I Never Raced at LeMans, but I Landed There
September 26, 1983
Memory is a tricky thing. But ink pen and paper logbook entries are not. During a 1983 trip to Europe we landed at LeMans, France. My memory of that day has a snapshot of me being told that the airport was closed during the race because the airport runway itself was used as the straightaway for the race course. My memory also serves up a snapshot of seeing grandstands adjacent to the runway and facing toward it as we landed. Such a sight is remarkable enough to be remembered, I would think.
Trying to verify these memories today using Google's satellite image is not possible. The race course is separated from the airport runway and the grandstands appear to face away from it. But it appears there's been a lot of removal from the vicinity of the airport. So what's the truth? What's the history? I don't know. I didn't take any pictures. I didn't write anything in my logbook about it. From my logbook entry, all I know for sure is that I was there in 1983. What I saw depends on my memory of that day.
So, what's happened since then, I don't know. I suppose there are records. But a pilot's logbook is also a record. Do take care to log as much detail as you have room for in the Remarks section of your pen and paper Standard Pilot Master Logbook. Electronic logs? Bullshit. They can be altered by simple keystrokes on a computer keyboard. Or permanently lost when your Cloud subscription lapses. You can't easily erase ink on paper.
11-20-2022
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References for Non-Pilots:
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