Punched in the Face

Mike Tyson once said, "Everybody's got a plan till you get punched in the face".

I think this quote probably best describes our day here at AufderHeide Flying Service... We started this sunny day raring to go! It was calm. It was clear. It was starting to dry up. Perfect day for flying.... However, at the end of Matthew's third load around Lodges Corner he clipped a powerline running to a well in the middle of a rice field... (Minor incident) He was ok and made it back to the airport safe and sound without any major damage.

However, the plane received minor damage. The powerline took a small piece off of the top rudder and it hit the prop. Now I know very little about props and powerlines but apparently it's not a good combination. While things appeared to be ok on the outside, after talking to our mechanic, we decided we'd rather be safe than sorry. We have now pulled the prop and the engine and are sending both to the proper mechanics to get checked out. This was slightly beyond my airport mechanic'in skills...

In the meantime, our great friend, Brandon Everette has come from across the river to help us out for the next few days. He is a fabulous, experienced pilot that has helped us out a few times before. We are very thankful to have his friendship!

Mom's currently on her way to Mountain View to have to prop inspected and our trusty mechanic Robert has delivered our engine to Marianna. If all goes well he should be up and running again Monday afternoon... This is just another reminder that everyday and every load is dangerous as a crop duster. And while it stinks that we are currently grounded, I'm very thankful that it was a minor incident and that Matthew's is safe and sound.

... By the way... Who knew Mike Tyson had so much wisdom???

Rather be Fishin'

This picture is really just a shameless plug to brag on myself and how I caught a bigger fish than Matthew! Look at that Whopper!

Gorgeous Arkansas County skyline

So I let the boys off (for now) while I sit in the office on this beautiful, blustery day! Matthew went home to take a little nap and Shawn started talking about plans to go fishing! Man, how awesome does that sound on a sunny Saturday afternoon? (Well, minus the 25 mph winds)

Although I don't think I'll make it to any muddy waters today, I thought I would brag about myself for just a second and explain my profile picture. (Matthew will roll his eyes as soon as he reads this) See that monstrous catfish up there?... Yeah, I caught that... all by myself! Last fall Matthew, Brent (Matthew's pal), and I went down to the White River (right where it meets the Mississippi) to go Catfishing. Or catfish fishing, since we aren't exactly fishing for cats.... I think Matthew caught 1, Brent caught 2, and I caught 3, including this big ol' beauty!!! It took my entire body strength and maybe a little help from the boys but we got her in the boat and I was grinning ear to ear!

Since this momentous occasion occurred, I've got my sister and every male member in my family a coffee mug with that picture and the phrase "Get 'er Done" on it. :) Matthew told me yesterday he couldn't find his... Maybe I should go ahead and order him three more so he won't have trouble finding them ever again! Muahahahaha!

Thar She Blows....

Ugh. Wind. I hate wind. Or at least today I do... See that windsock sticking straight out? According to my weather channel.com app the wind is currently blowing 22 miles per hour. Gale force winds! Nobody's flying nothing on a day like today. (Yes, mother, I know that is not a proper sentence.) So here we are, pacing back and forth, twiddling our thumbs, with a stack of work piling up on my desk....

And so we tinker... In the picture above Shawn, Matthew, & G.W. (more on G.W. later) are tinkering on a small engine they use for a pump on The Hybrid... At least I think that's what it is. Any who, the wind sucks and its beginning to look like we're working all day tomorrow and maybe a little Easter morning! (If the wind ever dies down) WoooHooo, life of a crop duster!

The Troops!

Well... Here we are, in all our glory! Shawn, me (with Turbo), & Matthew. Actually this is a terrible picture. It was taken yesterday by Heath "Cupcake" Baker on a rainy afternoon after we had been working all morning. After four different pictures and Cupcake never figuring out how to not take a blurry picture, I figured I'd let the boys out of there misery and just go with this.

Yes, the boys usually are this dirty looking and no, I usually don't wear make-up to work. My work schedule (which involves waking up at 5am) usually isn't condusive for getting beautiful in the the morning.... Also, Yes, that is an old, giant map of Arkansas County on the wall in my office but, unfortunately, no you may not have it! (Yes, I know you are jealous)

Confucius once said, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life". Well, after working long, hot summers; getting to work at 5:00-5:30 and sometimes not leaving until 9pm, I can assure you it definitely feels like hard work. However, I think I can speak for all three of us when we say I love this job and I love this work. We get to watch the beautful sunsets and sunrises, we get to work with other great, hard working people, we get to watch one of the most dangerous jobs in the world performed with elegance (for Matthew, he actually gets to experience it first hand!), we laugh several times a day, we see the results of our labor, and we have a good time doing it all!

A Special "Air" About Them

My sweet boyfriend took this picture last night in the bathroom of Drake Field in Fayetteville. And how very true it is... Matthew definitely has an, um, "special air" about him!

Sometimes Matthew is full of a lot of hot air, like when we are in a brother-sister argument and he starts making up the wild lies just so he can win. Or like the time we were little and he told me we were going to playing Hide & Seek and the closet was the very best place to hide... Yeah, he just ended up locking me in the closet.

Sometimes he is full of sweet air, like this morning he called and told me sleep in because it was raining. Or when he lets me off on Saturdays so I can go to the horse races. He also always makes the coffee in the morning, which is definitely a plus! (The coffee at AufderHeide Flying Service is a very interesting story, which I'll have to expound upon later)

There is the stinky air... And believe me, there is a lot of stinky working around an airport full of fuel, fertilizer, chemicals, two boys, and three stinky muddy dogs. Sometimes Matthew comes in smelling like the pungent smell of concentrated toxic chemicals. (little overwhelming) Then he may have spilled a little fuel on his shoes, so he comes tromping through the office spreading that aroma everywhere. (I can't lie though... I actually kinda like the smell of airplane fuel) Sometimes he smells like a grease monkey. (And he looks like one too) Ok, I apologize for the corning remark. Lastly there is the boys bathroom... I spare you that description, just know that I rarely go in there without gloves!

Lastly there is my favorite "air" about him that my brother gets... "The Country Boi Air"... Obviously we all have southern accents but my dear brother recently developed a super country accent on a few occasions and it is hilarious. The Country Boi voice usually comes out when he is talking to my grandpa, older farmers, or when he gets really excited. I would compare it to a cross between Boss Hogg and Uncle Jesse on the Dukes of Hazard, sometimes fast, sometime slow, but always REALLY Twangy. I can't really do it justice in type, but here goes: "Yessir, oh yeah boi, you know back up in 'er, woooo boi, ain't dat sumthin, shoot boi you ain't kiddin'" Hahaha It. Is. Awesome!

(Full disclosure: I completely realize my accent is worse than my brothers and it too gets worse when talking to my papa, most all farmers, and after I've had a drink or two. )

AufderHeide Flying Service & the New Blog!

AufderHeide Flying Service was started over 50 years ago by my wonderful Papa, Cal AufderHeide. My sweet daddy, Mark, who recently passed away from cancer, also joined the family biz right out of college in the 70's and flew all the way up until last fall. He was the best crop-duster around and we sure do miss him, but more on that later...

My daddy and momma Margo had three children: Matthew, me, and Alexis. Matthew and I were encouraged/lovingly forced to work at the flying in our early teens on up. Alexis, fortunately for her, is a genius and gets to spend her summers sleeping in and reading. She is currently a freshman on scholarship at UofA... Any who, after a somewhat lengthy stint in college, Matthew also returned to the biz with his sights sets on crop-dusting. He went to commercial pilot school in Louisiana, passed all his test and a few summers ago began flying.

I didn't exactly follow in my brother's footsteps. After graduating with a degree in Public Relations and a minor Ag Business, I was blessed to get a job working for Congressman Marion Berry as a Community Development Liaison. I really believe I had one of the best jobs ever. I had an amazing boss who truly cared about his staff and constituents and coworkers that were supportive, encouraging, and extremely funny! Unfortunately for me and the entire First Congressional District of Arkansas, my boss decided to retire and on January 3rd of 2011 I was unemployed. I'm currently looking for a job in Little Rock and for the time being I'm living in DeWitt during the week and running the flying service!

I'm starting this blog (with Matthew's encouragement) for several reasons a)Help me brush up on my writing skills, which have become somewhat lax b)Document all the amazing/entertaining/interesting things that go on daily at AufderHeide Flying Service c)Allow others (very few others, I'm sure) to enjoy our pictures and stories and to get a better feel about daily life at an airport! Hope you enjoy!

(P.S. Just for full disclosure, I'm sure there will be many misspellings, typos, etc... I apologize in advance)