You never know what to expect when you pull up at Stephens County Airport, but literally as I stepped out of my car and shut the door, the “Red Bull” P-38 roared out from behind the hangar, just breaking ground as the gear was rotating into the wells! Man, that plane is extremely quiet until it passes. Then that low, muffled exhaust note really puts a pounding to your chest.
Once again, an amazing welcome to an otherwise sleepy little airstrip!
It’s been two weeks since my last visit to Ezell Aviation, but the amount of progress they’ve accomplished during that time was impressive to say the least. The arrangement in the hangar had completely changed, with the primary focus centered on the Lone Star Flight Museum birds, and Dan Friedkin’s F4U-4 Corsair. As you can see in the photos, a half dozen of the guys in Nelson’s crew were attacking the Corsair from all sides! It’s amazing how much work they’ve already accomplished in such a short period of time. After a complete refurb of the cockpit, firewall forward, wheel wells, and the proper repair of some older fuselage patches, the F4U is expected to fly out for paint before the end of the year.
The unexpected highlight of the day was learning that Sigi Engerer and his son Daniel were present to make their first flights aboard the “Red Bull” P-38! The duo had arrived from Austria to see the Lightning, and were making the most of their visit by enjoying a cross country tour in a very nice Husky floatplane loaned to them by a friend. I had the chance to hang out with Daniel while his father was beating up the airfield on his first flight. He was a super nice, very down to earth fellow with an obvious passion for the vintage iron. Turns out he’s also a pilot with the “Flying Bulls” collection. Unsurprisingly, both he and his father were visibly stoked over the experience with their new plane.
From the looks of it, the P-38 will be departing for good in a couple of weeks as soon as the last of the paperwork is cleared for the final trip to Austria. An unfortunate goodbye for US warbird aficionados, but clearly a fantastic blessing for Europe and one of it’s premier warbird collections.
...and the man that makes it all happen...
_________________
Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.comhttp://www.robmears.com
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