We could extend this thread by telling more small world stories. Aviation, especially old aeroplane aviation, is very much like the classic car world so here's one of many stories from that other small world.
I used to meet a friend for beers in a Viennese pub. One day we were talking about cars but I was picking up snatches of conversation from the next table which suggested the two blokes there were pilots. Later, while pestering the porcelain, I realised the bloke next to me was one of the suspected pilots. I said, "you wouldn't be a pilot would you?" He said, "you wouldn't be KS would you? And you wouldn't own a white and green Auster!" Well blow me down. 30 years earlier we had learnt to fly with the same flying instructor in the same country town in NSW. He would occasionally drop in to the hangar where I restored the Auster and chat. He went on to fly for Emirates and was on a Vienna stop over. We've stayed in contact since and he's now restoring an Auster to fly during retirement.
