Page 5 - Aerotech News and Review 2-5-16

High Desert Hangar Stories with Bob Alvis

Special to Aerotech News the thought that he would be in combat in a DXWKRULW\WRWKHDUUHVWLQJRI¿FHUDQGVXJJHVWHG OLJKWVÀDVKLQJUROOHGLQWRWKHSDUNLQJORWRIWKH
I H Z Z H H N V D Q G P D \ E H E D F N K R P H L Q D E R [ D that he call his boss for some advice before +DSS\%RWWRP5LGLQJ&OXE
Pancho Barnes, what more can be said about few more came to her mind. She got the dealers KH¿OOHGXSDSDWW\ZDJRQDQGKDGHYHU\ERG\
the women that tamed the sky on her own terms. name, called him and asked if he could meet her hauled off to jail. There at the front of the column of cars was
at his showroom and then announced that she a very happy young lieutenant driving a Brit-
We are of a generation that walked the earth ZDVJRLQJWR/RV$QJHOHVWREX\DFDU1RZ 6KHULII%LVFDLOX]DGYLVHGWKHRI¿FHUWRURXQG ish green right hand drive roadster, and sitting
or knew somebody that did with this amazing everybody in the club that night that had a car XSDFRXSOHPRUHPRWRUF\FOHRI¿FHUVDQGIRU QH[WWRKLPLQWKHFRSLORWVVHDWZDVDEHDPLQJ
aviator. We stand in awe or disbelief when we decided to load up friends and in the middle them to escort Pancho’s and her band of crazies 3DQFKR1RZKRZFRXOG\RXQRWOLNHDZRPDQ
hear the tales of not only those who knew her of the night this band of hot rock pilots led by EDFNWR0XURF$URXQGGDZQDQHHULHSDUDGH like that?
but those that spun around in her world back in one Pancho Barnes hit the long and winding RIFDUVOHGDQGIROORZHGE\SROLFHRI¿FHUVZLWK
WKHKD\GD\WKDWZDVÀLJKWWHVWDW0XURFDQG two lane road on the quest for a new car in Los 7LOO1H[WWLPH%RE2XW«
(GZDUGV$LU)RUFH%DVH $QJHOHV

0\'DGNQHZ3RQFKRIURPKLVWLPHDW'RXJ- The Highway from Pancho’s to Los Ange-
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Heck I even got to meet her once as a lad at an that had very few conveniences along the way.
Orange Julius stand over on Avenue I in Lan-
FDVWHUDURXQGWKHPLGVL[WLHV It took a couple of hours for the band of war-
riors to make it to the car dealership but they
When the name Pancho comes up its usually did and I can imagine the proprietor of that
followed by colorful language and tales of dar- dealership had no idea of what had just rolled
ing all the while pushing the edge of a crazed into his showroom but the good thing was that
life style and in many ways it’s probably the WKH\DOOGLGLQRQHSLHFH3DQFKRWKHQERXJKW
way she would want it to be remembered. WKHVQDSS\OLWWOHURDGVWHUIRUWKHOLHXWHQDQW

But there was another side to this stout wom- Well now, here is where this story takes a
en that goes untold most of the time and that is turn for the funny and goes to show that Pancho
her big heart, especially when a situation arose was not only well connected but had a follow-
that required a little compassion. ing far beyond the borders of the Happy Bottom
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Thanks to a tale told by Grover Tate we can
see not only what a kind heart she had but the $VWKH\KHDGHGEDFNWRZDUGV0XURFWKURXJK
crazy life that went along with that heart at the the San Fernando Valley a California sheriff
never dull Happy Bottom Riding Club during stopped them and put them all under arrest for
WKH:DU<HDUVRIWKHV6RWKHVWRU\JRHV an assorted number of charges. They were all
like this, highly suspected of being escapees from some
VRUWRIPHQWDOFRQ¿QHPHQWFHQWHU
At her club one night a young lieutenant was
describing a foreign-made roadster he had seen +RZHYHU6KHULII(XJHQH%LVFDLOX]WKHFKLHI
for sale in Los Angeles. It was the most beauti- sheriff of Los Angeles County, had made Pan-
ful car he had ever seen and had a price tag that cho an honorary deputy and had given her a
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Pancho looked at the boy-like man pilot and

February 5, 2016 Aerotech News and Review 5

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