Warbird Information Exchange

Here was the best I had Brad

Looking at Steve's photos, did Ready4Duty get a surprise repaint? She sure looks shinier than the last time I saw her last year (before they flew her up to Sherman for the metal repair around the emergency hatch).

Thanks Brad for posting the photos AND FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY. Don't apologize for your pix they were great especially the Avenger with the light behind it.
bill word

Congrats to Taylor (me109me109) and his L-4 for winning best in show at this years Arisho. Sorry you weren't there in person to accept the award but it was well deserved. Your airplane not blew away the judges but the judges that you spoke with came away more impressed with you. The other winners were: Best fighter- P-51C NL61429. Best Bomber- B-25 N125AZ "Maid in the Shade". Best Cargo/Transport- C-47 N33VW "Mr. C it's Tuesday". Best Liaison/Observation- L-17 N4276K. Best Trainer- N2S-1 N48182. Best Vietnam- DHC-4A Caribou N149HF. As mentioned, the weather kept the turnout down but thanks to all of those who attended, we still had some nice aircraft to judge.

Brad,

Sorry I didn't get by the C-17, but I did see you (didn't know it was you at the time, but I guess it was you) sitting on ramp when ya'll were blasting back once.

I flew right seat in the Yellow Rose, with Grant Lannon in the left and Jim Liles as Flight Mechanic, for the show and then the FM changed to Greg Young for the photo mission afterward. Flying on the wing of the SB2C was a treat that I have never had in 33 years with the CAF. I was surprised at how graceful she looks from up close in the air.

Ron Dietes and Calvin Allen with FM Ray Clausen (one flight) and Greg Young (second load) flew ride for hire missions between the show and photo mission. We were to switch missions on Sunday, but we know how THAT turned out! Calvin, Ron, Ray, and I, rented a car for that L O N G drive back to San Marcos. We plan to send a crew up between now and the weekend to bring home the Rose and P-39.

"And a good time was had by all"

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Mike

He has an L-4 now, too?

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

Sorry about that Ryan, I was quickly typing at work and didn't proof my post. It was an L-5, but I am sure Taylor wouldn't mind an L-4 to work on.

Oh, it was all in jest there. I can't wait to see that L-5 in person.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

The L-5 is fabulous in person. So glad they were able to get it to MAF. It is still there in the big hangar and the O-2 wll be once they tug it in....I'm posting as I am being driven home on 4 wheels

Anybody going to MAF from San Antonio area next weekend and wants a stow-away...

It's really and truly miserable down here... I had a potential flight with a student but the ceilings have stayed between 200 and 1000 ft ALL DAY!

Ugh.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

Congrats Me109!!!
The material in and around the plane was just... most impressive.
That is one tragically over-restored L-5.
ANYTIME you want to come tragicallly over-restore a B17 you are welcome down here!

Good to meet Obergrafeter down there.

Yes Sunday totally wanked.

But one of the neat things about Saturday and having a few less planes was that you got to hear the engine noises more distinctly.
I love the kind of coughing back-note that the P-40 makes.
Not to say I have totally turned my back on the clean rumble of the Packard-Merlins. No sir!
Congrats Doug Rozendahl (sp? sorry if I hosed it) on work worthy of the Nolen.


I was arm-twisted into going to the American Combat Airmen's Hall of Fame induction Dinner Friday night.
They will not have to arm twist me again. If you can spring the $100 it was one of those "get you where you live" warbird moments to hear the stories and honor the gents who made them.

AND the ladies... there were about five or six WASPS in attendance.
Any one of them has more warbird hours logged than I have managed to swing as of yet.

And as hokie as it might sound... The Cactus Cuties kind of took me to another place during the Save The Girls lunch.
Tangent time here... They sang what you would have expected them to... Their show-stopping Star Spangled Banner... and a few other patriotic songs.
Then they innocently enough wandered into a minefield and sang a Dixie Chicks song and at first you could sort of sense the teeth on edge, but darnnit, having opinions that you don't necessarily agree with are what our troops are fighting for, and most always have!

Then they sang some song I think was called "We are America's Kids" and it reminded me of some pundit's statement that whenever we have one young man or woman in uniform overseas THEY ARE ALL OUR KIDS...

Anyway, Midland was good for me on more levels than just Warbirds.

SPANNER.

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Support Your Local Warbirds! KBO!
The only reasons the airplanes matter is what the veterans did with them... and why.

No talk of the Saturday evening photo flight with the son of a Tuskegee Airman flying the "Red Tail" C-model (with Yellow Rose and the P-40 up also)? I think Philip McKenna was the photog doing it.

Enjoyed the show very much, CAF was super-hospitable, and the aircraft rocked (many we don't see in the east or Oshkosh).

A little disappointed at no Legacy Flight, B-52, AC-47, B-24, "Made in the Shade" flying, or visiting warbirds. I'd give the Saturday show a solid "B" rating. Weather obviously kept some aircraft away (made our trip from Newark into a 19-hour debacle on Friday, and Sunday stunk big time too...got home at 2am).

I'll post photos tomorrow.

Rich

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Rich Kolasa
www.crystalgraphix.com

Didn't hear about the Sat. evening Flight, but I did get to meet the young man and shake hands at one of the many meetings.
There's a million stories I missed in the big city.

Maid in the Shade didn't fly because she had a magneto problem and I think someone from the Minnesota Wing was out there getting his knuckles tore up with them.

It was a sad sight Sunday evening when my flight left and all those birds were sitting out on the cold, wet ramp.

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Support Your Local Warbirds! KBO!
The only reasons the airplanes matter is what the veterans did with them... and why.

B-24 had a mechanical so could not get out of Addison

C-47, Spooky, which was to do the Legacy with C-17 could not get there from Houston due to WX. Skyraider from same place also could not.

B-52 not scheduled but we did have the Bone fly by as well as all those other gray beast burning lots of fossil fuel making noise....LOL

All and all the show Sat was very good considering the aircraft that could not make it.

Thanks all! We had a blast there and were honored to receive the award. Sorry I wasn't at the ceremony, I was at the Bob Reiss memorial chapel for services. Too bad about the weather. If anyone has any photos of the L-5 I'd love to see em!

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Taylor Stevenson