Letters to the Editor
So what’s in the ol’ mailbag this month?
Appreciates Garrison Articles
Your November issue is great and I particularly enjoyed reading about Peter Garrison, both your reminiscences and his. I passed this on to a good friend that I knew would enjoy those articles, as he and his wife did a circumnavigation in a single engined Piper Comanche a couple of years ago.
Barry Payne and I joined the Air Force on the same course in 1963 and we have stayed loosely in touch over the years. We both joined in ground trades, he as an instrument tradesman while I was engines. He went off on a different career path and became an Iroquois pilot, continuing flying both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft throughout his working life.
He told me he was delighted with the Peter Garrison stories and in return sent me a link to an article he wrote on the trip he and Sandra did. They documented their ongoing adventure on a website, posting regularly, sometimes while in the air, and that was interesting to follow at the time. They have been pretty low key about their achievement, not seeking any media recognition, but I think it was a significant event and deserving of celebration. A circumnavigation by a couple in their seventies, flying a 57 year old aircraft that Barry maintains himself is quite a feat.
Barry mentioned that his recently-published article Around the World in ZK-BAZ would be of interest to you. You can find it in the most recent edition of New Zealand Sport Flying magazine. Certainly Peter Garrison faced different problems and Cliff Tait, who Barry mentions a lot in his article, was operating at a different level again. His was a truly epic journey.
Regards,
Rex Ashwell
Blenheim, New Zealand
It’s always a good day when I hear from you Rex and thank you very much for the complements! Barry’s article is well worth readers tracking down at the link above. For folks our age, Barry and Sandra’s example truly imbues us with the notion that the best years of our lives may yet still be ahead. For readers who may have missed them, the three Garrison-related articles can be found in our November issue.— Ed.
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