Junior Thunderbird with his own Hun. Nice Bob. I saw the Thunderbirds when they were flying Huns several times.
Thanks, Taz. The F-100 was one of my favorite airplanes and it soon became a favorite not only of my two little guys but all their kid neighbors. They literally ran the wheels off of that thing playing in the col de sac across the street that had a grade on which they could get good speed. The moms in the neighborhood thanked me for it because they always knew where their kids were playing from their happy racket. The look on my kids faces on Christmas morning when they came out and saw their own airplane sitting there was unforgettable. The little guy in the picture ended up as the chief of truck operations for a huge outfit, his older brother was an airline pilot, and number three son was a top notch quality control specialist at Boeing.
Awesome stories Bob! You are (rightfully) proud of your boys' achievements and it is cool to experience these amazing memories through you! Please keep them coming!
Got a story about the Crater Lake thing. My late brother was a doctor in the army during WW2 and he somehow hooked up with an old pre war high school and college buddy who was a medium bomber pilot that flew B-25, Martin B-26, and Douglas A-26's. While both were on leave in L.A. they worked out a deal to fly from L.A. to Washington, D.C. in a B-26. My brother was in the nose when they left and as they approached the crater at very low altitude his pilot friend dropped the airplane down into the crater and , of course , quickly pulled up out of it as he should have. My brother said that it was the greatest thrill that he ever had. He had just returned from front line action in the South Pacific as a combat surgeon.
All of them have done much better than I. I failed to mention the youngest who wasn't born when all this was going on. He ran his own auto repair shop and purchased land that he developed into an extremely valuable holding, so I don't worry about them. Oh, yeah, there's a Testa Rossa in the family, also, but not mine.
full tanks Image Unavailable, Please Login son's strapping in Image Unavailable, Please Login lovely day back in Switzerland Image Unavailable, Please Login receding glaciers... Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have flown near the crater in an F-111, but the entire thing was a restricted area by then. Those Feds spoiled a lot of fun.
Thank you Bob... after having been stuck in Hongkong for over two years it was quite a relief to "fly away" for a while and experience freedom.
Bob This the Pedal Plane I built for my son in 2001. Started every night when he went to sleep around 10PM and worked until 1 or 2 AM every night for months. He played with it several years and now we store it under the Corsair. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm with you. There's nothing that equals flying and that feeling of freedom. Sailing comes close. There's a great feeling when you get the boat trimmed up and it starts to pull and you can hear the sea slipping past the hull. Sailplanes are the same, get them trimmed and and find a thermal and they do their magic. Think about this a lot now.
That is absolutely great ! Thanks. The big one is pretty nice, too. Must have taken a long time to build that one. I don't see the pedals, though. It's good to see something so well cared for. How is "Worry Bird?"
If you want to see old-time pedal planes and many other pedal cars, trucks, tractors and even locomotives and boats, the American Museum of Speed in Lincoln, NE has a huge collection of pedal cars and velocipedes of all kinds. I had the pleasure of visiting the place a couple of weeks ago.
The Museum of American Speed https://www.museumofamericanspeed.com/engines.html TripAdvisor - 211 pics https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g45667-d3194206-Reviews-Museum_of_American_Speed-Lincoln_Nebraska.html#/media-atf/3194206/?albumid=-160&type=0&category=-160 .
Today’s flight. Grand Canyon VFR Corridors, Zion Nat Park, Bryce Canyon and lunch at Marble Canyon (L41) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The Green River canyon is a really impressive flight if it is still open. We used to fly up the canyon on the way to Green River RBS.
Every time i look at an F4U I always think about Lew Wallick, Boeing test pilot, that flew one in the Navy. At one antique fly -in in Oregon I had the opportunity to fly the back seat in an N3N with owner, Jack Tillman. Jack was an SBD pilot who saw action in the Pacific. As we were forming up into a group a PT-19 closed in on our right and very tight, tight enough to see that it was Lew Wallick. He was in that nice slot below and to the right and his eyes never left the N3N. When Jack saw that someone was flying formation with us he said, " Iv'e got the airplane." So during the entire flight, Wallick stayed right where he was and broke formation when we entered final. Jack told me that he took the airplane because he wasn't sure if I had received any formation training and he didn't want any erratic movements with the PT-19 so close. Typical of a surviving old warrior, he had a placard on the instrument panel," Forever Vigilant Or Forever Asleep."
Extremely unusual good weather. Got to fly my buddies Hurry Home Honey N3751D Yesterday. Wanted to get a picture upside down but the ceiling was a little too low and only 3rd flight after some major work on airframe and engine. I am the better looking one in the front. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Last day of the good stuff to see. Monument Valley and the Four Corners. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
