What was YOUR memorable experience?

[Nathan]

What aircraft type do you remember seeing flying but do not fly anymore? (This can include on aircraft that are only a handful flying like the F-4 and A-4) This is aircraft type i.e. F-105, B-36, etc. Please share some experiances, please! I love these stories even though sometimes they have already been told on here. So tell on folks I would appreciate it!

I was born too late(1986) to see any of the "cool" classics. But I do remember seeing an A-6 Intruder fly. I can't say if I ever saw an A-7 fly or F-8. I think perhaps I've seen an A-4 fly. All in the early 90's. I am going to include the F-4 cause for awhile there were none flying in the U.S., AFAIN. Course' saw the F-14 fly too a few times. Always a loud plane!

Thanks,
Nathan

[MX304]

Definitely the F-4. I grew up in a tiny West TX town that was a favorite "target" back in the 80s. I never knew exactly what they were doing, but almost every day for a few months a year they would come screaming over seemingly always aimed at at radio transmission tower at the edge of town. Behind that tower was a hill that I would climb to the top of and watch them fly over. Occasionally I would get a LOW buzz job, sometime inverted.

[Jack Cook]

My step-dad like to say that you knew you were old when the a/c you crewed or wrenched on
are only now found in museums. We'll I guess I'm old.

[Second Air Force]

I'm even older than Jack, and the two airplanes that always come to mind for me are the Vulcan doing an airshow display (absolutely fantastic show) and a B-52D on the Oil Burner Route west of us in Nebraska. Those old J-57s belched a wonderful black trail down low.

Also the Thunderbirds in the F-100 era and the T-Birds and Blue Angels in the Phantom are favorite memories.

One I wish I could remember would be the B-36, but they retired them when I was a little chap.

I was fortunate to see the CAF B-26, Gary's PBY, the PBY-6, P-82, and A-20 fly at Harlingen in '84.

Scott

Last edited by Second Air Force on Sat May 22, 2010 10:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[m charters]

But Jack, there are those of us born in the late 60's who got involved with Warbirds as our first hands on experience on a plane and they were in museums!

I remember the Avro Vulcan at the CNE airshow in 1977 and was in awe of it, and the sound of an F-105 was like nothing else!
The Blue Angels flying the Phantom then the Skyhawk then the Hornet.
And being fortunate to see the Concorde fly inand out of Toronto as many times as I did will always be something.
And the list goes on......

[Enemy Ace]

My dad pulled me out of elementary school one day and made me promise that I wouldn't tell my mom. We went over to Dobbins Air Force Base in Atlanta and sat at the end of the runway and watched as the last two Georgia Air National Guard (GANG) F-105G Wild Weasel Thunderchiefs took off for the boneyard in full 'Burner.
I have been both deaf and interested in airplanes ever since.

[Kyleb]

My dad pulled me out of elementary school one day and made me promise that I wouldn't tell my mom. We went over to Dobbins Air Force Base in Atlanta and sat at the end of the runway and watched as the last two Georgia Air National Guard (GANG) F-105G Wild Weasel Thunderchiefs took off for the boneyard in full 'Burner.
I have been both deaf and interested in airplanes ever since.

Speaking of Dobbins, my first specific aircraft memory is from June 30, 1968 when the C-5 made its first flight. It took off to the east and went right over our heads -we were in a parking lot across US-41. I was three and a half. We'd spent all day the previous day waiting for it to fly, but they had a tire and brake problem.

As far as types no longer flying, I still remember C-124's plodding along overhead. When I was a kid, a squadron of them was based at Dobbins.

[N3Njeff]

CF-101's at the Hamilton Ontario show in the late 70's. I also remember the VTANG B-57's and F-4's.

[ZRX61]

EE Lightnings

F4's a close second... when I was about 14 & walking across a corn field in the UK I got buzzed by one that was about 20ft off the ground. It knocked me flat on my ass & left wake damage to the crop.

[Steve Nelson]

Almost too many to count these days. When I was a kid in the 70s lots of Guard units were still flying F-100s..I remember seeing them and of course Phantoms at many air shows. When I saw the Collings Phantom at TOM last summer it was the first time I'd seen one in the air in probably ten years. When I first moved to Battle Creek in '88, the local Guard unit was flying OA-37s..noisy little buggers but they looked kinda cool. I also remember seing lots of Guard A-7s at airshows when I lived in Colorado in the early 80s. Got to see "Snort" Snodgrass wring out a Tomcat at the Kalamazoo air show a few times, as well as take part in the "Grumman Cat Flight." Probably one of the most memorable was the first few times I saw the Blue Angels, back when they had A-4s. I know the Hornets are bigger, badder, and faster, but those little Scooters were really cool! It's hard to believe that a lot of aircraft I still think of as "modern" types are now gone..even the C-141s. I was even privelaged to see a Concorde fly once..when Western Michigan University contracted with British Airways to train pilots, they brought the first batch of students into Battle Creek on the Concorde. We were treated to a nice photo pass, as well as a landing and takeoff.

Geez, Nathan..thanks for making me feel old!

SN

[JohnH]

Across the street from Miramar- 1988 after the airshow, seeing squadrons of F14s come over the runway and bank for landing. Cool! The B2 testing at low level Edwards Oct 92, while we celebrated the first US jet flight 50th. The SR-71 in the pattern at Edwards in June 92, during the retirement of the F4 Fantom's and their flyaway flight from the test pilot school there. Kermit's B-26- in the air next to me while I took pictures of it (well actually it was Tallichet's at that point) and seeing it fly one more time in 98 for Marauder veterans at Chino. Seeing the F4 a month ago at Riverside. Seeing Gary's PBy fly at several shows in the 86 season including Airsho. Seeing one take off of Carolyn at that show- my only time seeing it fly. The A-20 there as well. Seeing the Concorde go around at Brown Field in 88, then my last Concorde sighting in England overhead in 2002. Tons of stuff like this. Too many to mention.

[Nathan]

Almost too many to count these days. When I was a kid in the 70s lots of Guard units were still flying F-100s..I remember seeing them and of course Phantoms at many air shows. When I saw the Collings Phantom at TOM last summer it was the first time I'd seen one in the air in probably ten years. When I first moved to Battle Creek in '88, the local Guard unit was flying OA-37s..noisy little buggers but they looked kinda cool. I also remember seing lots of Guard A-7s at airshows when I lived in Colorado in the early 80s. Got to see "Snort" Snodgrass wring out a Tomcat at the Kalamazoo air show a few times, as well as take part in the "Grumman Cat Flight." Probably one of the most memorable was the first few times I saw the Blue Angels, back when they had A-4s. I know the Hornets are bigger, badder, and faster, but those little Scooters were really cool! It's hard to believe that a lot of aircraft I still think of as "modern" types are now gone..even the C-141s. I was even privelaged to see a Concorde fly once..when Western Michigan University contracted with British Airways to train pilots, they brought the first batch of students into Battle Creek on the Concorde. We were treated to a nice photo pass, as well as a landing and takeoff.

Geez, Nathan..thanks for making me feel old!

SN

Your welcome on the reality check Steve! Thanks for reminding me about the C-141. I saw that fly several times at Elmira. It flew a demo each year. Neato! I never really though much about the C-141. It still looks modern in my eyes. But they are all being scrapped now!

[Avn-Tech]

Group,

As a kid I growing up in the 60's/70's, at the 45 entry into the pattern at McClellan AFB.
I saw most aircraft at the time comming and going from the base.

What I remember the most, is the early morning launches of F-4's.
I would be asleep in my room, and I am sure they kept the plane low in burner.
All of the sudden, you would be sure the world had ended, as you were picked up and thrown around the room.
Or at least it felt that way!

Later in the 80's working on F-111, F-15, F-4, A-10, T-37, OA-37, B-52 & KC-135.
While at Davis Mothan working on A-10's, I got to see F-106's from the guard flying border security.
Also F-100 Drones flying out of DM.
In England, walking between F-111's taxing out to stay warm while walking to my shop.
Also in the 80's going to airshows and watching Bob Hoover, Lefty gardner & Jim Franklin.

In the 90's I transfered to the Army, and was stationed at Edwards working flight test.
I got to fly in UH-1, UH-60, C-12 & T-34C aircraft in support of testing.
Then seeing all the planes being tested (C-17, X-31, YF-22, YF-23, F-15, F-117, B-2, ect....)

In 2001, I went back to the Air Force as a flight engineer flying C-130E's (including 14 combat missions in iraq/Afganistan).

Currently flying in the back seat of T-6's with a great group of guys (Condor Squadron).
And working on fixing my Yak-52 and getting my pilots license.

Inbetween meeting Scott Crossfield, Benjamine Davis Jr, Robert L Scott, Bob Hoover, and others.

Laterrrrrrr
Avn-Tech

[jdvoss]

My most memorable airplane experience is quite easy to recall. That was the Convair B-36 Peacemaker!!! I would say that a B-36 would fly directly over the house at least once at week always on the same east to west track at an elevation of probably 40,000 ft. I could hear that distinctive low frequency growl for about ten minutes before it was over head. The pictures on wall of our home would soon start to rattle, then the house would start shaking and when it was directly overhead, our front door, which was a bit loose in the jamb, would go into undampend resonance and just chatter violently.
Yes, it was a wild experience. And then to make the whole experience even more ominous there would be a very distinctive undulations (aka "motorboating) in the engines...sometimes very prominent. I can only imagine the psychological effect upon an enemy with fleets of these aircraft overflying ones homeland.

At the time we were living in the San Fernando Valley of California (just to the NW of LA) and it seemed that that area was a playgound for SAC as you could walk outside at any time and see the contrails of B-47's everywhere. Yes, that's how I got hooked on airplanes let alone the influence of the nearby Van Nuys ANG base (F-51's, AT-6's, B-25) and the Lockheed test flights of P2V's, Constellations, T-33, F-94's. Ah, were those neat days or what?

[B-25 C]

Mine would be growing up in the early 50s listing to the aircraft at Hayes in Birmingham, Al. doing run up test on radial aircraft for hours at a time. Going there at night to take my dad his supper and seeing all of the aircraft they were working on. I can still hear those radials running.!