Airmail
There are many pleasant things connected with writing a small-town column. You have no prestige to lose, no high-powered reputation to live up to or down from. Just write what you feel and say what you think. Letters and notes from friends rank high on the list of things that make Sly Writing fun.

Here are several recent notes I am passing on to you because I appreciate them and because each has a little "newsiness" in it.

From Florida.
Dear Bill: Enjoy the Times down here and your Sky Writing news. Took my oldest boy, Frankie, to Miami last Saturday to the All-American Air maneuvers. A little more of a varied program than we see each year at the Cleveland Air Races, but lack the Thompson trophy race and others. They have the midget plane races, however. Had a poor crowd this year for some reason, lost $20,000. Lots of light planes flew in each day, passed over us on the beach.

Understand the Gulf tour was called off because of gas shortage. This probably hurt the crowd some. There were only 12,000 people there on Saturday.
See you back in Indiana, middle of February.
Charles L. Manwaring

It is swell to hear from Charley and the family in the southland. They must get back in February, of course, for the "early-order chicks" will be due about that time.

Bill Renshaw, the executive secretary of the middle west's great Flying Farmer group, drops us a note:

Dear Mr. Mollenhour: Enclosed is a copy of the resolutions adopted at the recent clinic of flying Farmers at Purdue. I thought you might be interested in having them for reference.

You will also note the announcement of the Flying Farmers' swimming part. Maybe you can drop in and visit with the fellows at the swim. Yours, Bill Renshaw.

Bill is aviation editor of Prairie Farmer and a real ball-of-fire when it comes to air-wise agricultural problems. Of course every member isn't a farmer, for I've been in good standing with the group for three years--even if I do get my milk from a bottle.

We'll take up, the good resolutions passed at Purdue in another column, but the swimming party Bill mentioned can't wait! this Sunday, January 25, all Flying Farmers have been invited to Bunker Hill for a swimming part. Full privileges of those 4,000-foot paved runways are theirs. The pool looks as big as Center lake, is heated, water, air and all. Bring your own suit or rent one from Joe Karston, who runs the place.

The pool opens at 10 o'clock Sunday morning, will be opened all day. The restaurant adjacent will also be dishing it out Sunday.

With my ribs and knees a-stick-in' out I'll be there, for I love to swim and hangar-fly. Should be quite a session. Bet ya' come Sunday, anybody can get in. Why don't you try it?

This one came all rolled up in a cardboard tube with the following postcard attached:
"A little bright spot we are glad to share with you, from a very interested reader of your very good column" --and inside the tube was a beautiful colored drawing of the new super-sonic Douglas D-538-2 Skyrocket.

Curiosity got the better of me and I did a little detective work to discover who sent it. I appreciate the grand picture. Mrs. Doc. I thank!

Then in this busy week came a letter from Howard Clark, the state aeronautic board member from Valpo, who with Mrs. Clark paid us a dandy visit by air last Sunday. You'll recall the episode of the airplane that wouldn't start and the rugs I was supposed to shampoo? Our friend "Clarkie" was afraid he had barged in on something.

I'll confess to exercising a certain amount of poetic license in that column. Mr. and Mrs. Clark and you have absolutely nothing to fear. Do come back!

And a squib from North Manchester informs us all that Harold Tyner soloed down there recently and Earl Lambert won his private wings.

Ruth Kain has become a regular air-commuter between here and Port-of-the-Woods airport at Turkey Run. Daughter Diane, now lives at Rockwell, Indiana, which is close by. Two lovely grandchildren help pull her down there too. What would normally be a two-day trip down and back, with very little time to visit, takes but a couple of hours by airplane both ways, leaving nearly all day for chit-chat.

Happy Landings, see you Monday after the swimming part Sunday.

Warsaw Daily Times Fri. Jan. 23, 1948