From: Touch of Heaven Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2001 08:30:39 -0400 Subject: BLAGUES-L: Sightseeing flight From: Neal E. Menkus Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 18:18:02 -0400 A Yankee farmer took his wife to an airport where sightseeing flights were offered daily in a small open cockpit plane. He asked the price of a flight and was told that the charge would be one hundred dollars for a ten minute trip. "One hundred dollars for a ten minute ride?" exclaimed the farmer. "Why that's ten dollars a minute. There would be no please in that for me. But, I've always had my heart set on riding in a plane. Ain't there no way you could reduce the price for me?" The pilot answered, "I'll tell you what I'll do. If you'll agree not to say a word all the time we're in the air, I won't charge you anything. But if you say anything while we're up there, it's going to cost you the full price." "You hear that don't you, Ma?" said the farmer to his wife. "Yes, Hiram," replied the wife, submissively. They were soon tucked into the plane and soaring over the countryside. When the plane had reached an attitude of 3,000 feet, the pilot began his efforts to make the Yankee shout. He did the loop-the-loop, the tail spin, the barrel roll, the falling leaf -- all the tricks he could command. But the farmer remained silent throughout the ordeal. At last the pilot gave up and returned to the ground. "Well, you won," said the pilot as the farmer untangled himself from the fuselage of the plane, "and the ride is yours, free of charge. I must congratulate you on your pluck, man." The farmer smiled proudly, and replied, "Yup, I reckon so; but I tell you, you almost caught me there once, when the old lady fell out."