It's only when you're behind him on the back of motorcycle, and he pops a wheelie, that you realize his true disposition. The last Jim owns his own Lancair, a fast single-engine experimental aircraft, which he has flown down to the airshow. I put on my flip flops and make my way groggily past several rows of campers, motorhomes, and tents to a large semi-truck outfitted as a huge array of portable showers. A sign on the side of the truck lists some of the events where it has been used, including the dates of some disasters like floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes. It is actually quite nice inside, contructed mostly of shiny stainless steel, and the supply of hot water never seems to run out.
Most campers seem to prefer it even over the permanent showers at the campground.
Meanwhile, back at the campsite, an HP inkjet printer plugged into the cigarette lighter of the little Honda swooshes back and forth, working diligently on a stack of brochures and posters for the show. My daily routine includes walking around the airshow and posting signs with tear-offs about a show special for PocketTest software. As the airplane pulls up into a climb, the familiar sound of the old rotary piston engine is drowned out by a growing thunder as the pilot engages the jet throttle, and the biplane shoots straight up like a rocket. The sound is that of two aircraft flying at once, and it befuddles the senses to see an ancient biplane but hear a modern jet turbine. As I make my way around the vendor booths at the show, I see several items that could help on the flight over to Africa, but most of them are beyond my small budget.