Vintage War Birds.
Check out the most excellent photo spread of vintage airplanes from the 2006 Thunder over Michigan Air Show. I was particularly taken by the photo of the P-38 Lightning, which was one badass plane. There are also several photos of Spitfires, perhaps the most beautiful plane ever designed, as well as a couple shots of the Skyhawk, the type of plane flown by John McCaine when he was shot down over North Vietnam.
Good stuff.
Thanks to my buddy, Gerry
Please remind me to tell you the story [unless you read the post I wrote ages ago] of the time I went camping with two friends of mine in Floyd Bennett Field to witness a Leonid Meteor Shower, which eventually resulted in one of my friends and myself [it’s a long story] being taken for a private tour of a nearby historic aircraft hangar [you’ve heard of HARP?].
We saw, if not those planes in the photos, then lots like it, from WWII. They were beauts, and my friend and I were perfectly mesmerized.
I couldn’t identify them by name, but regardless, it was a very magical experience for both of us.
Comment by Erica — October 23, 2007 @ 9:06 pm
Had the pleasure of watching an A-10 do some work up close once a while back.
Found God that day.
Comment by dick — October 23, 2007 @ 9:33 pm
Read the saga of the P-38 “Glacier Girl” at:http://p38assn.org/glacier-girl.htm
It was on a flight (1942) from the US to England and had problems and belly landed on a glacier in Greenland. In 1992 it was recovered–from under 268 ft of ice (please tell me again about global warming melting glaciers in Greenland Mr. Gore.) Its restoration was started in 1993
and it flew again in 2001.
Comment by Bill — October 24, 2007 @ 12:17 am
most outstanding, thanks!
i always get a chill when i see a hawker hurricane, those birds turn me on for some reason.
went for a quick flight in a p-51d once, one of the loudest, and terrifying flying experiences ever, but i’d do it again in a minute. i was shoe-horned in the area behind the pilot’s seat, where the radio gear used to be stowed, in a canvas jumpseat. all i could see was the back of the pilot’s head and the sky (or the ground, depending on our attitude). i can’t imagine being subjected to that for hours on end and having other pilots trying to shoot you out of the sky at the same time. fighter pilots are supermen.
Comment by gregor — October 24, 2007 @ 3:06 pm