Tired Iron Racing team

[spookyboss]

Tired Iron's hanger in Casper WY. 1985 I flew up for a visit with a friend of mine Doug Goss in his T-6. Over Douglas,WY. Dick met us with Wildcatter there T-6. So there we are at 10,000 ft. in formation 2 T-6's fat dumb and happy when screaming thru our two ship comes Wart Hog there Corsair needless to say it was impressive!!!

[corsair166b]

Never made it that far north from Denver to actually see the collection in Casper, WY but saw them at local airshows...they came down with the B-25 and the Corsair to Denver once and were firing the propane machine guns at each other on the ramp as they taxiied...kinda funny, but I never got an up close and personal look at either the -25 or the Corsair till MUCH later, after Tired iron had dissolved and Don Davis had parted with almost everything....of course, the B-25 came to Denver and was owned by Jerry Tepper as 'Can Do' for about 10 years before he sold it on to Wally Fisk.....flew in it many times during that period, once to Midland, and once accompanying the B-29/LB-30 on a tour over Denver prior to an airshow to generate interest...
The Corsair went to the west coast with Gary Meermans and eventually wound up with Jeff Clyman back east and is now, of course, 'Skyboss'....got to fly with it at the Corsair show in CT 2 summers ago....

M

[spookyboss]

I might add the ME-109 in the foreground was restored but on the first test flight one of the brakes locked up rolling it in a ball. Jim Good test pilot was OK with only some small cuts and bruises. In the background is A-26 soon to be named "Puss and Boots".

[astixjr]

I remember the day that the A-26 arrived at it's new home, Avra Valley Airport just North of Tucson. I was working as an aircraft salesman for the FBO and tried to talk my father into buying that A-26 in partnership with the Abrams family. Bud Abrams and I flew to Casper and looked at the plane, Bud took one look at it and fell in love with it. My father chickened out but Bud purchased the plane anyway. I originally located the plane while looking for an A-26 for Evergreen, who I went to work for a few months later. Evergreen passed on Puss In Boots but purchased one of the other A-26s I had located, from Denny Lynch. As fate would have it, both airplanes arrived in AZ on the same day, at about the exact same time so they joined up and made some passes together. I have some video tape somewhere that shows the passes. The ex-Lynch A-26's pass was so low, it's really hard to watch, it looks like the prop tips are only a foot or two off the deck. If you guys want, I'll try to find the clip and post it on my photobucket video page.

[Bill Greenwood]

I was taught to fly the Spitfire by Earl Ketchen of Tired Iron. One experienced Spitfire pilot had told Earl that he should not do it as I was too inexperienced. Thankfully Earl was not easily discouraged, and he was great to work with. We had a lot of fun, all the guys were good pilots, but were also an uninhibited and a wild bunch. Earl used to dogfight in the P-51 with I think Mike Wright in the Corsair. Earl asked me if he could borrow the Spitfire once and I said ok, where are you going. Earl said I'm going to tell him to meet me at a designated place at 12000', but he's going to be surprised because I'm going be in the Spitfire and at 15000". Mike and Dick were about 240 lbs each and Chris was about their total. When they came to your airport they brought enough warbirds that it was instant airshow as well as instant party. Don was sort of quite, but he was the spark of it all. If anybody sees these guys now give them my best.

[corsairboss]

Found this one, from back in the early 80's and I have a couple
of ground shots.

[RNDMTRS4EVR]

I sure wish there were that many Warbirds in Casper now! But there is not Just Jim Good's T-6 and a couple of Migs, Which is better than nothing at all. I have been wanting to go over and visit with Jim, but I have not had the time and I don't even know when he is there either.
Scott.....

[astixjr]

No doubt, I heard some pretty wild stories about the Tired Iron bunch and the Fabulous Wright Brothers, Mike and Dick. I've often wondered what ever happened to them.

[bdk]

I might add the ME-109 in the foreground was restored but on the first test flight one of the brakes locked up rolling it in a ball.

Was that the one Tallichet had/has?

Last edited by bdk on Mon Nov 20, 2006 1:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[DCogdon1]

I was going to ask about the '109 myself. Looks like a Buchon (going by the bulge ahead of the canopy - that looks like the top of the cowling to me)??

[Stoney]

Mike Wright lives in Texas and is an airline pilot

[Bill Greenwood]

Thanks, Stoney. I remember these guys were good pilots, not just in Warbirds, but I bet Mike's current job has a lot more routine and less fun than the old days. A few years back someone said Dick might be in Tenn. area and flying corporate or airline. Jim is in Casper, does anyone no about Chris?

[astixjr]

What was the mechanic's name? He got the A-26 ready for the flight to Tucson and rode along with Dick when he delivered it. I think he might have been one of the guys who went to South America to get the plane for the Tired Iron group in the first place.

[DCogdon1]

What happened to the '109 in the end? Scrapped?

[astixjr]

I found some older video of the ex-Tired Iron and ex-Lynch A-26s arriving in the Tucson area for their new owners. The sound quality is bad due to a bad microphone on my old Hitachi camera for the 1980s. Sorry for the poor quality but I'm just learning to transfer older VCR tape clips to my computer and upload them. Look how low the ex-Lynch A-26 is.

http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/a ... =A-26s.flv

http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/a ... Arrive.flv