Wally McDonnell

Simon Beck · **Joined:** Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:20 pm **Posts:** 137

Does anyone know this warbird collector?

He lives in Northern California and owns a SeaBee I'm told,
he was also involved in Mustangs and air-racing.

Quite keen to talk to him about his experiences flying the O-47.

Red · **Posted:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:51 pm

I see Wally from time to time at KSTS. His Seabee went down in a vineyard some years ago, but he is rebuilding it. PM me your contact info and next time I see him I will pass it along.

Red

retroaviation · **Posted:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:11 pm

Wally is also the guy who finished the flying scenes in the original Flight of the Phoenix, after Paul Mantz got killed in a crash during filming. While working at Ezell Aviation, we built a Sea Fury for him, that he sold to Mike Keenum upon completion. That Fury is now known as Riff Raff.

Gary

Lynn Allen · **Posted:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:51 pm

retroaviation wrote:

Wally is also the guy who finished the flying scenes in the original Flight of the Phoenix, after Paul Mantz got killed in a crash during filming. While working at Ezell Aviation, we built a Sea Fury for him, that he sold to Mike Keenum upon completion. That Fury is now known as Riff Raff.

Gary

I didn't know that he finish the scenes in the FOP. He was always at the show, "Breckenridge".... :wink:

Lynn

Neal Nurmi · **Posted:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:25 am

Actually that Sea Fury, along with a lot of other stuff, burned up in a big hangar fire at Minter Field, if I recall correctly. I think Keenum's bird is mostly a data plate job...

retroaviation · **Posted:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 4:04 am

Neal Nurmi wrote:

Actually that Sea Fury, along with a lot of other stuff, burned up in a big hangar fire at Minter Field, if I recall correctly. I think Keenum's bird is mostly a data plate job...

Two different Sea Furies, Neal. Wally's original one did burn up, but the one I'm talking about is a second one, and is Riff Raff. I was there when the airplane was finished/first flew, along with Wally and Keenum there doing the transaction of swapping ownership. :-)

Gary

Red · **Posted:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:05 am

He also did Baa Baa Blacksheep and some air racing too. Neet guy. Very unassuming. You wouldn't guess all his exploits at first brush.

leo · **Posted:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:52 pm

He had a B-26K back in the 70's, saw it at several shows. As I remember he had a landing accident at Mojave in it.

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11319

leo wrote:

He had a B-26K back in the 70's, saw it at several shows. As I remember he had a landing accident at Mojave in it.

I think that one crashed at Chino- http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=43492&key=0

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/a26registry/a26-6417657.html

http://www.airliners.net/photo/On-Mark-A-26K/0694647/L/

51fixer · **Posted:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:55 pm

IIRC he lost an eye in a TBM crash while spraying on a forest contract.
Rich

leo · **Posted:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:58 pm

Well, at least I had the Origin airport right. I did remember that it was a prop reversal that caused it, and the shots in Air Classics at that time showed the gear torn off amongst other damage.
I have several pics of it at a Travis AFB show but no way to download here. It was pretty ratty but nice to see it in it's military markings. Back in the 74-78 era there were several B-26's and B-25's that were in less than perfect condition around Northern Cal. We had a B-25 at Vacaville for awhile (it later was in Hanover Street as Big Bad Bonnie I think, I'll have to look at the N number on my photo's) that was in VERY nasty condition but flew regularly.
Thanks for the correction!

Neal Nurmi · **Posted:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:31 pm

I didn't know that Wally had the airplane that became Riff Raff built up! Thanks for that bit of history, Gary.

Where did that aiframe come from?

retroaviation · **Posted:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:19 pm

Neal, I just spoke with Nelson about it and I'll make a post tomorrow (just using my cell phone now).

Gary

Lynn Allen · **Posted:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 11:38 pm

Wasn't it Baby Gorilla that was burnt in the hangar fire??

Lynn

T J Johansen · **Posted:** Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:27 am

leo wrote:

Well, at least I had the Origin airport right. I did remember that it was a prop reversal that caused it, and the shots in Air Classics at that time showed the gear torn off amongst other damage.
I have several pics of it at a Travis AFB show but no way to download here. It was pretty ratty but nice to see it in it's military markings. Back in the 74-78 era there were several B-26's and B-25's that were in less than perfect condition around Northern Cal. We had a B-25 at Vacaville for awhile (it later was in Hanover Street as Big Bad Bonnie I think, I'll have to look at the N number on my photo's) that was in VERY nasty condition but flew regularly.
Thanks for the correction!

Here is a thread dealing with McDonnell and his B-26Ks. Are you sure the B-25 you mention isn't Lee Schaller/ Ralph Johnson's N86427 that John Hawke "wrestled with" across the atlantic?

Lynn Allen wrote:

Wasn't it Baby Gorilla that was burnt in the hangar fire??

Lynn

Baby Gorilla was sold to Paul Morgan in the UK. Now with Dan Borgström in Sweden undergoing restoration. Wally McDonnell's a/c was #106 in dark greyish colors. Raced at Reno if I'm not mistaken.

T J

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