Our Schellville expedition brought me into contact with a type I have never seen before. The Ryan ST-A is not a plane I was familiar with and, when one taxied out for departure, I was quite curious as to what it was. A quick departure was followed by some passes over the field before the pilot headed off to the local area where we could see him carrying out some aeros in the distance.
A while later, while we were sitting eating some food, a guy came across with his lunch and joined us. His name was Dave Masters and it had been him flying the Ryan earlier on. We had a great chat about the history of the aircraft and how he had come to own it. He also told us about a similar aircraft in one of the hangars which we made time to see in due course.
A great looking aircraft design and two of them kept in wonderful condition. This place is already looking like a great spot!
Always had a soft spot for the Ryan STA. Made a model of one when I was about 7. Just loved that look and styling from the era of the early pylon racing / distance / time record making! Nice to know there are some still flying.