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P51's over easton


Geeto67

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Was out walking the corporate walking path half an hour ago when I heard two Merlins at climb out power. Got to the back fence to see two 51's about 2500 feet and climbing. Looked like they had just taken off from somewhere (CMH?) but were already clean (gear and flaps up) and climbing out. Looks like they took off formation but one put about 1/4 mile lead on the other. Moving too fast and too far for me to get shitty cell phone pics.

 

Anybody know what's going on? airshow? traveling joy rides?

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When is the Dayton airshow? Or has it already passed this year? I have been seeing a lot of old planes around (Bi-Planes and WWII war birds).

 

Was a few weeks ago. I haven't been to an airshow in years...I'm going to start going on a more regular basis I thought it was great fun to watch.

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Air venture in Osh kosh Wisconsin starts fri. 95% positive they are headed that way. Expect to see lots of warbirds and airplanes in that area since Delaware airport is closed, as lots of planes use it for gas on the way to Wisconsin.
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Was a few weeks ago. I haven't been to an airshow in years...I'm going to start going on a more regular basis I thought it was great fun to watch.

 

Was fortunate enough to get some cool VIP tickets to this years show. Got to drive onto the airshow area to park about 100ft from the VIP tent with unlimited food and beer etc. Got a cool pic I thought you might appreciate with my Dads toy.

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd58/reitzmj/Airshow-24_zps5krsyj0g.jpg

 

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd58/reitzmj/Airshow-23_zpsd4k4csya.jpg

 

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd58/reitzmj/Airshow-25_zpsawezaflc.jpg

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I would personally take being a p-51 pilot in ww2, over flying f-22's today!

 

I would rather be a P51 pilot today because that would mean nobody was shooting at me and I was rich.

 

I remember national Geographic from when I was a kid that showed F4Us (FG-1s?) and Cavalier P51s still in service in the 1980s in the El Salvador air force. I think they retired the planes sometime around mid 1980's.

 

Forgot that AIRventure was that same week I saw them, yeah they were probably on their way to Oshkosh.

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I would rather be a P51 pilot today because that would mean nobody was shooting at me and I was rich.

 

I remember national Geographic from when I was a kid that showed F4Us (FG-1s?) and Cavalier P51s still in service in the 1980s in the El Salvador air force. I think they retired the planes sometime around mid 1980's.

 

Forgot that AIRventure was that same week I saw them, yeah they were probably on their way to Oshkosh.

 

At the rate mustangs are falling out of the sky this year I'd rather be shot at in the f22

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At the rate mustangs are falling out of the sky this year I'd rather be shot at in the f22

 

I only heard about 2. Big Beautiful Doll and the CAF P51C in dallas. What other ones were there?

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I only heard about 2. Big Beautiful Doll and the CAF P51C in dallas. What other ones were there?

I was thinking another one geared up, but it might have been CAF one now that I think about it. I believe the one pictured here also had a gear up few years ago

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Weren't both of those modified race planes as well? From what I remember, they have as little wing as possible in order to achieve max speed.

 

nope. BBD was a private owned plane by the former president of Sikorsky. It was a fairly stock restoration. The CAF p51C was a turttle deck model (no bubble canopy) in Tuskegee airman livery and was also a stock airplane that made the show circuit.

 

P51's however are not "easy" planes to fly in general.

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nope. BBD was a private owned plane by the former president of Sikorsky. It was a fairly stock restoration. The CAF p51C was a turttle deck model (no bubble canopy) in Tuskegee airman livery and was also a stock airplane that made the show circuit.

 

P51's however are not "easy" planes to fly in general.

 

Ah. I think I also heard of a couple circuit planes going down as well this past year.

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nope. BBD was a private owned plane by the former president of Sikorsky. It was a fairly stock restoration. The CAF p51C was a turttle deck model (no bubble canopy) in Tuskegee airman livery and was also a stock airplane that made the show circuit.

 

P51's however are not "easy" planes to fly in general.

 

I couldn't imagine trying to taxi or land one. I've always wondered how pilots managed to forgot to lower the gear, then I almost did it in an arrow and now I understand lol.

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I couldn't imagine trying to taxi or land one. I've always wondered how pilots managed to forgot to lower the gear, then I almost did it in an arrow and now I understand lol.

 

I grew up in a money m20c with the Johnson bar retracts (fully manual retracts you raised and lowered with a 3foot stick). Dad was always griping how he never wanted electric retracts because he was afraid he would forget to put the gear down. Then he bought the 1989 205 with the tiny electric knob and never looked back.

 

Dads friend had a 51 out of republic in the 1980s. It was a cavalier conversion two seater from the 60's. He gave me a ride in it once when I was a young kid The thing I remember is the plane went from heavy to twitchy once you accelerated past stall speed, and it accelerated so fast you could hold it on the ground well past 100. It was nothing like the skytyper t-6 A guy named Red used to give me rides in. I can't imagine what it was like for a 20 something kid to fly one for the first time out of a bumpy grass short field in Europe.

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I grew up in a money m20c with the Johnson bar retracts (fully manual retracts you raised and lowered with a 3foot stick). Dad was always griping how he never wanted electric retracts because he was afraid he would forget to put the gear down. Then he bought the 1989 205 with the tiny electric knob and never looked back.

 

Dads friend had a 51 out of republic in the 1980s. It was a cavalier conversion two seater from the 60's. He gave me a ride in it once when I was a young kid The thing I remember is the plane went from heavy to twitchy once you accelerated past stall speed, and it accelerated so fast you could hold it on the ground well past 100. It was nothing like the skytyper t-6 A guy named Red used to give me rides in. I can't imagine what it was like for a 20 something kid to fly one for the first time out of a bumpy grass short field in Europe.

 

I was looking at getting an old money, my issue was I was on base with 2 Cessna 150s in front and I was doing everything I could not to run them over. I actually lowered the gear but my instructor was being sneaking and pulled the breaker for it, so even though I pulled the handle they stayed up. I caught the gear on short final and figured out what he did by the huge smile on his face.

One of my bucket list items is to ride in a p51d and a t6. I'd perfer those over any new jet I think. I can't afford a mustang so I guess I'll build an rv8, kinda the same performance right? Atleast it goes upside down

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Dad an I restored a 1963 M20c in the early 1990's. It was our family truckster airplane. Because I was building rc cars at the time he had me do all the interior plastics. I remember when he and his friend Charley had to service the retracts they put the plane in jack stands on the ramp and had me work the Johnson bar to cycle the gear. I learned a lot about about airplanes from that mooney. Dad even had the hot rod pinstriper Alex in Wonderland do some Kafka style lines on the wing tips - it was a real hot rod. It's still flying but the new owner has since repainted it.

 

One year we took dad's friend Frank's staggerwing out to Oshkosh (I think 1998). Frank knew a lot of the warbird guys at the time even though he didn't own one. At Oshkosh we got invited to go to breakfast with a bunch of P51 pilots - mostly guys in their 60s-80's. At one point I leaned over and whispered to frank "all these guys talk like John Wayne" (and they did! They had the cadence and accent down perfectly). He said "that's the kinda man you have to be to fly a mustang". I'm sure all those guys are dead now or in old folks home. Man, how aviation has changed.

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