Dr. J will see you now: Me and my Arrow

Contributor: “Dr. J”

Dr. J offers his irreverent, slightly irrelevant, but possibly useful opinions on health and fitness. A Florida surgeon and fitness freak with a black belt in karate, he runs 50 miles a week and flies a Cherokee Arrow 200.

I've been flying the Arrow for many years! I remember the first time I saw it, parked between two less impressive planes on the ramp. I had flown to another airport with two of my former flight instructors to make the buy/no-buy deal. Seeing the plane was a mixture of excitement and trepidation, as making the step from new pilot to actually owning my own aircraft lay before me.

I knew I would be buying some plane. Once my mind crossed that gap, it was only a matter of time. I had scoured the for sale pages in the trade magazines and found this very potential candidate.

We met the plane broker, talked for a while, and then the four of us climbed in, me in the left seat, reserved only for the pilot. After going through the checklist, we cranked it up and off we went. It was fast, much faster than the smaller, less-powerful trainer planes I was used to. The added speed was a little frightening! Very soon that first flight was over and I had a lighter wallet, but my own airplane!

I still very much enjoy flying the Arrow, as you can see. This video was made during a recent flight from Florida to northern Virginia. Initially it shows the east coast near Savannah, then west of Charleston, through North Carolina and Virginia. The first large city is Richmond, and the return trip was over Raleigh-Durham then on southwest along the coast to Florida.

The Arrow has changed a little over the years. I've done speed and engine modifications, new avionics and a custom paint job that, as an artist, I designed. It's my one-of-a-kind bird! I also named the plane: "Arrow."

Now that may seem a little coincidental and redundant, but the plane is actually named after a dog, not the American Indian "Cherokee Arrow" that its designer christened the model. Years ago, Harry Nilsson wrote a song "Me and My Arrow," about a very unusual boy and the dog that changed his life. The story was also made into an animated film, "The Point."

So what's "The Point?"

Seems like a simple question. Have you ever noticed that questions may be simple; answers, not so much? Some points are quite pointed, others mostly pointless. What may seem to point in one direction often points in another.

Can we make a point without a point? A round ball has no points, but can be used to score points. I've heard it's impolite to point, but pointing out a solution can be very useful. Do we need a point to have a point, or does being pointless mean we have reached the point of no return? It's all so very pointed!

In "The Point," Harry Nilsson tells the story of Oblio and his dog, Arrow, who are banned from the village where they live mostly because Oblio looks different! You see in his town everyone and everything has a point, and Oblio was born with a round head! He is called pointless, however, Oblio in the end finds that nothing is pointless, least of all himself.

The fable stresses the merits of raising a child according to his or her own unique nature. Our main character, Oblio, is an outcast, a victim of social conventions, prejudices and jealousies. His adventures after leaving the town with Arrow allow him to discover things about himself and the larger world around him. The film illuminates fitting into society without losing one's identity.

It's a charming tale, with Nilsson's music throughout. Much of the story can be seen on YouTube.

I trust you will enjoy it. If you have young children, watch it together as a family.

Does my Arrow have a point? Well, yes it does, the spinner on the front is pointed, but that doesn't really matter, because Me and My Arrow make our points as we travel those incredible, ever changing, highways in the sky, going from point to point!

(Send your questions for Dr. J to calorielab@gmail.com or leave a comment. If your question is used by Dr. J, CalorieLab will send you a $25 Dining Dough restaurant certificate — limited to U.S. residents. More Dr. J posts can be read in our archives.)

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Dr. J will see you now: Me and my Arrow