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Saturday, September 14, 2013: Day 21 - Nagoya, Japan
Today is the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the MU-2. Mike Collins and I are here in Nagoya with N50ET as guests of Mitsubishi. Tod, Mason, and Yoshi from Mitsubishi have treated us with so much respect and have been so generous and hospitable; they have thought of everything to make our time in Japan as enjoyable as they can. I am so grateful for their hospitality, and I will never forget this historic day.

As our wonderful day was winding down we bid Tod and Mason a fond farewell for the evening; we will see them again in the morning for our departure. As we walked into the Marriott lobby heading for the elevator, I caught a glimpse out the corner of my eye of a person that looked091413 Ross Russo surprises Mike Laver in Nagoya very similar to Ross Russo, my dear friend and owner of MU-2 Solitaire, N62CN. As I took a closer look--I realized it was Ross--and that once again, I have been surprised by my friends (photo right: Ross Russo surprises Mike in Nagoya). I played cool at first though and gave Ross a casual wave and kept on walking; Ross waved back and looked at the floor. What a pleasant surprise that Ross, after climbing Mt. Fuji yesterday, jumped on the DSC 5400Bullet Train from Tokyo with his cousin and climbing partner, Vaughn Girol, and came to visit for a few hours to wish Mike and I well on our trip. What an incredible time we have had in Nagoya--thanks to all our of friends.

On another note I need to update everyone from yesterday. As promised I carried the framed and signed print of the MU-2 fleet from the 2013 MU-2 Fly-In. I presented the print to Mr.Tod Takasu from MHI on behalf of all the MU-2 owners in America (photo above left). In presenting the print I explained how we have such a loyal group of owners who appreciate the integrity of the Mitsubishi MU-2 and the outstanding support that Mitsubishi provides us.