Tag Archives: p-51

Heritage Flight Museum Fly Day

I made a trip to the Heritage Flight Museum last year for one of their fly days.  I only shot from outside and that was quite good fun.  This year, I made the effort to get up there earlier to take a look around inside before the flying started.  Once I got inside, I decided that the location was worth staying inside for given that I could watch the planes start up and shut down and also get the best of the low passes.

Sadly, the Skyraider was not signed off to fly but everything else put on a good show. We had flying from the T-6, an O-1, a pair of T-34s and a P-51.  They all flew more than once (except the O-1) and the location on the ramp provided a great place to watch the start JP, taxi out, flybys and the recovery process.  I was even able to be in the shade for a lot of the time which made for a very relaxing day.

They flew some formation flybys including a missing man formation.  Then the individual planes would do a series of passes.  Having shot a similar day from outside before, being inside did provide a good opportunity to try different things.  Outside has angles to offer but inside gives some shots that can’t be matched including the lower passes.  Besides, watching them taxi by at such close range is really cool.  I hope to get back up for another of their fly days this year.  I also need to explore the museum in more detail.

Heritage Flight Museum Fly Day

Thanks to my friends, Bob and David, I became aware one Saturday morning that a fly day was underway that day up in Skagit County.  The Heritage Flight Museum was going to have a few planes flying so I made a quick change of plans and headed up there.  The conditions were a bit overcast so not ideal but it was still worth a look.  There were a few of the regulars up there too so it was a chance to see some people I hadn’t seen for a while.

Of the various warbirds that they had flying that day, the A-1 Skyraider was the one that was of most interest for me.  It was the only one I hadn’t seen at previous events so I was keen to get a chance to photograph it.  On takeoff, it seemed to be trailing a fair bit of smoke.  Since it was recently off overhaul, this concerned me a bit but it seemed to clean up as they flew for a while so everything seemed to be fine.

There were straight passes across the field from various formations followed by some arcing turns over the museum ramp individually.  I backed up the road a bit to try and get a bit more of an angle on the planes as they ran across.  It would certainly have been nicer to have a bit more light on them but it was still good fun to be shooting something different.  I’m very grateful to the guys for giving me the heads up.

Kenosha Hangar Visit

Back when we lived in Chicago, I went to Kenosha to photograph the Grumman Wildcat that had recently been lifted from Lake Michigan.  While I was there, I also got to have a look around the hangar which housed the collection of Chuck Greenhill.  His airworthy planes were stored in the hangar but it was also busy working on restorations of some Grumman amphibians.

His Duck was in the hangar and it was a great looking example.  I was disappointed that I never got to see it fly.  It looked immaculate.  I understand it has been sold and is now in Texas.  There were also two Mustangs parked in there.  One of them, Geraldine, they claimed to be the most authentic Mustang example in the world.  I don’t know how you would measure such things but they seemed very confident claiming this.  It even included a full, working armament so you could head up and shoot someone down if you were so inclined.

The amphibian restorations were very interesting.  Bare metal fuselages and the wings off while they were in work.  It would have been good to make regular visits to see how things progressed but I was not able to go back again so couldn’t do that.  Even so, pretty cool to see the workmanship on these airframes.

Mustang Motion

C59F9966.jpgThe Society of Aviation History visit to Airmotive Specialties in Salinas gave us a great opportunity to look around the restoration facility.  One of the Mustangs was not being worked on though.  It was due to be picked up by its owner that afternoon.  As a result, having had a break for lunch, we headed back to the ramp to await the departure.

C59F9941.jpgThe aircraft was run up on the ramp outside the hangar and then taxied to the opposite end of the runway for takeoff.  We anticipated the takeoff and then a further pass before he left.  I figured the first time I might go with a slow shutter speed for fun.  The second one I would be a bit more conservative in order to make sure I actually got a sharp shot.

AU0E4253.jpgAfter the two passes the aircraft headed off en route.  Getting a bit of airborne Mustang time was a cool addition to a great day.

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Airmotive Specialties Visit

AU0E4162.jpgThe Society of Aviation History organized a visit to Salinas to the facility of Airmotive Specialties. Owned and run by Dave Teeters, Aviation Specialties provides a number of services but the thing that brings them most attention is the restoration of warbirds with a strong focus on P-51 Mustangs. During our visit, there were seven Mustangs in the hangar in various states of restoration. There were some other types too as well as some more commonplace types undergoing maintenance.

AU0E4175.jpgDave has spent his life in this business having started working for his Dad before setting up on his own. He supplies parts to his Dad’s business and vice versa as they both operate in the same field. Dave has really committed to the processes and capabilities needed to restore these vintage aircraft. His team is one that he has trained and many of his staff have been with him for years. He has also invested in technology. So many parts for these aircraft are hand crafted but Dave has acquired numerically controlled machines to assist in producing a large number of components. These machines are also capable of digitizing the outline of existing components to allow him to reproduce them as needed.

AU0E4195-HDR.jpgThe investment in these machines is substantial but the pay off comes in how quickly he can produce replacement parts once the process is done. Hand crafting these parts is an intensive business and, when sufficient are needed, the business case is straightforward. Even so, there are still many pieces that require the hand skills that are in short supply and are becoming rarer. Dave maintains capabilities with many old tools and techniques in order to make sure that they can always provide what the customers need.

AU0E4188.jpgThe hangar was full of interesting projects in various states. Some were disassembled completely with rework on fuselages and wings plus various subassemblies. Others were fully complete and were just in for ongoing maintenance. A great looking Beech 18 was at the front of the hangar along with a P-51 due to be picked up by its owner. A couple of Robinson R44s were also parked in with a JetRanger – one of the R44s flew off later in the day.

AU0E4192.jpgDave provided great access to our visit and was exceedingly generous with his time. He explained exactly how they work and answered any questions the group had for him. The hangar has some nice facilities for customers but, while they were very comfortable, the contents of the working area were of most interest to us and Dave gave us freedom to wander as we wished. It was a great time. Many thanks Dave.

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Collings Foundation at Livermore

AU0E6426-Pano.jpgThe annual visit of the Collings Foundation to Livermore with their vintage warbirds is a popular event with many people turning out to look at the planes and, in some cases, fly in them. This year I didn’t plan on spending a lot of time there but I did head down for a while to check out how things were progressing. It was a hot day so the heat haze was playing havoc with shots as usual but there was still enough to see.

AU0E7522.jpgI had pondered what other spots might be useful for getting a shot or two and tried wandering down the street. However, the area is not pedestrian friendly so that idea didn’t progress too far. I did wrap up the day by driving to the public golf course at the end of the field to see whether I could get a different perspective on the departures. It wasn’t a bad spot but not somewhere I shall try again unless there is a good reason. You get a brief view and have to grab your shots before the planes are behind the trees.

AU0E7640.jpgWhatever the limitations, having the P-51, the B-24 and the B-17 on display is always nice and worth taking time out for given that it is so close to home.

Anyone See Any Mustangs?

AU0E6999.jpgHalf Moon Bay might not have been an air show in the strict sense but it did bring in a nice mix of warbirds. A good selection of P-51 Mustangs launched together to carry out some flypasts. We ended up being well placed for them taxiing out. Having a group of Mustangs rumbling past you is pretty cool. Having them lined up on the taxiway for their power checks before taking off was even better. What a great looking group of aircraft.

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Collings Foundation

wpid10346-C59F8178-Edit.jpgThe Collins Foundation carry out a tour throughout the country with their vintage aircraft showing them off to many communities, sharing a message about what people did in the Second World War and providing an opportunity to ride in some historic machinery. I have seen them in the past while we lived in Chicago. Their tour this year brought them through the Bay Area with stops at Moffett Field and Livermore. Since the latter is close to home, I went along to see them.

wpid10336-AU0E7769-Edit.jpgThe part of the collection that they bring on tour includes a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator and a North American P-51 Mustang. I headed over to Livermore ahead of their planned arrival time and plenty of people had already gathered to see them come in. We all waited for a while and then the B-17 appeared over the hills. It made its approach and landed a short while before the B-24 showed up and followed suit. The P-51 was last of the three making a nice pass before landing. What I hadn’t anticipated was a B-25 Mitchell was also following them in. A quick turnaround and the three main players were soon launching off for flights with expectant passengers.

wpid10271-C59F7859.jpgAt this point I headed off as I had other things to do. Later in the day I came back and managed to catch an evening launch of the B-17. The following evening I had more free time so came back again. Another evening launch and recovery as the light got better and better. Then, as everyone packed up, the Collings team was kind enough to let me take some shots around the ramp. A local P-51 was parked up while the Collings P-51 had disappeared somewhere. As the sun set, I shot around the various aircraft and included a cracking 1937 Oldsmobile that one of the volunteers had brought along. With the light fading, the ramp lights came on which gave me a whole new bunch of opportunities to get some shots. I shot a lot until it was pretty late. At that point I headed home. The following day they also departed moving on to the next stop on their tour. If they come your way, make the effort to get out and see them. If you have the money, take a ride and support the continued operation of these great aircraft.

Heritage Flight Foundation Visit

wpid6724-AU0E8355.jpgThe field trip during the ISAP Symposium was held at Paine Field in Everett.  We were hosted by the Heritage Flight Foundation and its owner John Sessions and they were excellent hosts.  (I visited once before and you can see that post here.)  Aside from the selection of aircraft still in the hangar where we were set up, they had arranged some photo sorties with some of their aircraft.  The B-25, Grumpy, was the camera ship for a few photographers and the P-51 Mustang was the target.  A T-6 also went up as a second camera ship.  Each photo position was a paying ride with the T-6 obviously being the premium slot.

wpid6706-AU0E7804.jpgI had decided not to take the ride.  It was not cheap although certainly not bad value for money.  As the weather was not looking great, I wondered whether I had chosen wisely.  As it was, the people who did go up did get some great images.  The area certainly can provide some nice backdrops and the light, while flat, did not hurt things.  However, even as someone on the ground, the flights seemed over very fast so I imagine for those on board, it was gone all to quickly.

wpid6712-C59F9236.jpgFor those of us on the ground, we got treated to the departure and arrivals of the aircraft plus a few passes of the P-51 and T-6 which were a lot of fun.  Gloomy skies made it all a little flat looking but still a great sight.  Being able to be close to the aircraft during the start up, taxi out and return was certainly worthwhile.  The following day they were having a public event and I hope the weather improved for the large numbers they were expecting.

Waukegan Part 2 – The Military Stuff

As mentioned in the previous post, the Collings Foundation were at Waukegan with  their B-17, B-24 and P-51.  Pete and I had headed up there to take a look at what was going on.  This was the last day of the tour at Waukegan before they moved on to Palwauckee.  They were supposed to be flying during the day and then departing in the early afternoon.  Things were looking promising with the B-24 taking off while we were over at the Warbird Heritage Foundation hangar.

The P-51 was apparently being a little troublesome but was also scheduled to take someone on a ride while we were there.  A friend of mine, Chris, volunteers for Collings and he was working with them that day so i took the chance to catch up with him.  I give him regular abuse as he got a ride in P-51 Baby Duck once before when I was shooting it.  I must be a lucky omen for him!

We needed to head back to Chicago for Pete to be ready for the return flight but the warbirds hadn’t yet departed.  We decided to give them a few extra minutes.  The B-17 had headed out first but the B-24 was obviously waiting to make sure the P-51 was away.  Unfortunately, the engine was not looking too willing when it came to starting.  Fortunately, a bit of ground power did the trick and they were away.  As it turned out, Chris had made it in to the back of the P-51 so I got him in another one.  I hope he recognizes my role in all of this!