Vintage Aircraft

[dschwandt]

July 21, 2016

Spent part of yesterday at the Dubuque Regional Airport taking the cockpit tour and watching this bad boy take off and land! If it is in your area, go check it out! There were also several single engine planes and one twin engine bird of that same era there available for rides as well.

For years, FIFI was the ONLY Flying B-29 in the world. However, recent restoration of a second big Boeing has just been completed and is at this moment undergoing flight test and checkout having first taken to the air on the 17th after 60 years or so of being grounded prior to it's rescue and restoration. Google B-29 Doc for more info. This 29 is based at Wichita, KS where it was built. Fifi is bsed at Ft. Worth when not on tour.

Part of the Commemorative AirPower 2016 tour, FiFi, the B-29 is on it's way to Oshkosh, WI w/stops along the way. It will be in Janesville, WI later today until Sunday when it will leave for Oshkosh and the huge fly in up there. Complete schedule can be found at www.AirPowerTour.org

The North American Trainers, w/about 40 single engine vintage Warbirds will be there through Sunday practicing their aerial maneuvers for the Oshkosh show. $ of them did a flyover while we were there at Dubuque yesterday.

I can think of only one word to describe this.....

AWESOME!!

 

[mhomrighausen]

David S. I second that.... AWESOME!!!

 

[danderson]

It's a shame that they just scrapped so many of the machines that saved our country. A guy on a Jeep forum I frequent had an uncle that ferried new military aircraft to their destinations. After the war they were still building Corsairs. His uncle would ferry them to the east coast. They would load them on a barge and dump them in the ocean.

 

[mhomrighausen]

A gentleman that I worked with years ago was on his way to Korea when the truce was declared. He said the ship was ordered to dump all the military equipment on the ship into the ocean before returning home. Bob said when it came to the trucks and Jeeps they would put the rear wheels on jacks, floor the engine and see how it would go before it went into the ocean.

 

[brhodes]

Was thinking about going for a ride, in a B-17.

Looks like it will not happen, but that's ok it was $450.00 to go for 45 minutes 30 minutes air time.


http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/07/engine_problems_force_museum_t.html

Bill

 

[jstertz]

I have lived in the Oshkosh are my whole life. It is fascinating to watch the vintage warbird "wars". They are amazing spectacles as they fly through the air and act out some of the same maneuvers that the performed saving our country some 70-75 years ago! Dave you are absolutely correct when you say, "Awesome!" I am saddened that more of those birds weren't kept somewhere! It is too bad that the "bean counters" said that it wasn't important to retain more of those around the country as a memorial to all those men who served so valiantly across the world in those very machines! Great post. If Im able to score some tickets, I'll post some pics here of our show next week...

 

[dschwandt]

The WWII generation were "my heroes" when I was growing up. My oldest brother. who died in 1983, served with Navy in the SOPAC aboard the seaplane tender, the USS Yakutat. I believe they were off Okinawa during the last days of the war.

 

[rkelm]

The other day I was filling up my truck at the gas station near the end of the runway here and I heard this loud noise coming down the runway and it was a B24, I just stood there admiring, it took all of the runway to get it off and down the runway I could hear another noise - it was a P51 and it barely took any of the runway to get it off, I felt like I had my own private air show. Made me think of my dad and all of those that were true hero's that fought and kept our freedom which is not free. I am headed to an air show in Houston in October, it should be fun.

 

[kide]

At a craft show last weekend, (no comments, please) at a large apple orchard / cider mill in my area - they also have a grass landing strip, which is on a lower level than the cider mill and show area. I heard "thunder", looked towards the north in time to see an AT6 come up from below the tree line and start a nice turn over the show area where we were. Big old radial engine sounding so sweet - and lazy compared to modern flat or inline aircraft engines. Lots of us older guys just looking up into the sun as he turned and headed east...

Looked a lot like this..

 

[dschwandt]

Alaska weather vane

https://grab.orsm.net/update20180913/never-seen-a-wind-vane-like-this-before.mp4

 

[glippert]

Now that's cool - thanks David.

 

[kmcconaughey]

David, I agree with Greg, that is cool!

 

[dschwandt]

TUNE IN, NOVA on PBS this Wed evening 11/7.
Investigation of a crashed B-24 Liberator off the coast of Croatia in 1940.
Check your local schedule for times.