What I dun on my holidays - Florida & Ontario Jan 07

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:17 am

Well, I had a good trip to N America this January, and I’ve finally managed to sort out some pictures, and I’d like to start by saying I’ve been on a promise to a couple of very helpful guys to get this up, so here its.

We met because of WIX, and they showed me a great time on their warbird patch, so a big ‘thank you’ to WIX members Chuck Gardner and Mike Henniger, without whom… Are you blushing yet, guys?

Here follows a run through of some of the highlights.

We flew into Florida in what was, absolutely the longest day of our lives, as from midnight to midnight it lasted 36 hours, and included 20 hours flying, and a couple of hours in LAX, The World's Worst First-World Airport (TM). Urgh. The following day we wandered down to Kermit Weeks' Fantasy of Flight, where Mrs JDK decided we had to go for a flight in the 1927 Standard. Who was I to argue?

And a very tall pilot…

Side by side seating means we were able to take 'flattering' portraits of each other.

This New Standard was caught rum running into the US, and the arrest document is available for inspection, this piece of paper tells quite a story:

They very kindly flew the Piper L-4 on the day, wearing most of my initials...

I then flew up to Pensacola. It's a six hour drive from Orlando, so I flew, which was an hour, but all the messing about at the airports etc. made it nigh on 6 hours travelling anyway.

Having left at 4 am the sunrise was quite nice:

Pensacola seemed to have some of the bases covered, but not all. Wonder if anyone’s tried to get in without pants? Well, it says…

Anyway, the National Museum of the United States Navy went straight into my favourite museums in the world. It's a class act; there's aircraft of the USN, US Marines and US Coast Guard, and runs from airships to spacecraft - there really is something for everyone aeronautically speaking.

I was able to go on the external storage tour, and had a personal tour over the restoration centre where there were some very interesting aircraft under rebuild. I also visited the archive and the photo library. Mmmmm.

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:18 am

After an excellent experience at Pensacola, including being 'rescued' by an ex-F-14 pilot after my cab failed to turn up, I headed down to the Pensacola airport, to discover on what was a normal British winter's day (low cloud, unlimited ground level visibility) no airliners were able to get in.

After several hours of messing about and no sensible information from anyone official, it turned out (according to a Navy aviation safety officer who we got chatting to) that they'd dug up the main runway, and thus disabled the ILS; hence no let down, and no arrivals and no departures. :roll:

With a storm coming in from Texas I gave it away and hired a car - driving from 10pm to 4am, exploring how many stations are playing The Eagles at any given moment. Had I known that Delta were unable to provide the advertised service I'd paid for, I'd have been able to leave at 4pm and arrive at 10 - but hey, jetlag's got to be good for something, right?

Another day, another aviation selection... Off to Kissimmee, where Chuck Gardner (famed WIX member and all around good egg) was great to meet and very helpful with some local knowledge. Chuck's outfit is Warbird Adventures (T-6 aerobatic rides...)

A big thanks to Chuck for his time. I then popped by the White One Fw-190 restoration facility;

Where they had an amazing array of Focke Wulf memorabilia:

And the Lauderback twins working on Crazy Horse and Tom Blair's P-38,

before stopping by Stallion 51 and Blair's facility, where there were some VERY polished warbirds.

As long term supporters of Warbirds Worldwide, it was great to see our magazine in their wall.

There were some other fliers at Kissimmee too - apparently these guys are rare. I wouldn't know.

The next day I got along to the Florida Aviation Museum; the ex-Sun n' Fun museum:

They have an interesting selection of aircraft, including one of the rarest marine aircraft and a great selection of Howard Hughes models and memorabilia.

A really nice guy showed me around; he was an ex-B-29 pilot, and as you’d expect had some great tales, once we’d broken the ice.

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:20 am

Back to Fantasy of Flight. A great museum, and I realise one of the reasons I like it so much is Kermit's tastes are the same as mine - except I have to stick to 1/72.

Just to prove my Mustang aversion is mark specific, I was delighted when Kermit pulled out his P-51B in the red tail colors (sic) and flew it - we had a nice chat afterwards,

and I got his OK to crawl all over his Grumman Duck - even more interesting...

I did the tours the engine shop, metalwork shop, storage hangar, but missed the woodwork tour. Hey, even I can't manage it all.

A great week, and a big thanks to all the great folks in Florida who made me feel welcome, particularly Chuck. Then we were off to Canada, to get our dose of snow and cold, after the unseasonable humid 30 degree C in Florida. After crawling all over the Duck I was wringing wet and NOT nice to know!

Next - Canada, eh?

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:21 am

OK, onto Canada ".. the first nation of hockey, and the best part of North America..." (Joe, A Canadian.

) For my American friends, Mrs JDK is a Canadian, and you’ve gotta stick to the domestic script, right?

First stop, while waiting for Mrs JDK's Air Canada flight to catch up with my earlier Westjet one (Westjet, excellent, cheap, efficient, on time, easy, Air Canada - was there anything they got right?) was a visit to the Toronto Aerospace Museum on the old Toronto airfield at Downsview - an historic site - here they built Lancasters. Most of the old buildings are there...

They were rightly proud of their full size accurate Avro Arrow model:

After staying with friends, who are camera collectors (a Kodak Canada Box Brownie)...

...we took the train to Kingston from Toronto's Central Station - one of those great railway cathedrals.

...Kingston was mildly cold - -2 degrees C, but was to get to - 20 before we left.

I drove down to Trenton, where I was very kindly shown over a certain Halifax...

... by a nice chap who'd re-built the control gearings. Oh, he'd flown 30 operational missions in Bomber Command too.

Driving conditions were a little more ~uh~ rugged and - er - white than we get in Victoria, and they KEEP driving on the wrong side, sheesh. No wonder they have accidents...

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:21 am

We had a bit of fun in the snow, admiring Lake Ontario steaming quietly...

We had a couple of days in Ottawa. Thanks to fellow WIX forumite Mike Henniger, I was able to have a look over the Michael Potter Vintage Wings of Canada collection in Gatenau, Quebec. Mike, was as every a great host, and we had a great time looking over this magnificent collection. Nice, nice nice.

Some lovely aircraft. After the oil change and engine rebuild (or was it the other way around?)

a Canadian penny was wired into the T-6:

And, I finally managed to finally 'meet' an aircraft I'd written about many years before for Warbirds Worldwide. It’s a funny feeling meeting up with something you’ve researched so much about when on another continent.

Many, many thanks to Mr Potter and Mike.

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:22 am

Mike dumped me at the Canadian Aviation Museum, Rockliffe (the hardship) where I said 'hello' to the ex-Australian Maurice Farman Shorthorn, sister aircraft to the RAAF Museum's example (which I have been known to dust) and the other survivor.

Four extra dollars was well spent for a tour of the new storage facility;

...where they've popped their P-51D (quite right too)

Canada's most famous Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau apparently used to give the press the finger from this one (good man):

And my Buchon Collection netted another rare example in original colours:

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:24 am

Finally, I then managed to get to the 'new' Canadian War Museum.

It was, like the Curate's egg, 'good in patches' and certainly has the worst displayed Spitfire in a national museum in the world... It's basically stuffed in the roof, on a beam with only bits visible from the rat-maze you have to go through to see it. Very, very (very) poor.

The Nieuport display was better, but hardly creditable:

While stuffing the fuselage of Barker's Snipe in the corner (how many W.W.I ace's aircraft do we have) was also a case of poor vision.

It was interesting to see this Canadian bush hat from the Boer War with a fast lead moth hole. It's not just the Diggers who folded the brim.

There were some cars - This Merc had one careful owner, slightly soiled Reich.

While some of the museum staff seemed to take the guard job a bit seriously:

And in the basement of the museum was the vehicle storage area. Just rows and rows of (mostly) unlabelled MVs. Again, hardly a great achievement. It's telling that the museum shop had a big book about the architect and the architecture and no guide to the collection. Cart? Horse?

Before we left, we passed through Toronto again, and saw the RCAF Memoroial. It's meant to be a symbolic man touching an eagle, but he's known as 'the Gumby Statue.'

Well, as a great philosopher once said 'That's all folks!' It was a great trip, and we had a good time.

I’d like to say a thanks to all the museum staff at the various facilities who were so helpful, including owners and operators like Stallion51, Kermit Weeks, Michael Potter, the folks in Florida, Ontario and Quebec who made it a great visit, and particularly WIX members Chuck Gardner and Mike Henniger, who arranged for access and contacts which I’d not otherwise have managed.

If I may finish by saying WIX WORX :D

We’ve been back a month, and now I wanna go again – but it summer ‘kay?

Any questions, requests for pics feedback, fire away.

Cheers,

Bill Greenwood · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:39 am

Could you give info on the Griffon Spitfire there and also White One. Is any of it original or all replica? Thanks

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:46 am

Bill Greenwood wrote:

Could you give info on the Griffon Spitfire there and also White One. Is any of it original or all replica? Thanks

Hi Bill,

The Griffon Spitfire is Tom Blair's new one, a Mk.XIV serial RN201 imported from the UK where it was rebuilt by Historic Flying Limited and painted in the postwar race colours of an F-21 Spitfire decorated with a 'Cross of Lorraine'.

As to White One, my mother warned me about playing with W.W.I aircraft and Luftwaffe enthusiasts. "James" she said: "They know details no mortal should wot of with aircraft. Stick to obscure flying boats, you and that Weeks kid will be fine." Luckily for us, they have a very good website:

http://www.white1foundation.org/

Regards -

Tulio · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2004 1:05 am **Posts:** 3236

Great stuff, JDK!

Thank you for sharing your photos and experiences.

Saludos,

Tulio

retroaviation · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 5:31 am

Awesome photos JDK! Thanks for sharing.

Gary

Beachy · **Joined:** Sat Apr 08, 2006 6:20 am **Posts:** 1104

Lovely photos, JDK -- appears that you had a great time!

I laughed when I saw the photo of the Sand Hill Crane........haven't seen one since I left FL! They used to wander all over the place at ISM (taxiways & runways included

) -- A couple times, they stood in our gateway when I'd try to go through on foot in the morning........I'd go around the long way, was never quite sure if they had mean streaks or not!

Thanks for the photos!

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 6:07 am

Thanks folks. A lot of it's just being in the right place at the right time (and the wrong side of the road...)

And for those lurking or hesitant, while there's a fair amount of argument here, I can say it's always been a pleasure to meet up with another WIX member, and discuss, look at and play with the old aeroplanes. That's the main 'lesson' above.

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 8:02 am

wow what a trip!!! happy for you!!! i couldn't have enjoyed myself more than you did in my own country, let alone on this continent. the winnie mae is a repro, original is at the ford museum in michigan

TAdan · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 8:28 am

Thanks for sharing! Looks like a great time.

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What I dun on my holidays - Florida & Ontario Jan 07

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