In one of my previous stories I told about flying Tom Mahoney’s wing across the north Atlantic. Well, about ten years ago not long after Geneva and I got married Nelly’s favorite aunt that lived in Liesse a few miles east of Laon died and both my children asked if I would go to represent the family. So after packing a bag, I was off to the jetport, with my Delta travel card in hand I got to the ticket counter and asked for non revenue travel to Paris. They tried really hard but every seat was over booked by 20% for the next two weeks. They said even if I bought a first class ticket I would not be guaranteed a seat.

So I asked what can I do? One of the supervisors that had been listening in walked me over to the window and pointed at the CargoLux Terminal across the east runway and said maybe they can help.

Atlas Airlines flys a 747 freighter to Huntsville from Luxembourg every day and then it goes on to Mexico city and another city in Mexico, then stopping in Miami and returing to Huntsville, to reload for Luxemourg. Daily departures to Luxembourg can range anywhere from 5:30 PM to much later depending on the complexity of the loading. The long wing spars for the various Airbus models are made at Alcoa, Tennessee and shipped to assembly plants in Ireland and Scotland and can be a bit of a problem to load, but they have got it down now so its not much of a problem any more. It took a little less than three hours to unload the airplane and then reload it even with the pair of long wing spars above all the other pallets of cargo.

Atlas Airlines wanted a recommendation and I said I know one of your pilots, Don Langford, they called him, he was off some where else in the world but vouched for me and then asked to talk to me. He asked if I could wait till Thursday I said yes the furneral is not till Sunday he said OK I am getting in on Wendsday and then I have a week of flying between Huntsville and Luxembourg so you can just ride with me, what a stroke of luck. I was to be a courier of a package to the agent in Luxembourg, the box was small and it may have been empty but I did not care it was my ticket to Europe and I had time to make it to the funeral.

Geneva and I got to the CargoLux terminal early, they asked if we would like a tour of the facility. Wow were we impressed. Exact copies of the cargo decks of the various cargo planes were painted on the floor. Things to be off loaded first were near the cargo doors other things to be off loaded at the final destination were near the middle. Yeah, we were impressed that some people know how to run a business. Who would have thought there was enough commerce between Europe and Mexico to require a daily flight delivering almost 200 tons of cargo every day and about the same tonnage back to Europe.

They brought me my package as we were getting ready to depart and I signed a receipt for it. We departed shortly after dark. The great circle route took us up to the great lakes between Cleveland and Buffalo, NY and then on out the St Lautrence river toward Greenland, Iceland and Dubland where we droped off the Air bus wing and tail spars, there may have been some landing gear forgings in the stuff we off loaded there. We got to Luxembourg about 10 AM and I had plenty of time to make the train to Paris and Laon. I walked to the Lelew VW dealership and said Gerrard, can you loan me a car or do I have to rent one. It had advertizinging on both sides an and the hood but it was free, thanks Gerrard.

One of my kids had called her so Mama was not suprised when I showed up. She had also called the rest of the family so they started showing up. After a couple of bottles of chanpaign she served a rabbit, she knew that was one of my favorite entrees. Of course Jackie the family sommelier served three kinds of wine with dinner so there was plenty of laughter and gaiety. My French, long disused, came back a bit befor the night was over but with a full tummy and more wine than usual I excused myself and laid down on the couch and was gone until late the next morning. Lunch was French onion soup gosh I love fresh French bread and those soft cheeses.

I took Mama to the cemitary and then visited a couple of her younger brothers that were still alive at the time. Saturday was much the same exept we drove out to the base to see what had changed. I did not try to go in, but saw enough when the guard house on the road to Couvron was over grown with ivy and weeds. We went on to visit other family and friends Mama showing off her long lost son-in-law. Supper Friday was at Nelly’s youngest sisters place and Saturday at her next younger brothers too much wine at both but I got Mama home safely from both. Sunday we attended the Funeral and after went to the morning family’s for snacks and refreshments, you know more champaign and horses overies , it was more like a wake than a funeral gathering. Oh well every one had fun.

Monday morning I decided to head back to Luxembourg, I bid farwell to everyone, took the car back to Gerrard and walked the two blocks to the Gare, I chose to go to Luxembourg on the northern route through the Ardens where all that tough fighting had gone on during both world wars. I had a short lay over in Sedan on the Belgium boarder, I walked around a bit had a beer and a sandwich, yes there were still the scars of wars every where you looked, it was not a thriving town anymore and I suspect they just did not have enough money to make repairs. I got back to the CargoLux crew hotel before supper time and I had two martinies something I had missed while in Laon.

The next morning Don Langford called and said “lets go flying”, no he didn’t mean in a 747, he wanted to go fly gliders at the glider port where Robin had first soloed many years before. So after a quick breakfast we took the train to Thionville, France and then walked to the glider port at Yutz. We poked around a while but soon found an English speeking instructor that was eager to fly. We both checked out in a Grob two seater and used the house thermal at the atomic power plant just north of the airfield. It is really nice having a built in elevator to take you back up to the cloud base any time you need it. When Robin soloed there, the power plant did not exist but he still was able to stay up about an hour on his first solo and about two hours on each of his next two flights.

Don eventually got an Icao license ( International Civil Aeronautics Org.) that allowed him to carry passengers in the gliders at Yutz and he went back when ever he had a lay over in Luxembourg. I got a report on every one of his visits there. I felt good for having introduced him to glider flying in France. Don went on a quick trip to the middle east and I just hung around Luxembourg. I took the city tour, really fasinating, their history goes way way back and there are vestages of all the times Luxembourg has endoured. Don got back wendsday evening, I ate with the same crew I had flown to Luxembourg with and we had a good meal I insisted to pay for it because I wanted to thank them for getting me to the funeral on time. The next morning we caught the crew bus to the Cargo Lux terminal, no I didn’t have a package this time but since they had sent me over they would bring me back.

The trip back was all in day light, and I was glued to the copilots window as we flew the almost exact route Tom Mahoney,Carl Lafoon and I had flown so many years before. From some forty thousand feet plus I looked down on the airport we landed at in Iceland, memories of that beauty I met there came back, a while later Greenland came into view yeah, Prince Christian was still there the ice cap was as beautiful as ever and there was Bluie West one where we took off up hill. Then on into the mouth of the St Laurance river and finally to Huntsville. Yes a trip to remember. I bought drinks for the crew as thanks for a great trip. Geneva came to pick me up and we went home but I was so wound up about what I had seen and learned on that trip that she went to sleep while I droned on about the the great adventure.

Over the week end I called son Robin and said in your life time we will have cargo planes flying themselves all over the world. The 747-400 could once the throttles were advanced fly the rest of the mission, land at the destination airport and stop on the center line 700 ft from the end of the runway. That was about ten years ago so I know that technology has improved since then. So I am very happy that I was a pilot when pilots were important…. Bob