GML

I miss going to shows. It's been a long time since I've seen a good collection of birds.

 

I didn't go this year. Switches and I went last year but with the exception of some Warbird flyby's at the very end of the day it's pretty run-of-the-mill (repetitive) show stuff, centered around EAA homebuilt/aerobatic A/P's.

I think Cascade Warbirds boycotted this year because the show wouldn't offer ANY level of compensation for showing up and showing off. I know it's not cheap for these guys to show up and they aren't treated very well.

Too bad really, they have a great turn out of T-6's, T-28's, various Russian birds, YAK 52, Yak 55, SU 26 (I think) and a very fast YAK 9 . A couple of P-51's show off and on. One or two B-25's show up on occasion. A Grumman COD showed up about 6 years ago. A DC 3 shows up on occasion. Unfortunately the show doesn't focus on this great stuff.

A high point of last years show was Paul Allen's P-47 demonstration. What a killer machine. Fat and nasty.

They had a B-17 and F-117 do flyby's 4 or 5 years ago. I missed those.

About 10 years ago Collings did a great bunch of flyby's with their B-17 and B-24 on their way to another date. Beautiful music!!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Like in the good old days, 60's and 70's.

 

In honor of the 'ol Jug.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I may have posted this before but my favorite P-47 story was told to me by an ex-Polish patriot who flew for the RAF and eventually ended up in the USAAF in Europe. I met him when he was a Boeing engineer and I asked him about the deep scar on his forehead. He told me that he had received it when he had run out of ammunition when he was attacking a JU-88. He simply rammed the JU-88, cutting its empennage off. Debris from his canopy , which had been struck by parts from the JU-88, flew back and hit him in the head. He returned to base and successfully landed his damged P-47. When I asked him if that wasn't dangerous and could possibly end his life he said, " Certainly ! But I would be taking 4 Germans with me." Every Polish national that I have ever spoken with that fought in the war or experienced the Nazi occupation there expressed the same attitude.
Switches

 

Trying to get a message to the right guys. There is an Allison on E-Bay right now.