I remember the days of being able to go to the airport just for the fun of it. Now you’re presumed to be a criminal if you don’t have a sanctioned reason to be there.

At Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (KCLE), they used to have an observation deck that people could go outside and watch the goings on while waiting for departing or arriving flights. This was before 9/11 and before the requirement to have a ticket to get down the concourse. It’s still there but it’s long since been closed. It’s too bad, really. I spent a part of my high school days there. That place got me into Amateur Radio from running into a likeminded person who happened to be in Amateur Radio. That place also helped stoke my desire to get my pilot’s license, which I did do. That place also helped keep me thin because I would ride my bike out there. It’s all changed.