A Humbling Experience
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,291
Likes: 20
From: Wichita Falls TX
St. Jude Donor '09
A Humbling Experience
When I sold my homebuilt experimental aircraft recently, I canceled the registration number, N911TB. It was kinda like a personalized plate, 911, because it had a Porsche motor and TB for my initials.
Within days I got a call from American Eurocopter in Dallas asking if they could use the number for one of their new aircraft. Seems the Cook Children's Hospital in Ft. Worth, Texas had purchased a new air ambulance and wanted the number, 911 because of the emergency # and TB for their mascot, a teddy bear.
I agreed and wrote a letter to the FAA in an attempt to expedite the approval process before anyone else got the number. It worked and the n-number was transferred to the hospital.
Fast forward to yesterday afternoon, when I receive a phone call from the hospital inviting us to a dedication of the new helicopter on Aug 26th. What an honor!
I think I'll get a real teddy bear for them to give to the 1st airlift patient.
Within days I got a call from American Eurocopter in Dallas asking if they could use the number for one of their new aircraft. Seems the Cook Children's Hospital in Ft. Worth, Texas had purchased a new air ambulance and wanted the number, 911 because of the emergency # and TB for their mascot, a teddy bear.
I agreed and wrote a letter to the FAA in an attempt to expedite the approval process before anyone else got the number. It worked and the n-number was transferred to the hospital.
Fast forward to yesterday afternoon, when I receive a phone call from the hospital inviting us to a dedication of the new helicopter on Aug 26th. What an honor!
I think I'll get a real teddy bear for them to give to the 1st airlift patient.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,269
Likes: 50
From: Dallas Texas
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'09-'10
Aircraft "N" numbers are like personal licence plates on cars and can have meaningful significance to the owners. That's great that it worked out and you get to share in the dedication. 
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 22,577
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From: Denison, TX
2022 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
CI 3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 Veteran
St. Jude '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'16
That is so cool. 
But I think you should get them a stuffed rabbit...and TB should stand for The Bunny.
But I think you should get them a stuffed rabbit...and TB should stand for The Bunny.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,291
Likes: 20
From: Wichita Falls TX
St. Jude Donor '09
**Update**
The dedication had to be postponed until today so that a couple of corporate execs could make it to the dedication. Seems the chopper had been kept under wraps and very few people had seen it until today.
My first view of the new N911TB.
John Byus, Regional Marketing Manager, EurocopterUSA and myself.
(It was John that first contacted me about using N911TB for the chopper)
Some of the Evac Crew seeing the chopper for the first time.
The inside of the chopper has not been configured yet. It'll take a couple of months for the interior to be set up for the hospital's specific needs.
John Byus explaining how N911TB evolved from this....
to this....
The Cook Children's Hospital Air Evac Crew and some old guy
I gave a teddy bear dressed up as a doctor to Debbie, the Head Nurse. The other guy is a VP from American Eurocopter.
Debbie, me and Dr. Ted E. Bear
Eurocopter and the Cook Children's Hospital treated us like royalty. Just glad we could be a small part of helping children in need.
The dedication had to be postponed until today so that a couple of corporate execs could make it to the dedication. Seems the chopper had been kept under wraps and very few people had seen it until today.
My first view of the new N911TB.
John Byus, Regional Marketing Manager, EurocopterUSA and myself.
(It was John that first contacted me about using N911TB for the chopper)
Some of the Evac Crew seeing the chopper for the first time.
The inside of the chopper has not been configured yet. It'll take a couple of months for the interior to be set up for the hospital's specific needs.
John Byus explaining how N911TB evolved from this....
to this....
The Cook Children's Hospital Air Evac Crew and some old guy
I gave a teddy bear dressed up as a doctor to Debbie, the Head Nurse. The other guy is a VP from American Eurocopter.
Debbie, me and Dr. Ted E. Bear
Eurocopter and the Cook Children's Hospital treated us like royalty. Just glad we could be a small part of helping children in need.