POTOMAC AIRFIELD from the desk of David Wartofsky
Bringing
Happiness Intrigue to people’s otherwise dull, miserable
lives
MANY HAVE BEEN ASKING People keep asking me why I have been silent for so long on this notorious newsletter. There are a few reasons: First, I’ve been accumulating fascinating, and often inadvertently amusing material faster than I have a chance to write about it. Second, there has been so much going on that I never seem to get the quiet time to sit down and just scribble.
For example, just take yesterday: I intentionally came into the office really early, kids still asleep, etc, just to have a chance for some peace and quiet to finally do some writing.
Not five minutes after I arrive I notice out the window that police cruisers are flowing across the fuel island, and that the airfield is otherwise surrounded by police with their weapons drawn, ducked down behind their police cars, scanning the perimeter.
‘What’s this?’ think I.
Just a few minutes later, more police arrive; marked and unmarked vehicles. ATF, FBI, then more SWAT teams.
Looks like it’s going to be just another typical day at Potomac Airfield
An officer tells me that a teenage girl apparently reported
what appeared to her to be a sniper entering the woods.
I think I’ll take the trash out LATER.
The Police refuse to authorize their tracking dogs to be released for fear they might bite someone, so instead, SWAT teams start combing the woods, weapons drawn, safety off; 20 paces apart: ‘Step, look left, look right, step, etc.’
That’s less hazardous than a dog?
Suddenly, as the SWAT teams come out of the woods in a solid line, the entire perimeter of the woods rustle as one. I’m reminded of that line in Macbeth, Act V, that goes something like:
“…Thou shalt rule Scotland until the woods of Birnam doth march to the castle at Dunsinane.”
Exactly where I fit in that plot I’m not sure, am I Macbeth, or Banquo’s ghost?
(It’s pretty scary when you stop to realize where my mind
goes, eh?)
To speed things along, and maybe get something actually useful done, I call a (classified) friend who ‘owns’ some really cool (classified) helicopters with all sorts of (classified) stuff that’s optimal for this kind of ‘operation.’
I’m informed that their assets were re-assigned out of the DC area last week.
Figures.
Then, about 20 minutes later a totally unmarked black
helicopter with all sorts of weird protrusions hovers
overhead.
Well, maybe not ALL of their assets.
A flight student in the lobby, (noticeably standing back away from the window), comments, “And I wanted to start flying for some excitement.”
A new girl in the pilot shop comments that it’s only her first week at Potomac.
I say to her, “Get used to it.”
Four hours later its nothing conclusive, likely a surveyor or county inspector being dropped off. Someone’s going to have one ‘helluva tale to tell their wife when they get home.
The ATF and SWAT teams pack up. The weird helicopter leaves the area.
As I said, just another typical day.
FUEL PRICES We’ve always tried to keep our prices relatively stable so that people know what to expect, but…
With oil prices jumping around the way they have been, and things as busy as they are, we are hereby formally adopting the most administratively lazy method we can think of to set the fuel prices for our fuel discount club:
OVER COST
To cover transaction
charges
Today that’s
$1.79/gal
Compliments to our ‘unique’ marketing agreements with ‘various security agencies,’ you’ve got to have a tie-down or hangar at Potomac to get that price.
You see, sometimes things really work out just fine!
ABOUT THOSE SCARY PROCEDURES With over 200 cleared pilots now at Potomac, including many primary students, it can’t be all that hard. In fact, once you know what you are doing it’s pretty darn simple.
And, where else can you brag that all of your flying friends are classified and cleared by the USSS?
I like the way the head of ops at DCA summarized what we do:
“You guys are basically using sophisticated air combat identification techniques with participating civilian aircraft.”
Put THAT in your logbook!
Enjoy,