique
is that I would scare myself too.
And remember, I don't have any brakes.
But Ryan was there for me every
time, keeping me safe. Together we were
a great team, and we succeeded in teaching
25 new pilots the fine art of Cub flying.
Life was slow for me now. As Ryan
grew up, he was flying all kinds of cool
airplanes with big radial engines. Howard
500s, Albatrosses, Stearmans, and even
those big jets that can carry many passengers
in the back. Occasionally, I would
still fly with him, Jimmy, or John, but
mostly I was alone in my hangar.
One day in 2005, when Ryan was flying
for the airlines, he showed up with
this beautiful lady, gorgeous, with long
red hair. She was also a pilot. This was
their first date.
We went up, and she took the controls.
She knew what she was doing. With
the door open, her long red hair was flying
all over the place. Ryan removed one
of those Velcro straps used to hold the
push-to-talk switch and wrapped her
hair to keep it from blowing in her face.
She smiled at the gentlemanly act.
After a perfect landing, this was a
done deal. She was in love with me and
would do whatever was needed to stay
close. One year later, she married Ryan.
On a slow day in 2013 I was missing
the good old days of flying all day with
Bob, when the hangar doors opened,
and there was Ryan. I was so happy that
I wanted to wiggle my tail. He pushed
me out, did a quick preflight, and told
me he had a surprise for me-but first,
we needed to fly to another airport.
The flight was short; we landed in an
airport called Princeton. We stopped at
the apron where the beautiful redhead
lady and two little kids were waiting.
They looked very much like her. New
Mohrs?
Yes! These were Ryan's and Tory's
kids. My fifth generation of Mohrs.
Ryan seated Bodey and Mavryk in my
rear seat, one next to the other. It was a
beautiful day with blue skies and a few
clouds. We flew low and slow, enjoying
the smell of the grass. Bodey and Mav
could barely reach over the windows.
They couldn't stop giggling and were
constantly waving to the cows. After a
short flight, Ryan flew back to the airport
and made a perfect landing in the
grass. It was nice to see that he didn't forget
my lessons.
After a long, successful career, John
retired from the airlines. He built a
giant hangar at New Richmond airport
in Wisconsin and took me with him.
Suddenly, I was not alone anymore! Next
to me in the hangar was John's famous
Stearman. Also, there was a rare airplane,
a seaplane with the engines installed in
the wrong direction. He spoke with a
weird accent, his name was Piaggio Royal
Gull, and he was from Italy.
September of 2020, that little one
climbing through my door was Ryan's
youngest son, Haak. Ryan was going to
fly with me with Haak seated in the front.
John was ready to hand prop my engine
like in the old times. Even when they were
not with us anymore, I could feel Fred and
Bob were also going to fly with me today.
Even after 74 years with my old fabric,
my patches, and extra rivets in my cowl,
I was still able to do what I was born for.
Share, and teach the magic of flying to the
next generation of Mohrs. I can't wait for
the following years full of adventures with
this new generation. John, mags are on.
Swing that prop! Leonardo Correa-Luna
is an airline pilot, photographer, and owner
of a Cessna 170B.
AOPA PILOT / August 2021
59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2021

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