Living the Dream or Somthing Like That.......

So for those of you not familiar with the phrase "Living the Dream" it usually means that the pilot saying it really means......

1) I hate my schedule.
2) I am never home
3) The guy handing me my taco at the airport makes more than me.
4) Any combination of the above, plus whatever is wrong at the time.

Pretty much it means that they are trying to put some kind of positive spin on something that stinks....John will occasionally say "Living the Dream." He will say this perhaps when he's been ground stopped by crappy weather and will miss his connect home. Now occasionally pilots will say this and genuinely mean it, good for them, were not at that point yet.....




But the saying "Living the Dream" got me thinking about my dream, as far as airplanes go. I have to admit I LOVE this airplane, and her name is great too "Hemispher Dancer" how cool!! As you see from the picture it appears that Jimmy Buffet owns the plane (which he does, please don't come after me unless you want to give her to me) but I LOVE this plane, and would happily take her home, if I had millions, and millions of dollars.



Here is a little info about her. What it doesn't say is that she is an amphib (amphibian) as you can see from the next picture where her front landing gear come down. This means she can land on land = hence the wheels. But if you look at her she looks like a boat in the front, because she can land on water too. (And by land in water I don't mean those stupid looking float things, sorry anyone who likes them). Also note the engines are high so when she does land in water they aren't compromised.



If someone would have asked me 6-7 years or so ago (can it really be that long!?) what kind of plane this was my answer would have been "One that flies." Or if I saw her sitting in water perhaps the answer would have been "One that floats." And while I have learned a lot about airplanes being a pilots wife, I truly can't tell an Airbus from a Boeing until I get inside. (I can however tell you the differences in the way they fly). But this bird I LOVE her. I think it is the coolest thing ever to be able to take off from say Orlando, and land in the water at Key West and "taxi" her up to the dock!


She now sits as part of the Margaritaville in Orlando at Universals City Walk. I believe a cracked/broken wing spar? was her demise, apparently it can't be fixed. But the good news is I actually got to see her!! John actually lured me to Oshkosh (big general aviation show) by saying that "The Hemisphere Dancer will be there." He also told me Harrison Ford would be there...apparently he went the year after we did.


This is just a catch all picture of the City Walk at Universal.



So even though she will never fly again, you can always go see her and eat under the wing!!