I recently had some of my Dad's old 8mm home movies converted to digital. Below is a link to a short clip from the Chino Airport (California) August 1961 airshow. Sorry about the technical quality, but the film wasn't in too good of shape despite being Kodachrome and this was as good as I could get it.
I was 6 years old at the time but I remember much of the show very distinctly. The airshow had a very barnstormer-like theme with a lot of WWI and WWII aircraft. Among the other aircraft, I also remember a couple of TBMs converted to fire bombers and painted overall yellow. My Dad was an Aviation Cadet in WWII and later an Air Force flight engineer and private pilot and knew all the aircraft and I had been happily instilled with his aircraft knowledge from a very young age.
The very last scene of the clip requires some explanation. In keeping with the old barnstormer airshow tradition, a little temporary "house" was constructed just for the airshow out near the runways. It was about the size of a two-car garage. As part of the show, a Fairchild PT-19 made a landing approach, touched down just short of the house and then crashed right through it, ripping the wings off and destroying the aircraft and the building. (pilot just fine and he jumped out to take a bow to the crowd) I know PT-19s were dirt cheap back then, but ouch! Also check out that sleek antenna installation on the P-40 (maybe a cheap camera housing utilizing an old antenna housing?) and the P-51 making high speed passes with the landing gear hanging half way down (the pilot made several passes with the gear like this but it dropped OK for landing). It has been suggested that many of these planes were from the Tallmantz collection and I believe that may very well be correct. Good times!
Link to video clip:
http://s145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/octane130/Message%20Board%20Photos/?action=view¤t=ChinoAirshowAugust1961.mp4
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