From our North 40 tent on Bonanza Lane, the afternoon heat turns the taxiway into a mirage.
A white-and-cobalt jet noses up to the hold short, engines whispering promises.
Two beats of stillness. A handoff. Then—throttles come alive and the air ripples like film grain.
This is the poetry of patience meeting permission.

The star of the scene: Cessna Citation Bravo (Model 550), N998SR—serial 550-1136, a Bravo airframe seen at AirVenture 2025 and previously known as OE-GMV/LZ-GMV in an earlier life.
It’s a twin-engine business jet powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW530A turbofans, each pushing ~2,887 lbf of takeoff thrust; ceiling up to FL450 with that classic Citation grace.
(If you follow paper trails: current registry hits list the owner as N612VR LLC.)  

Why I love this clip: it captures the whole arc—
the hush of the hold, the controller’s unseen nod, the runway becoming a violin string, and the jet’s bow stroke across it.

“The runway is a blank page. Throttle forward is the first sentence.”

Mission-vibe moment: The jet rotates just past the hotel, riding its own heat shimmer like it stole the script. We watch, grinning, half pilots, half cinematographers, all heart.

Quick Specs (for the fellow nerds)

• Type: Cessna Citation Bravo (C55B / 550) 

• Engines: 2 × P&WC PW530A ~2,887 lbf each 

• Ceiling: Up to 45,000 ft; range ~1,470 nm in typical configs.  

“Some runways test your patience. This one rewarded it.”

RTB: California in sight. After a week of sky-high ideas at Robometrics® Machines Demo Day IV, the Bonanza hums west—checklists crisp, gauges steady, prop carving sunlight into silver ribbons. The emerald tint of the skylight paints little clouds on the panel; my kneeboard is scribbled with routes, callsigns, and big plans.

Somewhere over the patchwork earth, Creedence Clearwater (1969) plays in my head:

“The man from the magazine

Said I was on my way

Somewhere I lost connections

I ran out of songs to play

I came into town, a one night stand

Looks like my plans fell through

Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again

If I only had a dollar

For ev'ry song I've sung

Ev'ry time I've had to play

While people sat there drunk

You know, I'd catch the next train

Back to where I live

Oh Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again

Oh Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again”

CCR might’ve meant a dead-end gig… we just mean a landing into one of California’s friendliest wine towns. If this is being “stuck,” then we’ll take it—vineyards rolling to the horizon, locals who wave at strangers, and sunsets that look like they’ve been slow-aged in oak barrels.

Sometimes the best part of coming home is making a stop where nobody’s in a hurry to leave.

🖤🎶 “Sunday Bloody Sunday?” Not quite. More like Runway Loudly Runway with the U-2 (the spy plane, not the band) and a few hundred of its newest fans at Oshkosh.

The Dragon Lady rolled past in matte-black silence—long glider-wings shimmering, little red pogo wheels tucked under each tip, gold visor glinting in the cockpit. Kids waved “Proud of Daddy” signs, crews saluted from a KC-135 stairs, and—yes—we broke into a goofy chant with the Team Beale folks because how else do you celebrate a legend?

From Beale Air Force Base to Boeing Plaza, the 9th Reconnaissance Wing brought the jet and the village: maintainers, life-support, physio support—the whole traveling orchestra that keeps a U-2 humming at the edge of space. They didn’t just project airpower; they brought people power—smiles, stories, and selfies—proving reconnaissance can also recon-connect.

“To fly is to borrow the sky’s freedom for a moment—and to give it back with gratitude.”

Here’s to the Dragon Lady’s shadow sliding over green grass, to families cheering on the fence line, and to the quiet courage it takes to point a black needle toward the stratosphere.

Also check out  the U.S. Air Force story by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Burns, 9th Reconnaissance Wing (July 29, 2025), United States Air Force, Air Combat Command.

Hold-short at Rocky Mountain Metro (BJC). The radio hums, the Rockies lift the horizon, and this jewel rolls past: Morrisey 2150A, N5112V—registered to Harry Z. Mertz in Douglas County, CO (FAA lists a Castle Rock address in the Castle Pines area).

🎞️ Scene composition
Foreground: clean white fuselage with classic blue cheatline, tall greenhouse canopy catching Colorado sun.
Midground: the ramp ripples in heat shimmer.
Background: Denver’s skyline sketched in soft blue—like someone penciled a city behind a daydream—then the Front Range rising in layered stone. It’s a three-act play: airplane → city → mountains.

🧭 A little lineage (and why this matters)
The 2150A traces its DNA to John Thorp’s school of clean, honest airframes. Al Morrisey’s original design led to Clifford Shinn’s production run of the 2150A, before the type moved to Varga (the Kachina). It’s a boutique, hand-built chapter of GA history—serial number SP-12 (1961)—that still turns heads on a modern ramp.

🗨️ Quote for the logbook

“To fly is to throw your heart into the sky and chase it with an engine.”

💫 Why this shot sings
The aircraft is all intention and purpose, yet the mountains make even metal look humble. The frame whispers: we make lines; nature makes horizons. And between them, aviation finds its poetry.

(Operation B2OSH-Return, Classified Debrief)

After a week of Robometrics® Machines Demo Day IV dominance at Oshkosh, our escape route west wasn’t just plotted—it was orchestrated.
🎯 First checkpoint: La Crosse, WI (yes, back where the B2OSH saga began).
🎯 Second checkpoint: Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC), Broomfield, CO.

The mission? Dual refuel—aircraft tanks topped, pilot caffeine recharged.
The setting? A cinematic line-up against the jagged skyline of the Rockies.
The vibe? Somewhere between Top Gun: Maverick and a Swiss watch ad.

Two aircraft. Two crews. One horizon.
And if you think this was just a gas-and-go, you haven’t seen what a Cessna and a twin-engine beauty look like when the Rockies decide to photobomb.

Because in this light—under a sky brushed in soft blues and mountain shadow—flight feels less like transport and more like a whispered conversation between wings and peaks.

Aviation Quotes That Just Feel Right at BJC
🗨️ “Altitude is life insurance. The Rockies are your underwriter.” — Someone who’s seen turbulence up close
🗨️ “A good pilot is always learning. A great pilot is always caffeinating.” — Airport café philosophy
🗨️ “If the mountains don’t move you, check your pulse.” — The passenger who stopped breathing when the view hit

🔥 Mission Status:
✅ Fuel secured
✅ Crew operational
✅ Next leg: Westbound, with style and altitude

(Operation Bay Area Extraction, Leg 1)

After a week of high-octane briefings, packed flightlines, and just enough sleep to keep the engines legal, Robometrics® Machines Demo Day IV wrapped at Oshkosh.

The mission: get the crew and our Bonanzas back to San Francisco Bay Area HQ.
The first stop: La Crosse, Wisconsin — also known as B2OSH Ground Zero.

Inside Colgan Air Services, the scene looked like the calm before a spy movie chase:
🕶️ Sunglasses on the table like a calling card.
🥪 Classified sustenance disguised as a Ham & American Swiss sandwich.
📖 “Explore La Crosse” guidebooks — a subtle reminder this was where our formation began.
Out on the ramp, our aircraft stood like agents awaiting extraction orders, fueled and ready.

🎬 In true Mission Impossible style, the plan was simple:
1️⃣ Top off the tanks.
2️⃣ Top off the pilots.
3️⃣ Vanish into the blue, heading west.

🗨️ “A good getaway starts with a full tank and a full stomach.” — Every pilot ever who’s made it home

🗨️ “In aviation, the only impossible mission is leaving Oshkosh without a story.” — B2OSH veterans

🗨️ “Some people refuel for range. We refuel for legends.” — Robometrics® Machines playbook

🔥 Moral of the story:
Whether you’re escaping enemy agents or Wisconsin’s humidity, the first leg home always tastes like jet fuel and airport lounge coffee.

(AirVenture 2025: Bonanza Lane, North 40, and a Runway Exit Worthy of the Big Screen)

The scene: 700,000 people, 10,000 aircraft, and one week of aviation mayhem.
The objective: Survive Robometrics® Machines’ AI Demo Day IV, present on AGI for aviation twice in one morning, camp under the wing for seven days… and then vanish into the skies without a trace.

📽️ Cut to: The cockpit of a Beechcraft Bonanza, propeller spinning like a countdown clock.
Runway stripes rushing past, the Garmin screens glowing like mission control, and a departure plate clipped in front—your escape blueprint in plain sight.

🎙️ The soundtrack? That invisible Mission Impossible bassline only pilots can hear when ATC clears them for takeoff.
No smoke, no disguises—just lift-off speed and a clean break westbound to San Francisco.

🗨️ Quotes From a Pilot on a Getaway Run:
💼 “Some people check out of hotels. We check out of runways.” — Me, wheels up
🕶️ “Every good exit is planned. Every great one has a tailwind.” — Covert Bonanza wisdom
🛩️ “You don’t leave Oshkosh. You launch from it.” — Anyone who’s ever taxied out of North 40 after a week in the madness

🔥 Moral of the story:
We came for the AI and the airplanes. We left with data, stories, and just enough fuel to make the next adventure classified… for now.

Caught on the ramp at Wittman Regional with the elite crew of 1-147th AVN BN and their UH-60 Black Hawk—aka the military’s idea of a luxury twin-engine, rotor-wing beast with zero regard for turbulence or fashion faux pas.

They showed up mission-ready in full camo and combat boots. I showed up in crew rest jeans and a shirt from Gate D4. Let’s just say I was not cleared for takeoff in that formation.

But hey—rotors were spinning, checklist was tight, and for a moment, I felt like I belonged in the right seat… until I saw the jump seats and remembered: no inflight snacks.

Huge respect to these legends. Next time, I’m filing a flight plan just to hang out again. 🇺🇸🛫

(Oshkosh 2025: The Interview You Didn’t Know You Needed, with the Aviation World's Coolest Operative)

Meet Lisa Glysch.

She runs the EAA Press Conference Center desk like it’s MI6.
Her code name? Captain Lisa.
Her mission? Keep media in line, flash her gold wings, and casually drop stories that sound like deleted scenes from a Bond film—if Bond were a toddler with a Cessna yoke.

🎬 The Briefing (a.k.a. our 1-minute Instagram interview):

🧒 Age 3: First flight.
🎛️ Took the controls.
🔁 Attempted a roll in a Cessna.
🛑 Stalled the engine.
🧓 Gave her flight instructor premature white hair.
🪂 Result? He left her his gold wings. Literally.

📛 Now she’s “Captain Lisa,” volunteer, gatekeeper of the media center, and keeper of the best aviation origin story this side of Hollywood.

🎤 Bonus: She’s also my best friend at EAA HQ, and made this week unforgettable.
Rain or shine, deadline or not—Lisa’s always got your six.

🗨️ Quotes from the Interview Vault:

🕶️ “You can't roll a Cessna… but I tried anyway.” — Captain Lisa, age 3
🪙 “He said his hair would be white forever—and left me his wings.” — Lisa, now a legend
🎥 “We’ll get the full story next year. This is just the trailer.” — Me, already editing the sequel

🔥 Moral of the story:
If you want the press tent to run like a stealth mission and still get life lessons in aviation, find Lisa.
Or wait for the movie.

(AirVenture 2025: Ford Tri-Motor, rain, and the people who make aviation feel like home)

You think you’re just ducking into the Ford Tri-Motor tent to escape a soggy Wisconsin morning and ask about seats.

Suddenly—two volunteers hustle over and share their umbrellas, shoulder to shoulder like wingmen. In 30 seconds I had a dry shirt, a laugh, and three new friends. Only at Oshkosh, where strangers arrive as pilots and leave as family.

☔ The flights? Fully booked—the Tin Goose was a hot ticket.

But under those umbrellas the magic of Oshkosh kicked in: names exchanged, numbers shared, manifests checked, and a plan sketched.

“Come back next year when Peggy Messenger’s husband is flying—he’s one of the Tri-Motor pilots.”

Copy that. Mission accepted. 📋✍️

What started as a rain check turned into a team effort—volunteers, docents, and new friends connecting dots so one more aviation dream can rotate. That’s Oshkosh: kindness as SOP, collaboration as airspeed, connection as lift.

🌀 The Ford Tri-Motor isn’t just aluminum and engines.

It’s a passenger-first time machine—a cabin built for conversation, three engines built for confidence, and a legacy built by communities exactly like this one.

Quotes That Belong on the Tin Goose

🗨️ “At Oshkosh, weather is just another crew member—we work around it together.”

🗨️ “You don’t just fly the Tri-Motor. You time-travel with friends.”

🗨️ “Two umbrellas, one invite, and a whole village making it happen.”

🔥 Moral of the story:

Even if the seats were full this year, the story is already airborne. See you next year—when Peggy’s husband is on the controls and this umbrella squad becomes a boarding party.

July 21, 8:51 PM — the kind of Oshkosh evening that deserves its own logbook entry.
The day had already been a win: two back-to-back presentations at 8:30 AM and 11:30 AM on AGI for aviation—and they landed perfectly. The rest of the day was a blur of handshakes, hangar talks, and people asking, “So when can I fly with it?”

Then night drifted in, slow as a downwind leg, and North 40 turned cinematic.
A blue-and-gold Goodyear Blimp slid across a sherbet horizon, its green nav light winking, nose lamp glowing like a beacon. Below, a patchwork of tied-down airplanes, tents, and folding chairs—campfires of conversation at the Cessna Formation camp lane, just a few steps from our B2OSH row.

Under a wingtip, silhouettes leaned back in camp chairs, coffee cups in hand. The blimp floated by like a celebrity cameo in slow motion, and for a minute, no one said a word—because some aircraft don’t just fly; they set the pace of the whole field.

🗨️ “Blimps don’t hurry. They arrive exactly on time—and alter it.”
🗨️ “AirVenture is the only place where a sunset counts as a scheduled event.”

(B2OSH XXXV • La Crosse, WI • KLSE)

Purple aviators on, B2OSH tee locked, standing on the wing of a Bonanza A36 with a runway of Bonanzas and Barons behind me. Tom “Cruz” does stunts with 2 airplanes. Cute. Today’s selfie is backed by 116. 💅

Horsepower flex (a very scientific runway breeze test):
Assume ~106 Bonanzas @ 300 hp each + 10 Barons @ 600 hp (two engines).
That’s 106×300 + 10×600 = ~37,800 horsepower of piston thunder lined up nose-to-tail. No gym membership needed—just stand there and let the slipstream do core day.

Why we’re here: tomorrow we launch the world’s largest civilian formation into Oshkosh. Then I switch from formation briefings to AGI for aviation—showing how we’re building copilots that think, never get tired, and make flying safer. Robometrics® Machines from runway to research stage in 24 hours. Startups + avgas = momentum.

🗨️ “Formation flying and startups share one rule: trust your wingman and keep your scan moving.”
🗨️ “If your heart rate doesn’t spike on run-up, check your magnetos—or your mission.”

🔥 Moral: Tom, call me when you’ve got 38,000 hp of friends queued up for a single takeoff. We’ll compare notes. 😉

(B2OSH XXXV, La Crosse, WI — July 18, 2025)

Some people take pre-show selfies.
I take pre-Oshkosh runway meditations.

Yes, that’s me—centerline, Hawaiian shirt, calm as a Bonanza on final.
We’re at KLSE for B2OSH XXXV. 10,000+ aircraft inbound. 700,000+ people.
And tomorrow? I fly formation into the largest aviation convention on Earth…
...then present my work on building AGI for aviation at Robometrics® Machines.

📍 Location: La Crosse Regional Airport
📅 Vibe: 80% Hangar Party, 20% Air Traffic Control zen
🛩️ Mood: Ready for takeoff. And takeovers.

Behind me? Rows of Bonanzas and Barons that stretch longer than most VC cap tables.
In front of me? The future of flying, powered by artificial general intelligence.
And a hangar full of pilots who all brought both the airplane and the stories.

✈️ Quotes That Make Sense When You're Sitting on a Runway in a Tropical Shirt

🗨️ “Every formation starts with stillness.” — Some zen pilot, maybe me

🗨️ “Some founders build pitch decks. Some fly them to Oshkosh.” — Every hustler with a headset

🗨️ “Control your breathing. Then control your Bonanza.” — Formation wisdom, AI applicable

🗨️ “What you see here is not just an aircraft lineup. It’s a startup runway.” — Investor, probably

🔥 Moral of the story:
If you're building the future of flight, make time to sit on the runway, soak it in…
…and wear a shirt loud enough to be spotted from 3,000 feet AGL.

(Oshkosh 2025: Where even the clouds RSVP)

It started with wine.
Then came the winds.
And somewhere in between, someone pitched a startup.

The Daher tent at AirVenture 2025 wasn’t just a party—it was a Silicon Valley boardroom with better aircraft and no NDAs.
You had TBMs glistening like they just got IPO’d.
Kodiaks basking in the sun like they knew they were about to be the next Patagonia of aviation.

🍇 Cabernet in hand.
🧀 Cheese cube skewered.
💡 Startup idea casually pitched between runway rumbles.

The sky? Oh, it tried to shut us down.
A surprise gust at 5:12 PM nearly yeeted a wine glass into a Kodiak intake.
But Robometrics® Machines founders don’t flinch.
We hustle. We adapt. We toast.

🎯 Real entrepreneurs know:
→ The best tech isn’t built in glass towers.
→ It’s prototyped next to a turboprop during an airshow night display.
→ And you always carry an umbrella. For your prototype. Not you.

Aviation Quotes That Just Feel Right at the Daher Tent

🗨️ “Build fast. Fly faster.” — A TBM whisperer, probably

🗨️ “Startups are like weather in Oshkosh. Blink and they pivot.” — Every Silicon Valley pilot ever

🗨️ “It’s not turbulence. It’s user feedback from the sky.” — Our AI team mid-wind gust

🗨️ “Raise funds. Raise flaps. Repeat.” — Robometrics® Demo Day motto

🔥 Moral of the story:
If you want to build the future, start with a drink in one hand…
…and a Daher tail number in your field of vision.

(Oshkosh 2025 Edition — Day 3, Sunrise, North 40, a folding chair, and a billion-dollar dream.)

Let’s talk hustle.
You wake up next to your tent, dew still on the wings (metaphorically and literally).
You’re running Robometrics® Machines—
🚀 Building embodied AGI,
🧠 Giving robots feelings,
⚙️ Rewiring the future of aviation and eldercare with silicon and soul.

And for breakfast?
✨ A strawberry Protein-Bar.
🧊 Warmed only by ambition.
☕ A can of La Colombe Draft Latte (Vanilla, obviously).
🪑 One red camping chair. $19.99. Probably borrowed.

Because this is how we do it in Silicon Valley:
Forget croissants and investor brunches.
Forget catered AI panels.
We show up at AirVenture, pitch next-gen AGI on the flightline,
and eat shelf-stable pastries while the sun rises behind a hangar.

🧾 Notes to investors:

• Yes, this is your capital at work.

• No, we didn’t expense the coffee.

• Yes, we are changing the world.

• No, that Pop-Tart does not count as burn rate.

🗨️ “Some people fuel startups with VC cash. Others? With sugar and resolve.” — A tired founder, chewing

🗨️ “You can camp. Or you can found. But the real ones do both.” — North 40 philosopher

🗨️ “AGI doesn’t build itself. It takes humans, hunger, and highly questionable breakfast choices.” — Silicon Valley Gospel

🔥 Moral of the story:
In a world of flashy decks and catered off-sites,
real innovation still begins in a field, with a tent, and a toaster pastry.

(AirVenture 2025 Intel Drop — Straight from the Spycraft Side of the Ramp)

What happens when you stumble onto a squad of U.S. Air Force personnel casually eating burritos near one of the most secretive aircraft in history?

You salute.
You don’t ask questions.
You definitely don’t touch the foil.

📍 Wittman Regional Airport
🎯 Mission Objective: Meet the legendary U-2 team
📸 Results: Burrito acquired, coolness confirmed, secrets still classified

The vibe? Think Mission: Impossible meets Top Gun... with fewer explosions, more sunscreen, and one guy who brought a personal fan and said, “I fear nothing but heatstroke.”

🚀 Bonus: The U-2 spyplane itself was spotted — sleek, black, and probably listening to your Spotify playlists from 70,000 feet.

🗨️ Quotes from the Field:

🕶️ “Some aircraft whisper secrets. The U-2 listens to yours.” — Probably that guy with the shades and classified clearance.

🌯 “You haven’t really served until you’ve eaten a burrito in full gear next to a $50M spyplane.” — A USAF legend in the making

🫡 “Who wouldn’t want to join the Air Force after this?” — Everyone standing nearby, taking mental screenshots

🎬 Moral of the story:
You don’t find the U-2 team.
They let you find them.

(Oshkosh 2025 Edition — Where Midwestern hospitality meets high-altitude espionage and unapologetic girl power)

Welcome to Wisconsin, where the cheese is sharp, the skies are loud, and apparently this is how you ground-handle a $50 million spyplane:

📸 One woman.
🧥 Orange vest, cut-off denim shorts.
😎 Reflective shades that scream “I see through more than just radar.”
👟 Sneakers planted, baton raised, hair in a no-nonsense ponytail.
💅 Confidence? Nuclear-grade.
🌪️ Vibe? If James Bond and a B-2 had a daughter who works weekends marshalling jets.

And then there’s the aircraft.
The U-2 Dragon Lady.
All matte-black menace, sprawling wings, and Cold War mystery.
Nose pointed like it’s sniffing secrets, with “BB #076” on the tail like a barcode for classified ops.
It doesn’t taxi. It stalks.
It doesn’t turn corners. It patrols airspace at 70,000 feet and judges your Wi-Fi password from orbit.

🎯 The moment?
A woman guiding this legend like she’s been doing it since preschool.

🗨️ Quotes from the Classified Channel:

🎧 “This aircraft has probably overflown foreign governments. She just told it where to park.” — Someone hiding behind a lens

🧤 “You can’t spell command without her.” — Aviation truth

🕵️ “Some planes collect intelligence. She just collected all our respect.” — Ground crew, in awe

🥇 Bonus Intel:
This isn’t just power—it’s poise, presence, and precision.
The same Midwestern welcome you'd get at a diner… if the waitress had the launch codes.

🔥 Moral of the story:
The Dragon Lady may own the stratosphere.
But down here on the ramp? She answers to the Lady in the Orange Vest.