Old Oshkosh Photo's-1970's Warbirds

[Robbie Stuart]

Is the Hellcat the one that Mike Rettke once owned?
Robbie

[Chad Veich]

Is the Hellcat the one that Mike Rettke once owned?
Robbie

Not 100% but I think that is the ex-Friedkin machine that is now flying with TFC. As I recall the airplane was put down on a road after engine failure but was forced off the road and through some trees by an oncoming truck! Or am I thinking of a different Hellcat?

[T J Johansen]

T J....Just a guess, could that be Bob Love's Mustang? His, as I remember, was a light gray...could be a little color fade or a bit of off balance color after all these years...just a thought.

This is what Love's 51 looked like at the time.
http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/su ... 3079.shtml

The white P-51 behind the Byram airplane looks to me to be painted in the original CAF house colors. Could it be "Old Red Nose" per chance?

I noted that. I can just not remember seeing photos of it in the old colors with a national insignia, but it is a candidate. Anyone that remembers "Red Nose" from the early 70's?

T J

[Steve Nelson]

That's the same Corsair Steve. As popular and attractive as the USS Bunker Hill paint scheme has been, it's amazing that it's only been applied to one Corsair in all these years.

Thanks..and agreed about the paint job. Although it was a bit inaccurate on that bird. It was dark blue over light blue, and should have either been overall dark blue or three-tone. There've been several TBM's restored in Bunker Hill markings, but until you mentioned it I didn't realize that was the only Corsair.

Steve Nelson wrote:
My freinds and I were totally stoked to see a Corsair in person.

That's funny.

The joke was unintentional..I didn't realize why you found that funny until I noticed the owner's name..


SN

[leo]

I don't know if the "Oogahonk Special" #97 and Bob Loves "Non Carborundum Illiegitemitis" (Bonnie's Bo) were the same plane (I don't have N #'s handy), but from the late 70's it was in an erzatz WW2 paint scheme, all white base, until his death. It carried various markings from his career.

[T J Johansen]

I don't know if the "Oogahonk Special" #97 and Bob Loves "Non Carborundum Illiegitemitis" (Bonnie's Bo) were the same plane (I don't have N #'s handy), but from the late 70's it was in an erzatz WW2 paint scheme, all white base, until his death. It carried various markings from his career.

Same a/c.

T J

[hang the expense]

The hellcat was owned by some airline pilots from delta.One of them was Mike Retke.The duck was Frank Tallmans and I helped him change the tail wheel after it schreaded.As a 14 year old kid that was just the coolest thing.The Hellcat brings back memories for me because one of the owners gave me a QEC from a dash 3 model after they robbed some goodies off of it. I would skip school to go over to the old Atlanta a/p to help work on it.Mostly cleaning the belly. Its been down hill ever since and I wouldnt change a thing.

[Stoney]

The camo wing in one picture is Jack Hoves' P-51 that Bob raced at Reno after he converted the Special back to stock, Icrewed on the one 79' to 83'

[b29flteng]

The P-47 was on loan to the CAF at the time by Duane Egli and Ed Jurist, flown by Randy Sohn. I remember seeing two P-51s there with For Sale signs in their canopy, I remember one had a price of $49,000! Boy, have times changed! I also got a ride in the tri-motor for $5.00, $10.00 got you a seat as copilot! The next year I got a ride for $5.00 in a Boeing 247, $10.00 for a copilot seat. There were gaps in the show line during the afternoon airshow, I hear now it's 20-30 people deep!

[PeterA]

Is the Hellcat the one that Mike Rettke once owned?
Robbie

For reference here is a shot of Mike Rettke's Hellcat N79863 that I took at AirWar74, Windsor.

PeterA