1943 Boeing Stearman

Got an extra $90 Gs burning a hole in your pocket? You could buy this little cutie. I'd love to get a ride in one someday. I've never been in a biplane but I was at a airshow once in North Adams, MA where they had about six of them doing a little demo at the end of the day.

A most astonishing event. They let us sit practically on the runway while they were doing touch and go's for about half an hour before somebody finally came and kicked us off.

The guy said "Sorry but you're making the pilots nervous."

I had to laugh. "I can't believe how long it took you to kick us off the field," I said.

Looking back, it was kind of crazy for us to sit out there and for them to let us do it. Lucky for everybody the pilots were such old-timers.

When the demo was over the planes just sort of pulled over to edge of the greenway. I went and apologized to each one of them, rattling on at great length how I got carried away because I love flying so much and I how much I loved bi-planes, hinting broadly that I would really love a quick flight.

None of them offered. Maybe because my then husband, was glowering behind me. God was he a jealous man. Not of the pilots, who were older than my father, but of the idea that I might get a ride and he wouldn't.