Catherine and I just got home from a very enjoyable weekend. It started off rather bleak with rain clouds in the skies over Ottawa. We crossed our fingers that things would get better as we drove south. The weather got worse. The closer we drove to Geneseo the more rain we saw, and while on I-90 we drove through two heavy rain showers. When we got to the field there was mud everywhere, dark clouds, cool, and some spitting rain. But around 6 PM the sun broke through the clouds and within an hour the sky was blue again, a sign of the very good time to come.
Eric Dumigan and I got an early start Saturday morning meeting in the hallway of the dorm at 7 AM. We managed to convince our better halves to hook up for a slow start to the morning and find us on the field sometime later. Eric and I headed off to Geneseo field for a breakfast at the crew tent. We then spit up with me off to get my static shots, and Eric off to arrange for photo flights.
Unfortunately the rain on Friday resulted in many late arrivals, with many aircraft not showing up until late in the morning on Saturday. There was still enough to keep me interested, especially with Liberty Belle on the flight line! This was the first time I viewed the airframe intact, and the last time I saw it was in 1998 in Kissimmee in pieces! So after viewing Liberty Belle a fellow WIXer, Jeff Funk, introduced himself and we had a nice chat. We then proceeded on with our photography of fabulous airframes including Tim Savage’s B-25 Dragon and the Colings Foundation’s B-25 Tondelayo. As the day progressed we met up with Pat M., Brian Waltz, Steve Tournay, Scott Rose and Ryan Keough. Ryan informed us that Tondelayo would not be flying that day. Disappointing, but this did provide us with shelter from the sun for the day. I set up the lawn chairs and cooler so they would be waiting for Catherine’s arrival. Catherine arrived later along with Eric Dumigan’s better half, Bernadette. They took up station under the B-25 wing, and were later joined by the Bill Scheuerman and his wife Sanna when they found us. Not too much later in the day Tim and Kelly Cox arrived and before you know it four of the wives of WIX were busy having a great time chattering under Tondelayo having a great time. The gents, although suspicious of what they were talking about, all agreed that as long as they were having a good time, we would have a good time, and they would more than likely want to have us bring them back to Geneseo next year. So we just let them be, and continued our photography.
The initial low turn out didn’t last for long with the late arrivals landing on site including the B-25 Miss Hap and Colings F4U-5N. Our position on the field easily allowed us to photograph the take offs, landings passes, as well as the taxi operations behind us. The flybys were especially entertaining to the ladies, and we couldn’t understand why they were laughing. As it turns out Jeff, Bill, Tim and I were standing in row photographing the passes all at the same time, all in unison, and the ladies thought this was hilarious. Before long they were busy writing down scores on pieces of paper and holding them up after each pass. We are scored on raising the cameras, the synchronised sweep of the panning shot, then a lowering of the camera. It sounds silly you say? Well maybe, but we were all having a great time. Airplanes and laughter, Tim Savage, Jim Church and Eric Dumigan taxing out the B-25 Dragon for a photo flight right beside us… What could be better?
Soon after the end of the show Steve Tournay and his dad finally managed to find the gang having a great time, although I don’t know how they missed us all day!
We even got a chance to talk to Martin Kenan. Anyway… we arranged for a group photo, and of course Eric was absent again! We took the picture anyway. (Sorry Eric) We then chatted and laughed a bit more and watch Dragon return from the photo flight. After a while we proceeded to the crew tent for a steak dinner. As we all enjoyed each other’s company, talking about airplanes and what ever else we were up to our lives. Day turned to dusk, then dusk to night. We were sitting in the dark of the tent on a Saturday night on Geneseo field with Scott Rose exclaiming this was one of the best reasons for having WIX around, the company of friends at such a fantastic event. I couldn’t agree more!
To all the WIXers and the significant others that attended the show this years we thank your for memories. Catherine and I had a great time. We are looking forward to seeing many of you at Yankee in about 3 weeks, and are already looking forward to Geneseo next year. We already can’t wait.
Kindest regards,
Mike and Catherine
P.S. Oh yeah… I also took a few pictures and dropped the film off at the photo lab on the way home. I should have them posted later in the week.
_________________
Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
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