Last Bax Seat

My Flying subscription ran out years ago for all the usual reasons. As
I watched the subscription offers that littered my mailbox drop from
$20, then to $15, and finally $10 a year, I just couldn't stand it
anymore. I had to give Flying another try. I mean, for $10, how could
I lose?

My subscription started (or shall I say, restarted) two months ago, and
while I found most of the magazine about what I'd come to expect from
Flying in recent years (which is to say, mostly a commercial endeavor
with little heart and soul save for Lane), this month's copy was a
pleasant surprise for one reason: they published a very special Bax column.

When I first pulled the magazine from the mailbox and saw the words "The
Last Bax Seat" on the cover, I sadly figured Dick and Mac decided to
cash in on our hero's recent passing and republish his last column
(which I never did get a chance to read). Imagine my surprise, however,
when I fanned through it to find that the article they chose to run was
actually an unpublished work he wrote many years ago while still
answering to the Flying editors. They chose not to publish it because
they thought it was the best obituary he could write for himself.

And they weren't kidding. I have to say that this article is perhaps
the most moving of all of Bax's columns I recall. I laughed out loud at
several of the passages, written with a style uniquely Bax, and even
choked up a bit as I reminded myself that we'll see no more great words
from this great man.

I was 17 when I started flying and my mother (God bless her) subscribed
me to Flying as a birthday gift. I remember the anticipation of
flipping to the back of the magazine to read Bax's works first. I felt
the same anticipation for the first time in almost 15 years as I
absorbed every word of this masterpiece, and for a few moments, I felt
15 years younger. (Thanks Bax!)

If you're a fan of Bax, you need to read this article. 'Nuff said.

-Doug

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Doug Vetter, CFIMEIA

http://www.dvcfi.com
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