Huge motorcycle procession with warbird top cover? DFW area

[K5DH]

About lunch time today (Saturday, 05/17/14) there was a HUGE procession of motorcycles, with police escort, southbound on IH-35E coming through Denton County with two O-2 Skymasters and one O-1 Bird Dog flying top cover (along with what I believe to be a camera plane, looked like a straight-tail Bonanza with tip tanks). Law enforcement had traffic held back in a "rolling roadblock" about 1/2 mile behind the procession. I didn't see the beginning, so I don't know who or what was on point. The three warbirds and camera ship were flying a cover pattern back and forth over the procession all the way down the highway. Anyone have any info? It was impressive, and was obviously something very important.

[LadyO2Pilot]

The gray O2 belongs to Cavanaugh and the black O2 is owned by you know who. The Birddog belongs to Tom Schad from Gainesville. And what you thought was a Camera Plane was actually a QU22 that saw service in Vietnam. In fact that particular plane was based at NKP Thailand at the same time my plane was. And now you have the rest of the story.

[JohnB]

Neat about the QU-22. I wonder how many still fly...or exist (I know some went to trade schools as free Bonanzas)?
Does it still have its weird geared engine with cowl "hump"?

[LadyO2Pilot]

There was also Cavanaugh Bell 47 flying out 400 feet over the procession the whole way from Meacham to Denton and then back down in the Dallas. the procession was to honor a local soldier badly injured in the Middle East.

[LadyO2Pilot]

Re QU, it's my understanding that there are only two flyable and then maybe one more in the museum maybe two. Yes funny geared engine with the hump

Last edited by LadyO2Pilot on Sat May 17, 2014 9:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[CAPFlyer]

There was also Cavanaugh Bell 47 flying out 400 feet over the procession the whole way from Meacham to Denton and then back down in the Dallas. the procession was to honor a local soldier badly injured in the Middle East.

That explains why I saw the 47 taking off out of Business Jet at DAL early this afternoon and heading back for Addison.

[K5DH]

Hi Karen,

Thanks for the info! I was wondering about the QU-22. It didn't really "seem" like a Bonanza, but it definitely was something similar, and not a T-34.

The whole thing was a very impressive tribute. Nicely done!

[LadyO2Pilot]

Thanks, Dean.........It did appear to come off well. I'm just thankful that I was asked to participate. I had a fun weekend at Cavanaugh and the flying over the procession was real special treat.

[4RG.I.'S]

Strange how we see things and don't know what we are seeing until it's too late. There was a tech school in Arizona selling off some of it's aircraft on a gov surplus auction site a few months back. I was looking at a couple of the aircraft and something just didn't look right. Turns out they were a couple of QU's... If I recall they went for almost nothing.

[shrike]

Strange how we see things and don't know what we are seeing until it's too late. There was a tech school in Arizona selling off some of it's aircraft on a gov surplus auction site a few months back. I was looking at a couple of the aircraft and something just didn't look right. Turns out they were a couple of QU's... If I recall they went for almost nothing.

That was Cochise College in Douglas. IIRC they had been cut pretty heavily to make static run stands, but they did still have the bulgy cowls.

[eagle21]

A few pictures of the planes at Addison.

JMC








Addison Used Aircraft Parking Lot! Great Deals for Low Priced Viet Nam Era Warbirds!

[eagle21]

Some more, including a certain PLBA!

JMC

[eagle21]

Return to base after the escort mission.

JMC