Thu Oct 27, 2011 1:43 am
Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:25 am
Thu Oct 27, 2011 3:56 pm
Thu Oct 27, 2011 6:16 pm
Thu Oct 27, 2011 6:57 pm
The Writing Wrench
What hasn't been said about Gary often enough, I think, is that he was (as well as remarkable warbird mechanic and inspirational role model in that job) a remarkable writer. I get to sub-edit and work on a huge number of aviation articles and books, and it's axiomatic that those aircraft engineers with the best stories to tell are impossible to get those stories out of - and if you can, those stories are a nightmare to knock into shape.
But Gary was a complete exception to this. His posts on WIX were remarkably clean and polished, and like many other great artists, you don't notice the real skill was making the very hard look easy. His writing was remarkably clear, grammatically correct and well spelled, and his style, while deliberately not formal in most cases, managed to convey sometimes difficult or emotive concepts in a accessible way that treated his reader as a peer. Frankly, I'd be proud to communicate as well as Gary at times.
Sadly, thanks to Photobucket, we have lost most of Gary's images he used to illustrate his stories and posts, but I think that it is a remarkable measure of the man that so many of his stories stand well even without that apparently crucial element.
If you want to read some writing that in the warbird environment is, I think, the equal to that of those recognised as 'great writers' (whatever that may be) I commend grabbing a cup of tea, cocktail or preferred light brew, and sitting down to one of the following:
Rookie school in a Cassutt.
viewtopic.php?t=13895
2007 Reno Air Races...A Rookie's Adventure
viewtopic.php?t=16024
Flying a Tiger Moth
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17511&start=40
The WIX Light Bulb answer
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14021
Thu Oct 27, 2011 9:59 pm
Pat Carry wrote:I know he is missed by a whole bunch of people!
Fri Oct 28, 2011 4:53 am
Fri Oct 28, 2011 5:48 am
Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:48 am
mustangdriver wrote:Sometimes there is wisdom in the very young. I feel the following applies for Gary as well;
Last December I lost my long time friend Clair. Sometimes we lose someone and the pain eventually goes away, and then there are those we lose that leave a hole in our lives. Clair is the second. When Clair passed my daughter was upset as Clair always took the time to play with her. When The B-17 Liberty Belle had it's fire her and I were watching the coverage on the TV. Here is the part that relates to Gary. She looked at me and asked:
Elizabeth: "Is that B-17 gone?"
Me: "Yeah I think so"
Elizabeth:"Are you sad?"
Me:"Yeah, it's very sad to lose this plane."
Elizabeth:"Well it's OK, Mr. Clair just needed a B-17 to work on."
I had to fight back tears after that.
Fri Oct 28, 2011 12:26 pm
Fri Oct 28, 2011 3:22 pm
JDK wrote:I've (finally) got the tribute to Gary done on on my blog here:
Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:20 am
Sun Oct 30, 2011 6:29 pm
Django wrote:Very nice James.
Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:34 am
Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:16 pm