Here’s the deal, and I'm not going to beat around the bush.  I got to fly back in a P-51 mustang…a P-51 mustang…that’s right you read it correct.  But that’s not all, even though it’s the best part.  Here’s the story.

Sir Chris Baranaskis met me at Brookhaven airport to leave our cars for when we come back. Our Taxi Driver Jimmy jr. was kind enough to drive to Islip airport to leave on a morning flight with southwest bound for Florida.

We eventually got there and a little bit early in fact. We decided that we felt like getting ripped off on some food so we went to the cafeteria area in the airport to buy some breakfast. I was excellent. Not the food but the way they charged us ten buck, for a couple of bagels and a drink. I love it!

After the food we made our way to lines A, B, and C. We were on Line B. For those of you who are not familiar with Southwest, you don’t get advanced seating you just get put into three groups depending on how early you checked in. And by the way. It was my 21st birthday party the night before so you can imagine what I must have looked like at 8 in the morning.

Anyway we get on the plane. For the first hour it was ok but then a series of events started to unfold that really started off the whole trip. I decided to take a nap and put on my I pod, and for some odd reason I felt like hearing the tunes of Mr. Dean Martin. “Go Dino!” So you know I’m laying back bobbing my heading to the music, and about 3 minutes later I see my partner in crime start looking back…. and then again…. and then once more. So I take off the I pod. “What’s going on”…As it turns out a flight attendant and passenger were close to fighting, pushing the limits of verbal abuse…very entertaining to say the least.

That’s the first thing that happened. A little later I had to use the bathroom, and made my way to the back of the plane. Whoever it was in there was past the legal time limits for #1, so considering the impact of #2 on a bathroom such as this in a confined space…I made my way to the other restroom in the front of the plane. Then I’m told I can’t use this bathroom? It went something like this…”You can’t use this bathroom” “Why not, you break it?” “No, because your sitting in the back of the plane” “Oh, so my ticket only pays for one bathroom?” Well that was the plane ride, and I never got to take care of business as they call it.

Getting off of the plane, I felt like I was in a Ferrari the way Chris and I were weaving around the people in the wheelchairs and walkers. We go to the rental car counter in the airport, and I find out that even though I am legal to drive I cannot rent a car from the lovely Melanie who helped us at enterprise.

We got the car, and while driving we must have been hit by at least a couple hundred kamikaze flies. Needless to say they did not stop us from going on our adventure. Arriving in Indiantown airport, which is a really long grass strip, we caught our first glimpse of Glamorous Gal, sitting there waiting for her boyfriend to rescue her. Nobody was around, so we decided to get a bite to eat at Burger King, just so we could have it our way. We had some chicken fries and some burgers, and I decided to be healthy and get a diet coke, but I think Chris went all the way with regular.

Getting back to the airport, Chris talks to the mechanic and we, well Chris taxis the plane over to where the fuel pumps are. I am getting all excited to go and I figure this should only take about 20 minutes or so as this guy comes over and starts to look at the plane. Here’s a taste of the dialogue that transpired...

Guy: "That's a nice looking aero-plane you got there" (real southern accent)
Chris: "Thanks"
Guy: "Is it yours?"
Chris: "No I fly for a museum"
Guy: "I got a plane if you want to go take some pictures of it"
Chris: "Nah were actually heading back to New York because that’s where we fly out of"
Guy: "Do you keep this in a hanger here?"
Chris: "No. We fly out of New York"
Jeff: "Can't you understand the words coming out of his mouth"

Ok, well I didn’t really say that, but I would have been funny. Cruising up the Florida coastline, it couldn’t have been a better day. I just think it’s great though because when you talk to the air traffic control and you’re in a mustang they will bow to you. I don’t know why they don’t do that when I’m in the Cessna. I don’t know. Maybe if I put 1600 horse power in it they’ll do the same.

So we fly up to…I don’t know…it doesn’t really matter but we land…and of course everyone was so kind…Back in the air after some fuel and Long Island is now in our sights. We turn base, go to through the gear down, and what do you know but the lights that prove it’s down don’t go on. Hmmmmmmmm...it was about that point in time where I smelt an odor coming from where I was sitting. Good thing Chris could not see my face, and was also wearing his oxygen mask. Thankfully the people at the Unicom were able to see that the gear was down, so we landed just as it turned into night. And that my friends, is the flight from Florida to Brookhaven in a P-51.