Oakland Warbirds Circa 1983

Steve Crewdog · **Joined:** Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:14 pm **Posts:** 52

Gawd, that brings back memories... I grew up in Alameda in the 1970s and used to ride my bike out to Oakland, hang on the fence and dream....

Don't suppose any of you gents remember a guy named Howard Fee and his C-195, 4311N that was based at OAK in the 1970s? Mr. Fee gave me my first airplane ride in 1974.

Steve

AirJimL2 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:40 pm

That IS Bill Anderson's P-40E. It must be just before he rebought it and it moved by east. I think HIAS 1984 was one of his first shows with it.

The Livermore Kitty was with Eric Mingledorff in LA by then.

Jim

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:22 pm

I'm pretty sure that the PBY is the one that is part of Gary's Stratolina now at Austin Acres.

She was flown by the CAF in Oakland about that time. I got my first PBY ride in that Catalina at Madera Air Show back in the early 1980's. Denny Ghiringhelli was checking out a Colonel in the Cat who, as I recall, needed to work on his landings :shock:

I remember standing up in the waist blister while flying at Madera when Bob Love was doing fighter curves on us in his Mustang. It was like we were standing still as he zoomed around us. It was a great experience.

Sad to see her in the state she is in today but at least Gary saved her from the scrapper.

Speedy · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:07 pm

Taigh Ramey wrote:

I'm pretty sure that the PBY is the one that is part of Gary's Stratolina now at Austin Acres.

Yes, that is the Sea Bitch.

Roger Cain · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:21 pm

As Taigh and Speedy mentioned, that is the old CAF PBY, saw it and took pictures of it there a few times myself during that period. The TBM is now restored and on the USS Hornet Museum at Alameda.

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

Taigh Ramey wrote:

I got my first PBY ride in that Catalina at Madera Air Show back in the early 1980's.

Probably would have been 1985. I remember flying in the pattern at Madera with it during arrivals before the airshow. I always wondered which one that was!

T J Johansen · **Posted:** Fri Oct 23, 2009 4:33 am

Speedy wrote:

I think the Lloyd Hamilton On-Mark Invader 'racer' (in the background of the TBM pic) is being restored.

This was not too long after George Rivera bought it I think. He rebuilt the 26 and flew it briefly before selling it to Bill Farrell, and then it became "Gator Invader". Now in Greece silver painted with a large "Tazmanian Devil" cartoon on the nose.

Speedy wrote:

It's been a few years, but inside the hangar I seem to recall seeing half a dozen Mustang fuselages and wings stacked against the wall. Who's were they, and where did they go?

Very likely the late Steve Johnson (Vanpac Carriers) cache of ex- Indonesian airframes. The Cavalier outside might also be one of theirs.

T J

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Oakland Warbirds Circa 1983

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