John Wayne Airport, eh? I remember being near that airport after I completed riding my bicycle from just south of Seattle to the border at Tijuana, in Sept. 1984. I saw a car museum nearby called Cunningham and remembered it from old car magazines. Went through it and Briggs was there, driving some ancient and cammy open wheeled 19 - teens racing car in the back lot. Carefully. I remember reading later that he was kind of forced into selling his collection due to increasing tax liabilities and the only stipulation he made was that the collection not be broken up. Which it consequently was. Nearly instantly. Sickening. Gives me inspiration to not bone preserving the Europa. I have a Hot Wheels model of one of the Cunningham cars, a CR-4, I believe. Nicer, larger models are hideously expensive. I am happy I borrowed my sister's VW and visited that place during the week I stayed before flying home on my first airliner flight.
Somehow the inspiration gotten from taking 3 1/2 hours to fly what I spent 16 days riding caused me to learn to fly, and eventually buy a Cessna 150 years later. So expensive to fly now, I will remember that what it takes to restore the Europa pales compared to annualing an aircraft in the 13 years I had it, even a lowly C-150!
