I can't say how long he kept it, but I seem to recall his fascination was soon overcome by the OLDs diesel lack of performance. My six-cylinder Maverick would have made it a race.
That man WAS an old, bold pilot as the saying would have us believe doesn't exist ("There are bold pilots and there are old pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots"). His son, a friend, was up on their property near Denison, TX operating a bush hog from an old tractor. His old man -- American Airlines kept him relegated, happily, to freighters because of his antics -- dropped the old 707 he was driving in a gentle powered-back stall over the OMNI Beacon near to their land while inbound to D/FW (and off of radar coverage); and then he nailed the throttles to the firewall, clouds of black smoke pouring out. Why? Because
A] he knew that Steve was out there, and;
B] he knew it would scare the s*&^% out, and;
C] That was nothing compared to what HIS old man might pull.
If you never had the chance to hear a 1960's ramjet-spec BOEING 707 down close (even with the so-called hush kit) then consider that people I've met who've witnessed a SATURN V takeoff considered it introductory to that experience.
Loud doesn't cut it.
Steve said he was sure then of his old Arkansas grandmothers stories about the end times a'comin'.
[ October 04, 2005, 09:56 PM: Message edited by: TheTanSedan ]