Rocky Mountain High

[Clipper]

Inspired by Lemoncat's return,

[Mr.Mugel]

John Denver, or John Henry Deutschendorfer with his real name.

I like the clouds in the shot, looks good.

[asda_price]

Very nice!

[lemoncat]

wow! stunning set of shots there clipper...great stuff really enjoyed em

[xFLAMESx]

Awesome stuff Clip,

hope your landing didn't go like this : http://zeeb.at/oops/un_pic6.jpg  ;D

Cheers,

Carl

[Fitter]

Stunning shots....

[Clipper]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. GnatMan, not this time, but you can be sure one or two like that a week is standard fare around my fleet.  :)

[propnut]

Great shots Clipper! Watch out for those clouds with rocks in them.

Pushing VFR,
Paul

[jordonj]

HEY  Where are the John Denver Lyrics?!

s'allright kiddo...got 'em right here!

He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Comin' home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door

When he first came to the mountains his life was far away
On the road and hangin' by a song
But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care
It keeps changin' fast and it don't last for long

But the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye
Rocky mountain high


He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below
He saw everything as far as you can see
And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun
And he lost a friend but kept his memory

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

And the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply
Rocky mountain high

Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear
Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend
Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more
More people, more scars upon the land

And the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly
Rocky mountain high

It's Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
Friends around the campfire and everybody's high
Rocky mountain high

[jordonj]

Coming right back at'cha with another bit of trivia...John Denver died in a plane crash...what plane was he flying, and what went wrong?

[Joe_D]

Coming right back at'cha with another bit of trivia...John Denver died in a plane crash...what plane was he flying, and what went wrong?

It was a "Long-EZ"
he had some sort of engine trouble and "crashed" into the pacific ocean after doing some touch and goes and departing to the west.

I don't think it was ever determined exactly what happened.

[jordonj]

Well, one thing I read is that the fuel selector was put in the wrong place where it couldn't be reached.

Interesting stuff here...dunno how accurate it is.

My late grandfather suspected it was a bird (though he was just guessing).

I also read that John Denver did not have a valid pilot's license at the time (he was grounded due to a drunk driving arrest).

Still and all, his loss was a sad day.

[Clipper]

Thanks for the lyrics Jordon

[Omag 2.0]

Fantastic shot! Great mesh you've got there... any directions to the file?

[beaky]

Nice stuff, Clipper...
Funny about the John Denver thing: I heard (somewhere) that another factor may have been an improper repaint of that L-EZ; he bought it already-built, and it had just been painted. Supposedly, the paint was not applied just right to a control surface (elevon?), causing improper balancing of the part. When he was maneuvering  and messing with the fuel selector, there was flutter and/or jamming, which caused him to spin or dive into the ocean. I assume this was found out when some pieces were recovered... easy enough to bench-test a loose elevon to check its weight/balance.
Either way, it's too bad. Not a huge Denver fan, but he seemed like a nice guy, and it's always good to see celebrity pilots- they make good spokespersons for GA.