Gary's New Job..................

[Jack Cook]

[tom d. friedman]

sssshhhh......don't tell the wife....... but those windows i'd clean any day!!

[Shay]

Jack got info behind this picture?

Looks like she might be from the 512th BS. A sister ship to "Strawberry Bitch"

Shay
_____________
Semper Fortis

[Jack Cook]

she might be from the 512th BS. A sister ship to "Strawberry Bitch"

Correct and good eye. This is the night before the Ploesti raid

[retroaviation]

Thanks for the photo, Jack. Hopefully though, everyone in the Squadron will take the time to help keep our new windows clean.

Gary

[CAPFlyer]

I can think of a few people in my neck of the woods who could use some quality time polishing those windows, probably myself included. Feel free to bring her out to Lancaster for a visit sometime.

[Ztex]

This is the night before the Ploesti raid

Did they make it back?

Dang makes you feel humble...

Z

[Former Member]

Thanks for the photo, Jack. Hopefully though, everyone in the Squadron will take the time to help keep our new windows clean.

Gary

If you open up that invitation to the general public just make sure you confiscate their keys first.

John

[Jack Cook]

Once at a fly-in I saw a old duffer in overalls whip out his pocket knife and slice open a Stearman just to see if it was really fabric. The owner had to be restrained from beating him

[mustangdriver]

Oh my god Jack, I would have killed him!

[Dan K]

I saw similar at a fly-in here. Two men--one a Stearman owner--were having a bit of a tiff. It seems the other gentleman's son was caught by the owner punching holes in the Stearman's elevator with a pencil. The owner chewed out the boy for doing so, and so the dad was chewing out the owner for making his son feel bad!

[Richard W.]

The pencil story reminds me of the NMUSAF.

When I was a kid, the aircraft in the main building had no barriers between them and the public. They were merely parked all over the place just as if it were a real hangar, and you could walk all the way around and duck under them for a good look. It was wonderful.

Looking at the pictures posted recently, I see that visitors are now confined to walkways, out of arms reach of the aircraft. I was wondering if it's because people just cannot be trusted anymore not to break souvenirs off or otherwise damage the birds.

[tom d. friedman]

i can believe the souvinir theory. some years back when i was at the usaf museum a volunteer politely told me to get my paws off a bird i was touching, & said that oils / acids of the hands weren't good for the aircraft's finish. i was a little put off at the time, but did as asked. a little while later i thought he was right, as many fine antiques are handled with gloves.

[hsperdue]

Another near horror story... I took my Stearman to a show/fly-in shortly before I took it to Oshkosh on '03.... was talking to some one on one side when I saw a little head on the other going toward the front seat... I rushed over to the other side to find this lady's little one about to scamper off towards the wing-tip... happy as a clam... mother just as happy... I yelled at him to stop and get off... the mother was mad at me for yelling at him... I asked her how she'd feel if I just waltzed into her house wiped my muddy feet on the couch and then cut it up with a knife.... she didnt' even know what rude and inconsiderate was....

If some clown had cut the fabric I'm not sure what I would have done....

[Jack Cook]

One year at Arlington we had a guy climb up ino the left seat of the 25 and start pulling levers and switches. When told to get the h*ll out he flatley stated that he paid his admissision and had the right and to back off Threats of violence convinced him otherwise