Six of Diamonds

Nathan · **Posted:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:56 am

Anyone remember the Six of Diamonds aero team? Are they debunk now?

Django · **Posted:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 9:30 am

Why, were they never really pilots?

I think you mean defunct.

Nathan · **Posted:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 9:50 am

Django wrote:

Why, were they never really pilots?

I think you mean defunct.

Yep.

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 10:51 am

Of course I remember the Six of Diamonds!
Bill Dodds, Pete Vandersluis, Dan Dameo, Chuck Kruger, Jerry Walburn,
Jim Beasley, Ed Shipley, Dan Calderale and a few I'm missing were all Diamond pilots at various times.

Great act and a great bunch of guys. Fortunately, most are still with us,
they're just doing other things.
Jerry

Jim Beasley · **Posted:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:37 pm

When Bill Dodds died in 1997 that kinda ended it. We found Bill under his plane, in cardiac arrest. Nothing like trying to teach Shipley CPR while I was doing the breathing. He had been down for a while so it didn't work. Anyway Dan Caldarale and I continued it as a two ship for a while but the Horsemen became more of a focus.

Here's a shot from Batavia 1997 with Snort in the slot.

Jerry O'Neill wrote:

Of course I remember the Six of Diamonds!
Bill Dodds, Pete Vandersluis, Dan Dameo, Chuck Kruger, Jerry Walburn,
Jim Beasley, Ed Shipley, Dan Calderale and a few I'm missing were all Diamond pilots at various times.

Great act and a great bunch of guys. Fortunately, most are still with us,
they're just doing other things.
Jerry

Robbie Roberts · **Posted:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:44 pm

Many years ago(mid 1990s), I lived with a nice girl about a mile straight off the end of the Red Lion Airport. I loved it because that was where Dan Calderale was based- his property abutted one end of the runway, and he had a nice hangar there. Almost every morning, it seemed, I would hear the roar of not one but two T-6s as they went out to play. And not too infrequently, I go to run outside to watch their routine a few miles distant, over the fields of Tabernacle.

Robbie

wls3 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 5:50 pm

Sussex, NJ 19??

Republic Field, Long Island, NY Sept. 2008

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 744

You know, the Six of Diamonds were the first airshow act I ever saw when I was about 8 years old! (I think it was at Wilkes Barre or somewhere in NE PA) (That's about 28 years ago...)

I will always remember that. Everytime I walked past Bill Dodd's airplane when it was based at MJX on my way to the "Spirit" I was reminded of that first airshow experience...

Thanks, fellas!

John Dupre · **Posted:** Tue Nov 25, 2008 7:13 pm

Jerry O'Neill wrote:

Of course I remember the Six of Diamonds!
Bill Dodds, Pete Vandersluis, Dan Dameo, Chuck Kruger, Jerry Walburn,
Jim Beasley, Ed Shipley, Dan Calderale and a few I'm missing were all Diamond pilots at various times.

Great act and a great bunch of guys. Fortunately, most are still with us,
they're just doing other things.
Jerry

How about Reese Dill? He still has a T-6 here at Hanscom (BED).

corsair166b · **Posted:** Tue Nov 25, 2008 8:50 pm

I'm sorry, and please, folks try to take this in the spirit it is intended....but Bill Dodds passing away under the wing of his plane doing what he loved to do, flying at a summer airshow....wow, what a great way to go out! I heard about that and thought what a great way to go....and certainly better than going out at the wheel of the plane and resulting in a crash in front of the spectators.

It may offend some, I dunno....but it sounds like the perfect way to go out at an airshow to me....

Mark

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 12:51 am

How could I forget Reese Dill!!!!! (A New England boy!)

I knew there was someone I was missing!
Jerry

John Dupre · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 7:55 am

corsair166b wrote:

I'm sorry, and please, folks try to take this in the spirit it is intended....but Bill Dodds passing away under the wing of his plane doing what he loved to do, flying at a summer airshow....wow, what a great way to go out! I heard about that and thought what a great way to go....and certainly better than going out at the wheel of the plane and resulting in a crash in front of the spectators.

It may offend some, I dunno....but it sounds like the perfect way to go out at an airshow to me....

Mark

Reminds me of the death of the WW2 fighter pilot and Korean war Sabre ace Bob Love. He was found dead in a lawn chair under the wing of his P-51 Mustang. I thought the same way, if you have to go.....

Stoney · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:30 am

Bob was a friend and he had several flights lined up for that day. I crewed for him at Reno for Hovey's P-51.

Speeddemon651 · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:03 pm **Posts:** 235

Pete Vandersluis previously owned my T-6 and was apart of the 6 of Diamonds, anyone know how I can get in touch with him ?

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:31 am

Quote:

Pete Vandersluis previously owned my T-6 and was apart of the 6 of Diamonds, anyone know how I can get in touch with him ?

his son Jay does T-6 instruction at Kissimmee, FL with Stallion.

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