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The big stage
November 2013 • 1
Volume 2 | Issue 2 | November 2013
For the love of flight ‘We went down to Lake Martin and did aerobatics over the water. After that, I was hooked forever.’
Members of the Spain Park High School chorus will perform this month at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Learn more about their trip and their program inside this issue.
Community page 21
– Dan Mikos
Coaching the spirit
Air Force fighter pilot Dan Mikos in front of an F-4 Phantom. Photo courtesy of Dan Mikos.
Hoover High Head Football Coach Josh Niblett encourages his players to grow spiritually as well as physically by hosting a Wednesday night Bible study at his home.
Sports page 26
INSIDE Sponsors ........... 4 City ..................... 5 Business ............ 9 Food .................... 12
Community ....... 13 School House .. 20 Sports ............... 24 Calendar ........... 29
Pre-Sort Standard U.S. Postage PAID Birmingham, AL Permit #656
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By REBECCA WALDEN
Of the approximately 327,000 active duty U.S. Air Force personnel, only 14,000 are pilots. Those interested in becoming an Air Force pilot must be at least 5-foot-4, but no taller than 6-foot-5. Other disqualifications include being colorblind, receiving laser eye surgery and a history of hay fever, asthma or allergies. – From airforce.com
From the moment he gazed out the window of the TWA Super G Constellation, a four-prop aircraft of Howard Hughes’ design, Dan Mikos knew he wanted to fly. “I was 11 years old at the time, and I was the first person in my elementary and junior high school class ever to fly,” said Mikos, recalling his first-ever commercial trip, which carried him in 1958 from West Virginia to France, to visit grandparents. By his freshman year, the family had relocated to Hoover, where Mikos went on to become part
of Berry High School’s first graduating class. By then, his interest in flying had become more than a passing fancy, and he made plans to pursue a degree in aviation management. If there was any doubt about whether or not to follow his passion, an experience during ROTC summer camp sealed the deal. “One of the National Guard guys took me on a ride in a T-33, and I will never forget it,” he said. “We went down to Auburn and buzzed all the girls sunbathing on top of the dorms, then we went down to Lake Martin and did aerobatics
See FLIGHT | page 27
Chapel Lane extension to open this month By JEFF THOMPSON Six months ago, engineers working on the Chapel Lane extension project noticed something that needed attention. An I-459 bridge that crosses over Hoover’s newest road is lined with 4-inch, circular holes that cut through the concrete. These openings, designed to drain water off the interstate, deposit straight down onto Chapel Lane. “We got to thinking about someone going down [Chapel
Lane] at 40 miles per hour and having that drop on their windshield,” City of Hoover Executive Director Allen Pate said. So, the project that began in August 2011 required just one more month as the City worked with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) on a plan to correct the issue. According to Tim Westhoven, assistant executive director for the City, a gutter system to drain the water away from
See CHAPEL | page 28
One of the final steps in preparing the Chapel Lane extension is adding gutters under I-459 that will prevent water from draining onto the new road. Photo by Jeff Thompson.