Warbird Information Exchange

One of my favourite Mustangs as well. Garry McCann’s CF-FUZ.





Anyone remember this Thunderbolt formation from Hamilton 1982. Long before the Heritage Flights. It was performed after the Sunday show with Dennis Bradley in BAU with a photographer.



Another rare formation



Cheers,

Eric

_________________
The air resounds from the Rolls-Royce roar!
To an enemy the warning is dire: here only eagles soar,
and the last thing he'll see is a mirrored Spitfire!

For shame, not even one image of a Spit.

Dave C

Thanks for the trip dowm emory lane. My first air show ever was Hamilton, 1974. When the CWH ran the show I would put their warbird shows up against any I have been to since. Except for the two gatherings of Mustangs I don't know if many or any airshows put that many ponies on the ground or in the air at one time.

Many rare and now gone forever airframes have been through Hamilton and I often lament for what has been and in all likelyhood will never happen again in Canada.

Jeff

Alas Dave, there was never a Spit at the Hamilton shows the years I went there (1985-88). Jerry didn't start taking MK923 until later, and TE308 hadn't attended since the 1970s. Would you feel better if I posted some pics from Windsor shows of the 1980s?

August

I think 87 was Jerry's first year at the CWH. If you have time I would love to see some images from the Windsor shows. Were you their in the late 70's when the RCAF would bring down 4 F104's in diamond formation?

What year did MK297 come to the CWH?

Thanks August

Dave C

Eric,

You know what is sad? I clearly remember the second formation, but not the Jugs with the A-10s.

August and I have been discussing Hamilton and I said I would scan in some of my collection of photos. (All were taken either by myself or my Dad.) Since Dave is upset at the lack of Spitfires, I'll take care of them first. Jerry was at Hamilton before 87 as these photos illustrate. I'm not sure what year this was, but I'm going to guess 1982. Whatever year Saturday got weathered out.

Jim

How about some Cats?

Next time we will do some bombers, trainers and transports. Then I think I'll get on topic and post some of my 1985 photos...or maybe I'll skip to 1987...hum...

Remember when the Zoo flew...



This Bearcat attended Hamilton many times, but only once with this scheme.





Jim

Thank you very much for these pictures. I only wish I was old enough to remember these shows, unfortunately I was only born in '87, and I didn't start going to air shows regularly and having an interest in warbirds until '98. It's true that we will likely never have a show at Hamilton on the same scale as in the past, especially with it being so busy with cargo and passenger flights, however, never say never.

The CWH is going in a great new direction, as demonstrated at last year's flyfest. This year will be even better, from the preliminary plan's I'm hearing. It's going to be an exciting year for CWH, the flying schedule is full, the aircraft are getting ready to fly, the Dak has fresh new paint, The museum is now a member of FAST so now formation flights are in the picture, and there are some other exciting things happening this year.

Perhaps a few years down the road there could be another museum sponsored air show, whether at Hamilton or somewhere nearby. Please post more pictures, so I can see what I missed!

Greg87, Brantford would be a great strip to have a full scale air show for the CWH.

CWH, Russell, VWOC, CHAA, GWFM, Tigerboys.

Well one can dream anyway

Cheers Dave C

Yes, Brantford would be ideal, it's a nice sleepy WWII training field still in pretty much original configuration and practically in the landing circuit for Mount Hope. Its annual show seems to have been the best place to see the most CWH birds in the air at recent years.

Dave, I don't know when MK297 came to Hamilton. I left Ontario in 1988 and couldn't keep track of what happened there after that. I know that it wasn't there then, and as I said, MK923 definitely didn't come in 1985, 86, 87 or 88 although as Jim shows, it was there in the early 80s and I think it started coming again in 89 once the Lanc was flying. It did, of course, appear frequently with the CWH Hurricane at Windsor, CNE Toronto, and other shows in the mid 80s.

August

I can confirm that Jerry and MK923 performed at Hamilton in 1982. I remember a very exciting show he did in the Spitfire after a rain storm blew through.

Pardue brought MK 297 in 1990 if I remember right to fly the Heritage Flight with the Lanc, Hurricane, Weeks Mosquito.

Eric

_________________
The air resounds from the Rolls-Royce roar!
To an enemy the warning is dire: here only eagles soar,
and the last thing he'll see is a mirrored Spitfire!

Well, this turned out to be a poor scan but here is a shot of MK297 at Hamilton flying in the Heritage Flight.

_________________
The air resounds from the Rolls-Royce roar!
To an enemy the warning is dire: here only eagles soar,
and the last thing he'll see is a mirrored Spitfire!

even as a poor scan that is incredible! maybe someday we will see it again

8 merlins whining. Wow!

_________________
Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
Warbird Wear: https://www.redbubble.com/people/warbirdwear/shop

Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

August et al--

Oh my...full speed astern down memory lane...

The '90 Canadian Memorial Flight. That was the weekend MK297 dinged her prop; she never flew again. Only one of the aircraft in Eric's pic is still active. That formation, though, is not only soon to be possible again but, all things (and owners) considered, downright likely within the decade. The Mossie and Spit MK297 were both there one other year also..iirc the Mossie in 88 and the Spit in 89. After the Saturday of the '90 show, no Spitfire was ever on an HIAS flying program again...

Far as I know the last time MK923 was at the Hope was that magic day in September 88 when the Lanc was publically demonstrated for the first time. 2000 people, they thought. Hah. Ten times that showed up. What a day...I can certainly confirm that Jerry B brought "5J:Z" to HIAS in '82, also, as I was directly underneath his lawnmower arrival pass that year. (My reaction to The Rotol Haircut was happier and less profane than Alain deCadenet's in that famous video of Ray Hanna... ) Same year and also pre-weekend, was eating a sandwich beside Hgr#3 when Mustang "Lou IV" went scorching past at a Reno-looking speed and altitude, bound due northward...ie. at ninety degrees to the flightline and main runway. Yee-haw!

The Thunderbolts I and II flyby...saw that after a rained-out '82 show day that otherwise consisted of long, wondrous solo aerobatic routines by Jerry B in the Spit and Howard Pardue in his Wildcat. By the time all that happened the weather had turned lovely.

The AIR GROUP NINETEEN Bearcat...I remember that one, viewed from inside Hgr#4, taxiing in, just as he shut down in came a tremendous rain squall. Have always wanted to do a painting of that scene.

Color Me Gone...Tangerine...the XP...hanging round (sometimes out on the grass beyond the flightline) all through arrival day...what times those were. Many thanks for the vivid reminders!

S.