Warbird Information Exchange

Here's one for the weekend.

Of all the former fliers--or for that matter current fliers that wore a different paint scheme: Which do you miss seeing airborne the most?

Here's mine:

http://www.midwaysailor.com/eltoro/eltoro-306b.jpg



Next...

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

I miss the OFMC's FG-1D in its tri-color blue RNZAF scheme, prior to being painted in the light blue Breitling scheme, which came before the current (and much reproduced) VF-17 scheme.

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

I miss the colorful French Aeronavale scheme that was on the ex Lindsay Walton F4U-7 Corsair when he flew it in the UK. Oregon's Jack Erickson had it repainted in a very generic dark blue USN scheme.

And yes, the Evergreen P-40 was much cooler with the skull on the nose instead of its current Flying Tigers scheme, even though it is now in the colors of a Flying Tigers pilot from Oregon which is a special tribute and honor.

Dennis

Dan et al--

That's one fine shot of "Burma Rascal". Any Kitty that wasn't in AVG finish, but now is, would be a candidate...this one, Thurman's, or Bill Anderson's, which appeared following its first restoration in wonderfully plain factory-style Army OD/grey (reminiscent of the "third" P-47D that was at Willow Run this year in its "factory-stock" appearance). And will anyone besides Col Pay ever finish one of the several still-flying RCAF Kitties in RCAF markings...?? (There was even a scheme with a sharkmouth!)

Also miss the Bill Ross P-38 in its old polished finish (though I do understand Lone Star, on the Gulf coast, painting that one silver as an anti-corrosion measure). Lots of Mustangs, et cetera, that used to turn up at the CWH shows come to mind. One in particular was Hess Bamberger's "Vergeltungswaffe". And guess what...I even miss seeing Sue Parish's shiny blush-pink P-40N...even if the lipstick and false eyelashes on the sharkmouth were just a wee bit much...

Rob--nice to see the Gray Memorial Corsair "115:X" get a mention on this thread. I'd nominate a different CWH fighter as my top pick though, and it's one I think quite a few showgoers on both sides of the 49th recall fondly: their (well, Dennis Bradley's) first P-51, which Sky Harbour so handsomely attired in 1950-period 424 Sqn RCAF finish (with what seemed like about half an inch of clearcoat on top: a classic-car calibre paintjob). It would, ahem, be nice if somebody in Ontario now would obtain a '51 and deck it out somewhat the same...

On top of those...all the Mosquitos that have been flown in the past 20 years...

I miss Cavalier 67-22581 with the tall tail and the FAB paint scheme. This is one of the first Mustangs I ever saw(allong with Roger Christgau's D 44-63675). Since Ross Grady sold it, the tall tail has been removed and the paint changed to a USAAF scheme.

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Dan Johnson

DJ--

That'd be one of the Mustangs that used to turn up at Mt.Hope...I have a few good pix of her in the late 80s in her Bolivian camo. Must say that 31FG scheme is nice too--and a somewhat different choice, being 15th AF instead of Mighty Eighth (albeit I see in the Registry pic that there is a second 31FG-schemed Mustang sitting right beside this one!).

Also got several slides of a Cavalier TF that popped up at CWH one day in, I think, early 1987. Same basic livery but plainer, with no nose art. Silver-doped rudder. Neat machine. Never saw it again. Think the reg was C-GXUQ but could be wrong.

S.

The two I miss the most are both aircraft that were local to me at one time or another. The first, Spitfire SL721, which I think looked absolutely fantastic in her blue scheme. The second would be the P-51D "Unruly Julie", ex-Michael Clark. Was the wreckage of this one absorbed into other rebuilds or does it still "exist" as an airframe in its own right? When I first saw her in the early eighties it was one of the first Mustangs I had seen that really looked like a stock machine. Natural metal (but not polished), drop tanks, and some of the nicest and straightest sheet metal work I have ever seen on a 'stang. I don't generally get too excited about D model Mustangs but that one brings back lots of good memories.

Hi I will miss the people and aircraft no longer with us

The P38 at Duxford
The P63
Various Spitfires
Various Sea Furys
Various P51s, The Wirraway
and all the other Great Planes and people I have seen and met who did so much to make my life all the better and worth (to me ) worth living - The emotion I feel standing at Duxford or Archerfield or Wanaka watching Great Planes and Great Pilots.....................

......................................Rest in peace, clear skies

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Air Vice Marshall
Sunshine State Air Farce

I have some planes in mind!





There are more, but these are the ones that come to mind right away

T J Johansen

Hey Chad,

"Unruly Julie" (44-74446) is now Nathan Davis' beautiful polished Mustang in Herschel (Herky) Green's colors. See the first edition of the new Warbird Digest quarterly for the full scoop on this restoration.

Have a GREAT Labor Day!

Steve

Hi TJ

Well the Mustang scheme (3Sqn RAAF Europe ) lives on here on The RAAF Museums airworthy example so at least it still flies.



Kindest regards
John Parker

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Air Vice Marshall
Sunshine State Air Farce

Paint's paint. Lives and history can't be replaced.

RR299 The BAe Mosquito and crew.

P-38 and Hoof Proudfoot.

Dave Moore and the Rolls Royce Spitfire XIV G-ALGT. Good for RR to have the courage to buy another Spitfire, but G-ALGT was a highly historic a/c in it's own right.

The RAF Vintage Pair. Meteor and Vamire, and then the second Meteor.

And too many others, particularly the lost aircrews.

Ave atque vale.

1. Sea Fury N232J when owned by Bill Sims and Ron Runyan in the RCN greys. (Does this surprise you Steve? )

2. CWH Avenger ABG

3. CWH Hurricane YOA

4. CWH Corsair in Hammy's markings

5. Well I do miss CF-BAU and Ross Grady's bird...I'm going to have to vote for CF-FUZ. First Mustang I ever saw and the only civil warbird scheme I liked.

Jim

Steve,

Doubt it was XUQ as I think it was Six Shooter by then and it wasn't a TF...but it could have been Neil McClain's XUR. It is now the TF flying with Tom Friedkin in Chino.

Jim

N/T, see next one!