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Scott's Big Adventure - 16 July 01 - Can I get HBO on this flight information monitor..?

Scott Matthews

Captain Scott Matthews is California Wing's answer to Kevin Smith. His seminal works, the 1999 California Wing Encampment video and his more recent encampment commercials (click here and here) have been featured here on CadetStuff previously. This year, Scott has been tapped by National Headquarters to travel to each National Cadet Special Activity this summer and document the events for future advertising and promotional use. CadetStuff equipped Scott with a CadetStuff t-shirt (literally the 2nd t-shirt off the presses!) and asked him to send us updates as he journeys across the country. Each week, his travelogue will be serialized here in as many parts as is required.

07/16/01 - National Powered Flight Academy, Blackstone, VA

I'm writing from the computer in the facility used here at the Virginia based National Flight Academy. Due to another mixup in dates, I spent another night at the airport. I've decided that as interesting as they are, I don't want to do that anymore so I've made arrangements with a contact at national to get all the updated phone numbers before I to each one.

After I got through to the folks here, they promptly picked me up in a Cessna, and I was on my way to the middle of nowhere aka Blackstone, VA. CAP pretty much runs the show here in terms of the airport, providing tower staff even. The cadets that get to come are lucky, as the instructors are a lot of fun, and really geared towards getting the cadets to solo.

The footage I'm getting should turn out pretty nice, and will add a large portion of the lure of CAP to those interested in flying. This is definitely the place for that.

I will be here until Wednesday, and then I'm off to Oregon for the Glider version of the Flight Academy. From one end of the country to the other. That one will be my longest flight yet, and I've finished "Blackhawk Down" (graciously given to me by my partner Brian) after two flights, so now I've got to get another book to read. (I'm anxiously awaiting the film now!)

Gotta go, as Blackstone is so far out in the sticks that I can only access the pay-per-minute AOL 1-800 number.

Enjoy,

Scott

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