rcwelch

As many of you know, my daughter’s dream since she was very young was to become a pilot. She received her PPL while in high school, applied for and received an Air Force ROTC scholarship to Purdue and graduated with a pilot’s slot. She then went thru the US Air Force Pilot Training program and earned her coveted “Silver Wings” and became a KC-10 pilot.

The ultimate and final step in the process is to become the “Aircraft Commander”… to fly from the left seat and be the “Boss”. Well, as a proud dad, I can say that day just happened on Feb. 27th. I wanted to give my daughter something to celebrate this achievement, something unique…not just the “pilots watch” that seemed to be in vogue.

Being a member of the 993 community on RL for a long time, I've had the pleasure of meeting many great people. One of those is Andreas (AOW162435) who many of you (if not all) know is the guy that mounts our 993 clocks in beautifully-designed hand built cases that he specializes in. Seeing pictures of these creations prompted me to think of doing the same thing with a gauge from the KC-10 and a plaque commemorating this special achievement.

With the help of some wonderful people at Boeing (remember, I live in Seattle), I was able to obtain an actual flight instrument from the front panel of the KC-10. I then called Andreas and for the next 14 months we (mostly him) worked on this very unique gift for my daughter. Andreas made sure that it got to her just before her last deployment 2 weeks ago and she called me as she opened the package. She was speechless for a moment and then there was not a dry eye in the house… for a proud father, there is nothing better than to have the perfect gift for such an occasion. Thank you Andreas for all of your help…the 993 community is alive and well!


Below is a picture history of what we did and the final creation, hope you enjoy.























































My daughter coming up on another KC-10 to off load their fuel before they return… taken by one of her friends in the returning KC-10:




She took this looking out of the back end as they were refueling one of our NATO allies:




My daughter as copilot (right seat) in her office with one of her good friends as the pilot (AC):




Doing a walk around… gives you a little scale:

AOW162435

Randy,
I was a pleasure working with you on this over the last year, and I feel honored that you chose me for this special occasion. I wish timing on my end would have allowed an in-person delivery.

I'll always remember the special send-off that you and a few other Seattle-area Rennlisters gave me when I purchased my relic on September 12, 2005.



Andreas

C2Cab95

What an awesome, and special gift for your daughter. There couldn't be a more appropriate way to show your pride in her accomplishments.

Please forward my personal "THANK YOU" for her service.

I'm always impressed with the work that Andreas does.

serval

I enjoy cars, motorcycles and belong to the appropriate forums, but rennlist sets itself apart. It is almost like the purity of design afforded Porsche cars has brought together the right group of people. I have never met any of the members,but I feel I know a lot of you, and this camaraderie permeates everything.

What a great story Randy, you must be so proud. My daughter is nine and wants to be a Formula 1 driver. With a bit of luck, in ten years time I may reach out to Andreas for a special clock as well.

goofballdeluxe

Wow, that's an amazing gift; your daughter is indeed lucky to have such a terrific and thoughtful Dad.

And I suppose some praise is due to Andreas as well. He's not only a funny ****, I must grudgingly admit he's also talented. I hope this fine piece of craftsmanship finally sways the parole board to review his term; he's come along way from stamping license plates and short-sheeting in D Block.

Thanks for sharing a great story, and an incredible gift.

Cemoto

What a nice piece!

Congrats to both of you...

"Man's flight through life is sustained by the power of his knowledge"

Vorsicht

What a beautiful story. You must have been doing something right when you raised her.

Good job Andreas!

pstraub

Great story, congratulations! Getting her Private license in high school is awesome, it's such a productive way to use the free time that sidetracks so many HS age kids. I was a Flight Instructor back in the '80s and over the years, I was lucky enough to have a couple high school age girls as students (no jokes please, this is a really nice thread). Anyway, they were both very natural pilots but they struggled a little with navigation, weight & balance, etc (oh man, opened the door for more jokes, don't go there). They overcame those challenges and more than made up for them with natural flying skills, both received their Private license. It's funny because boys about the same age and young men 'assumed' they would just be good pilots (most of them weren't) and they didn't really start improving until they were able to put their ego aside. The girls never had that obstacle. Congrats again, you should be very proud

curve lover

Congrats to Proud Papa, Capt Welch, & Andreas -- well done, all

Female flyers are my favorite airmen!
A friend after a flight:


^^ From the US Air Force's official web site, AF.mil ^^

Mike J

Randy, that is great news, what a wonderful story and what a great gift! Very nice work Andreas (as usual) - I do some woodworking as well, and your attention to detail and skill is fantastic.

Always liked the look of mechanical aviation displays, maybe that is why I like the simplicity of the 993 dashboard... :-)

Cheers,

Mike

Pags993

Just awesome! Amazing attention to detail.

pmalenfa

This is a great story Randy. I just try to imagine what she's thinking after a while. This gift is unique and demonstrate how proud you are of her accomplishment. She surely feel priviledged.

Take care!

Pierre

WBYonder

Randy,

That is awesome. Congratulations to you both and thank your daughter for her service. Flying tankers, she must be TDY to her base and PCS to the world, as we used to say when I was in the AF (2000+ hours flying in E-3s as a scope dope).

If you're coming over for 993Fest I look forward to meeting you.

rcwelch

Thank you all for the kind words and wishes...she has worked very hard to get where she is and this was just a great way to tell her that that effort was well worth it

nile13

Randy, this is cool beyond words. Love both the idea and the execution by Andreas.