but Sam went to the Great Remainder Bin some years ago.

His widow owns a ranch to the south of where I live, and his daughter flies in from LA in her Lear 23(?) to visit from time to time. They moved all the tiedowns in front of the terminal of the little airport out of the way, so Miss Walton doesn't have to park so far away and walk. Gained a whole airplane length of space doing that. Oh, and they're paving the airport access road, too; there are some benefits.

Sidelight: Not every bidnessperson is impervious to employees' desires -- the corporate pilot who chauffers Miss Walton around doesn't want to move to Los Angeles [bright fellow] and has stayed in Arkansas, where he has a nice place with landscaping. So when Miss Walton wants to go somewhere, he goes out, fires up the Lear, flies to LA, takes MW wherever she wants to go, takes her back to LA, then flies back to Arkansas to park the bird.

I think it's charming. Mrs. Walton shows up at the local Wal-Mart once in a while to serve as a "greeter", the [usually elderly] person who tells you hello and offers a shopping cart when you enter. She isn't too interested in hobnobbing with the locals, and, as one of the locals, I have to sympathize... Miss Walton is just a nouveau riche, a Beverly Hillbilly with a little too much sense to really play it out. Think the local Mary Kay salesperson, only the rocks are real.

though a bit extreme. It's fairly normal to have the airplane based where it's less expensive -- the cost to hangar and maintain a plane at most urban airports is prohibitive, and there are lots of "second line" airports that make a specialty of serving as parking places. When the corp execs want to go somewhere, the pilot goes out, fires up the bird, and flies to the urban airport that's convenient for the execs to pick them up; after the trip, drop 'em off and fly back to West Bumf*k. Except for the fuel, it makes sense, and even with fuel and operating expenses for the ferry flights, it's almost always cheaper than trying to hangar the jet at LaGuardia or SFO.

Years ago, there was a national company that did aerial photography for mapping. They made the mistake of setting up an operation in Santa Barbara, and moving their shiny new jet there for a gigantic contract in Northern California. When the contract went away, they started closing the operation down -- lots of SoCalers in my business are alumni, or were until retirement set in -- but the pilot refused point-blank to move. For a little over ten years, there was still a hangar with their logo at Santa Barbara airport, but nothing was there except the pilot and plane; even the maintenance was done by having the pilot fly the Lear to Chicago! They felt it was worth it to keep that particular guy, although he could have given you irascibility lessons.

So except for the distance involved it isn't all that remarkable, and just think of all the airplane mechanics, fuel truck drivers, and general ramp-apes it keeps employed.