When I worked for Mark Aero aviation in St Charles, MO in the mid 60's I had the opportunity to fly a company Cessna 172 on the weekends and only pay for the gas.
My wife and baby flew with me on these trips to Mountain View on a monthly basis (my manager in my music lived there and my Grand Ole Opra friends lived just a short distance away).
One foggy morning the engine would not turn over. I asked my wife to hold the toe brakes hard. Within two tries of spinning the prop by hand the engine kicked in and the aircraft moved forward. I immediately, as trained, had moved off to the side. I ran for the door and stopped the airplane only to find out she had been pushing on the rudder peddles!
That same trip the radios had gone out on the navigation and I had to dead reckon the whole trip.
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On another occasion, in the same aircraft, the flight went smoothly. One afternoon "Pop" Smith and I had to meet a business contact at KSGF.
There had been some thunderstorms in the area around noon so we were late for takeoff but made it down to KSGF with no problem.
We took off at dark to go back to KMNF. The clouds from earlier in the day and the resulting humidity gave us a solid haze layer on climb out. At about 3,500' all the lights went out in the cockpit! "Pop" and I immediately grabbed our flashlights. I continued to fly the airplane as Pop Smith fiddled with the circuit breakers. Finally the lights came on.
THEN: after arriving over KMNF there was a thin cloud haze deck over the airport. We prayed for a clearing as I was not about to try to land in a non-instrument airport. A small opening opened up right over the airport...I put the aircraft into a controlled slip and dropped like a rock through that opening then made a normal landing.
At that time slips were illegal although today they are normal procedures. (Dip your wing into the wind and give opposite rudder) forcing the aircraft down.
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I had the opportunity to test their brand new PAPI two light system and do a writeup for their news and newspaper. A lot of fond memories from Mountain View, MO.
