Greetings from Delhi, WIXers. It's been a while since I posted anything, but not because nothing's been going on. Au contraire...
As the annual D check was winding up and the weather was delightful, I had told Gaylon to get his butt out there and clean up some of the mess he'd made while working on the right engine. He whined so much about the plane being in the way that John went out to help...
We got the plane done in time for our first gig, the Wings over Whiteman airshow, with the assistance of most of the membership. However, Gaylon and Rich by far and away put in the greatest number of hours, and it's through their tireless and often thankless efforts that the job got done, and done right. I just can't tell you how wonderfully those big radials run, how proud I am of this little troupe, and how grateful we all are for the patient spouses.
Here's all the guys enroute to Whiteman. The gals were in back, snoozing comfortably. Not a concept I'll ever quite grasp, but I guess I don't have to.
The trip out was pretty effortless, and Whiteman gave us a straight in visual to the south. Naturally, we only needed a fraction of the cold war era heavy bomber runway, and taxied quite a ways down before exiting to the display ramp. We were immediately welcomed and had the aircraft and aircrew fluids serviced. Life is good!
After the plane was secured, we headed to a hangar for the welcome dinner. We met a few friends from hither and yon and made some new ones as well. We headed to the hotel prior to the evening pre-show airshow, as some of the troops were tuckered out.
The next day was hot and windy, but we had a pretty steady stream of traffic at the plane. We took turns, rotating through the different roles needed for our display and alternately wandering the grounds looking at all the goodies. Gary and his son stopped by for a visit, and it was good to catch up a bit.
Here Spencer is providing a little education for some interested attendees.
Here we have a different angle on most of the crew interacting with the public.
The show went well for all involved, but due to rapidly changing weather enroute we holed up for the night in Illinois. Although none of us were especially thrilled with this, the plane and crew were not hazarded in any way, and it's the only time I'm aware of the organization getting stuck out in many years. Had we been in the flight levels and equipped with radar it would have been one thing, but in unpressurized territory and equipped with Mark I eyeballs, prudence dictated we sit that one out.
It's ironic that the skies were so beautiful at Quincy and yet thirty miles to the east was a pretty solid wall of water, especially given how parched the Quincy area has been lately.
Next day, well rested and ready to go, we made our way back to the Indy area. The old girl ran great, the show was a success, and all in all we had a good first showing for the year.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
