EAA

AirVenture Volunteers: One Lady’s Story

Publisher Note: One of the best parts about Jetwhine is that Scott and I often receive stories from readers out of the blue. While we can’t use them all, there are some that simply jump to the top of the pile as soon as we finish reading them.

This story, sent in last July by Marah Carney from Emporia KS, really caught my eye because it reminded me so much of the days when I too volunteered on the EAA flight line. Perhaps because I was celebrating an anniversary this year of my first volunteer days with orange paddles directing airplanes, or maybe it was just the sense of fun and energy about flying that I picked up on in Marah’s story. Really doesn’t matter I guess. The point is that there are still quite a few young people with a keen interest in aviation, keen enough to stand around in the hot Wisconsin sun as they help the airplanes park at AirVenture.

And yes, I did manage to meet Marah and her dad Bob at this year’s AirVenture, but it didn’t take much cajoling to get them to don those snappy Jetwhine buttons. 

Let me introduce you to Marah Carney, a student pilot and a Senior Member Captain in the Civil Air Patrol.

Rob

_________

Marshaling My Father

Ever since I was an AirVenture newcomer, I wanted to volunteer at the largest air show in the world. Nine years later in 2010, I finally had the opportunity. In the past, I would attend Oshkosh with my family. I have experienced the AirVenture culture by staying at Sleepy Hollow campground, boarding in a dorm room at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and from underneath the wing of our family’s aircraft on the North Forty. Then in 2010 I got to experience Oshkosh with the Civil Air Patrol at National Blue Beret. I worked hard to get slotted for National Blue Beret—many hours of training have finally paid off.

This year, I had the unique opportunity to marshal my father and grandfather into general aircraft camping (GAC). They took off in a Cessna 172 from small town Kansas headed for Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Our CAP’s Juliet Flight was tasked, Thursday morning, for Flight Line North. After a night’s stay in Portage, Wisconsin, my father and grandfather landed on runway 27 shortly after 0800. They pulled off onto the paved taxiway and began their trek to GAC.

As a flight commander, my duty was to walk the flight line to check on the flight members and assist where needed. Because of a great distance between two marshalers, I was helping direct the ground traffic. Many Cessnas had landed about the same time, and all were in search of a camping spot. With the sun behind this particular Cessna, I could not tell the color or the tail number until it was almost past me. However, according a fellow fight member, I looked like a kid waving at my family after recognizing the tail number. Many hours of training had finally paid off.

It was a great privilege to marshal my father – then a fellow CAP member – and my hero at AirVenture 2010.

Marah Carney