Hmmmm, who IS this guy..? Continued...

I'd discovered my new found passion for airplanes, airlines and North Central right before my father finished his position with the South Dakota Government, and, due to an administration change, we soon were loaded up in the car and UHaul for Minnesota. I found our new 'home' to be St. Peter, a small college town located in the Minnesota River Valley. In many ways, I wondered if I'd ever be able to experience North Central and the Convair ever again. As a few years passed, I happened upon a news segment on the TV that stated 'North Central and Southern will merge to form Republic Airlines.' WHAT? How could they? I set out to see if I could find out more information...somehow. With that, I found our small town had a travel agency called Cope Travel and one day I set out on my bike to investigate. I met with a wonderful man named Bob Cope, who owned the agency, who let me know that the newly formed Republic Airlines flew into a small airport near us called Mankato Airport. They had as North Central as well. I'd no clue! All this time, and only 10 miles from it all! I proceeded home and asked Dad if we could 'check it out,' of which he obliged earlier that following morning. We arrived at MKT around 8AM the following day to see a familiar tail sticking out from behind a building I recognized must be the terminal. THERE IT WAS! My Convair 580 again. I jumped out of the car and started snapping pictures with the Kodak Instamatic we owned and was in heaven yet again. As the Convair began to start up, the old familiar sounds of those Allison's were music to my ears and I delighted in this sight and sound again. No sooner did that Convair begin to taxi when another Convair landed and began to taxi to the terminal. What a treat! A two for one special today I thought. :) I began taking pictures again, of each aircraft; one taking off, the other shutting down 30 feet from me. In fact, I believe I ran out of film eventually and just watched the actions from the chain link fence. I looked back at our car, with Dad still in it, and he just smiled and waved, apparently enjoying the experience with me. I waited until the second Convair started up, taxied and took off before we left the airport, satisfied in the knowledge and pictures I'd taken that yes, indeed, I'm still 'hooked' on this airline and the Convair 580...