Warbird Information Exchange

Ryan:

I will double-check with Steve Brown about the WIX thread on the B-24 but I know of no conversation or directive that prohibited Gary from writing about his experiences.

The people at CAF HQ, from Steve Brown on down, all loved Gary, regretted his decision to leave the organization, remained concerned and involved with him as much as they could. Read Brad Pilgrim's lengthy and beautifully written post and you might get a sense of what that illness did to Gary. What Steve Brown wrote on the CAF website was from the heart: to imply something else is unfair to all who worked with Gary on a daily basis.

Old Shep

Understood, and that's why I posted my second post on this thread. I think perhaps some other posters' statements weren't showing the whole picture, and I feel it's well clarified from what Brad and Steve wrote.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

I wasn't sure I would be able to post any pictures, but decided to put this up. Gary would probably kick me in the backside if he were still able.......

He sent us this in late July, and the email title is "Free nostril cleaning service........"

His text read "I hate dogs."

Scott

I posted this in the "Gone West" thread, but thought I'd share it here too, as it's literally Gary in pictures (moving pictures, but pictures nonetheless). This video interview with Gary was recorded during AirVenture 2007.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/pla ... 6700747001

I got to know him best through a bunch of private messages back and forth about various subjects. Gary was the type of guy that would give you the shirt off his back. When I posted in the "Best piece of a warbird" topic that I didn't own anything off a warbird, Gary sent me a rocker arm unit off an Allison engine from the wreck of the P-38 "Scatterbrain Kid." While I didn't know him as well as most, I knew him as a friend, and I'll miss him dearly.

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Curator - EAA Aviation Museum, Oshkosh, WI
"Let No Story Go Untold!"
http://www.timelessvoices.org

Thanks for sharing!!

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Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
Badmouthing Stearmans on WIX since 2005

[quote="Zachary"]When I posted in the "Best piece of a warbird" topic that I didn't own anything off a warbird, Gary sent me a rocker arm unit off an Allison engine from the wreck of the P-38 "Scatterbrain Kid."[/quote

How very, very cool.

Thanks to all for posting these images and stories of a great man.

Dave C

Inspecting something on the B-24 after arriving at Oshkosh in 2008.

I just found that I still had these online, so I figured I'd share them.

I only got to spend "quality time" with Gary once at the Summer Staff Conference in 2008. There, I met Gary, his then new replacement as B-29/B-24 Squadron Crew Chief Dave Miller. That day I also got the honor of presenting Gary with a special momento from the WiX guys for the work he did on the B-24 and letting us into his "world" during the process. I put the pictures of Gary and Julian on the other thread, so I'll just put the Staff Meeting picture here.

First, the poster -



And Gary -