Wix Folks in Houston

[Eric Presten]

I will be in Houston over X-mas trying to find some vintage types to take pictures of (and use as an excuse to hide from my inlaws). Any Wix people have a cool airport and or airplanes to visit? Love to meet some of you guys face to face.

[Holedigger]

There is the Texas Raiders CAF B-17 group down at Houston, Hobby Airport, SE corner down I-45,


there is a group out on the NW corner of town with some big blue round engined AC, can't think of the airfield off the top of my head, near I-10 and Hwy 6, and there is always Galveston if you are up for a little drive, Lone Star Flight Museum, http://www.lsfm.org/, is supposed to be partially up and going (still recovering)


Come on people chime in! I know you're out there! Give the man some places to visit!

Holedigger

[RickH]

I could probably find a couple of old planes for you to look at...

[Bill Greenwood]

There is a small CAF group at West Houston airport with a Bt- 13, SBD , T-6 etc. Nice folks, nice little gen av airport just 1 mile north of I-10. They may be active on weekends don't know about in Winter.

[Elroy13]

Welcome to Houston!

[John Cotter]

There is a small CAF group at West Houston airport with a Bt- 13, SBD , T-6 etc. Nice folks, nice little gen av airport just 1 mile north of I-10. They may be active on weekends don't know about in Winter.

Yup, we are active year round. We have an AT-6, BT-13, Stinson, C-60, and a N3N. Also in our hangar is a privately owned SNJ. On the field is also a YAK 52 that I fly. Plus a private T-28 and Pilatus P-3. Someone is at the hangar on weekend days from around 1030-1600. Check out the website for contact info: http://www.westhoustonsqdn.org/index.html

[Eric Presten]

Thanks guys, great leads. Thanks for the PMs as well. Will be looking at some nice airplanes it sounds like.

[Bill Greenwood]

Eric, you didn't say how you are getting to Houston. If you fly in there are two airline airports. Hobby is in the SE edge of town, not far from Ellington.

International is in the far north part, a long way up. Hooks is a gen av airport near Int, not too much in warbirds that I know of, Stearman? etc. It does or did have a nice cafe in the airport, also a couple of flight schools. It has a water runway also. Not the best part of town, once you are outside the airport.
W. Hou is sw of Hooks, just 2 miles north of I-10, the main east west freeway. There are a number of motels along there to stay at, various prices and quality.

[Eric Presten]

Thanks for the info Bill.

I wish I was going in my seaplane (she has been to Houston on floats), but I am going by airline this time.

That water runway would be fun. Any nice seaplanes based there?

Where do you keep your airplane/airplanes.

[RSpivey]

I could probably find a couple of old planes for you to look at...

They don't let you touch airplanes... what are you talking about

[RickH]

No they don't let YOU touch the real planes ! At least not without adult supervision !

Don't you have an F-4 sim your supposed to be fixin' ?

[Bill Greenwood]

Eric, re things to see in HOU. It's not "birds", but it sure as heck is war; that is the San Jacinto Monument a few miles north of Hobby airport, and west of Ellington. In the war with Mexico in 1836, after the Battle of the Alamo the Mex GEN. ANTONIO LOPEZ DE SANTA ANNA moved northeast after Gen. Sam Houston. They had won the Alamo fight, but at a cost of perhaps a third of his forces killed and wounded. Santa Anna called it "a small affair" but Gen. Cos wrote of his divisions which led the attack, "we brought 800 of the finest guards to the Alamo and we left 660 of them there on the ground". By San Jacinto the Texas army was real tired of running, and this time the Mexicans only outnumbered them by half again. Houston attacked and in about 30 minutes won Texas from Mexico in exchange for letting Santa Anna and those who survived return to Mexico. A lot of the Mexican soldiers tried to run away, not so brave in an even fight. For the Texans it was revenge not only for the Alamo, but for the execution of the men after Fannin had surrendered at Goliad. They left the Mexican dead on the ground for the coyotes.

There is a museum there now, and also the Battleship Texas in the river alongside. I was there as a kid and greatly impressed with a Bowie knife on display. From the 570 foot ( tallest in the world) monument there is a Great view, from the ship channel to NASA. There used to be a great seafood and chicken restaurant there when I was young. Well worth a morning to see. I have flown by it a number of times.

[Eric Presten]

Thanks for the info Bill, I think we will check that out. My kids will like it as well.

[RickH]

BB35, TEXAS is cool. Last Dreadnought class battleship to survive. Recip steam engine, last of that type to survive. Wait till you see the connecting rods, they're huge !!

[Eric Presten]

Had a great and fruitful trip to Texas thanks to the WIX guys help.

We went to the San Jacincto monument as recommended (by Bill G.), and went to see the WW1 Battleship USS Texas. Both very educational and just plane fun. A visit to the Alimo finished off my battle for Texas education along with a little help from the IMAX and San Jacincto monument movies on the subject.

We also went out twice to see Rick and the Collings Collection crew in Houston. Rick was very gracious and let us look around inside the Tracker. My boys got to ride in it while Rick towed it out on the ramp so I could get some “book usable” pictures of it, and for that I would like to thank him and his crew. It was also nice to meet his son Ryan and see some of his nice photography.

By the way Rick, later in the day, I saw a huge cloud of smoke rising from the part of town where Elington Field is. Was this a practice fire set by the guys who were out there fire training when I was at the field earlier in the day?

We had a great tour, and I would like to thank all involved for their help. Let me know when you guys might be out here so I can repay the favor.