Old gooses will again be honking, if not really flying, in St. Croix at the 36th Antilles Airboats reunion at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4 at Club Comanche in Chistiansted.
Club Comanche is of the gooser's favorite hangouts, and site of the Airboats 30th anniversary which was held in 1994. Another celebration was held last year, at which point it was decided to make it an annual affair.
Such venerable goose figures as "Helen of Croix," Liz Wilson, Mary Simpson and Capt. Nick Castruccio will be on hand, as well as a gaggle of others to greet one and all. AAB employees enjoyed an especially close relationship with their passengers over the years. Some of those passengers used to pitch in and help pull the aircraft up the Pan Am Pavilion "airport," to make way for another goose, so both gooses had a sleeping berth for the night.
The company ran a Grumman Goose commuter seaplane service between the islands from1964 to1981, and was an integral part of a Virgin Islands visit, as well as the prime commuter transportation of both government and private sector employees and, of course, tourists.
All former AAB employees, passengers, and, yes, groupies, are invited to come to the affair, have a drink and share goose tales (tails?).
AAB has a website at www.unitedstates.vi/antillesair/p4.html
