How About Story Time

This kind of ties in to the airport vs. plowed field thread, but since it's just a story, I will post it here.

One of the best and most pleasant flying sites (primarily for hang gliders, but sailplanes are welcome) is Wallaby Ranch, near Orlando, FL and just a few miles south of Seminole Gliderport. Luxury flying, a party atmosphere and even a chef on duty. But, I digress.

One of the neighboring landowners detests having hang gliders land on his property. In the early days, the Sheriff was always called, much yelling and arm-waving ensued and everybody left in a huff. Every single time.

Malcolm Jones, the proprietor of Wallaby Ranch, finally approached the guy and explained that, although he briefed all pilots visiting Wallaby to absolutely NOT land on the property, sometimes weather and conditions would just have their way, and the only reasonably safe option was to land there.

Malcolm asked, "If it happens, what would it take to make the occurrence worth not calling the law and getting angry?" They eventually agreed that $100 for each landing would allow the glider pilot to land, receive assistance and either allow his crew to retrieve him or the landowner would escort the pilot off the property with no recriminations.

This worked for years, and may still be the agreement. I know that visitors are warned about the situation and maps of the area provided by Wallaby Ranch clearly mark the area with notice of the $100 "fee." (Malcolm has in the past covered the fee if the pilot did not have the ability to pay it himself.)

So, in about 2001, when a contest was being run from Wallaby, a certain pilot blew his final glide and landed in the notorious "Hundred Buck" field. The landowner met him, informed him that he owed an autographed photo of Benjamin Franklin, helped him load his glider on the landowner's truck and drove him back to Wallaby Ranch. He waited while the pilot made out a check for $100. Before he got in his truck, the pilot asked him, "If you make a hundred dollars on every landing, why don't you put up a windsock?" The guy laughed and drove away.

The pilot said to Malcolm and the rest of us watching the episode, "That was the nicest asshole I ever met."