The fascination had to start somewhere ...

[Mark Allen M]

Thx Randy, good stuff.

Where are these three today? ... edit: The zero is at the Hawaii museum is it not? Guess I could do a search for them.

[Warbirdnerd]

Thx Randy, good stuff.

Where are these three today? ... edit: The zero is at the Hawaii museum is it not? Guess I could do a search for them.

The "109" crashed on 12.19.87 and the wreckage was reportedly buried
The Spitfire was destroyed in the Hangar fire at CWH HQ in Hamilton ONT
The Zero is at Pearl

[Randy Wilson]

Hi Mark - Yes, the old "real" A6M2 Zero was found to need major rebuild of the wing spars and other structures in about 1996. Funding wasn't forthcoming and it was sold and is now on display at the museum on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor in a different paint scheme. I was the last CAF pilot to fly the Zero.

The Buchon N8575 crashed in I think December 1987 at Harlingen, killing the pilot and destroying the aircraft.

The Spitfire N9BL was destroyed in a hangar fire in Hamilton, Ontario in February 1993. The plane was there waiting on repairs to a damaged prop, if I remember correctly.

Randy

[Mark Allen M]

Thx again fella's. Sad endings.
Randy, not to sound morbid, and I'll understand if you or anyone doesn't want to respond, but how many fatalities have occured over the years in the CAF ranks? Seems far too many.

More lovely shots

[Matt Gunsch]

Hi Mark - Yes, the old "real" A6M2 Zero was found to need major rebuild of the wing spars and other structures in about 1996. Funding wasn't forthcoming and it was sold and is now on display at the museum on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor in a different paint scheme. I was the last CAF pilot to fly the Zero.

Randy

That Zero also has a P-38 "find" to it's credit. When Scatterbrain Kid II went down in Breckenridge, it was the pilot in the Zero who managed to spot it first.

[Randy Wilson]

Matt - while I took off in the Zero to join the hunt for the downed P-38, one of the L-birds was the first to spot it, best I recall. It was amazing how well the brown and green camo paint on the plane made it almost impossible to spot from the air. I had to represent the CAF at the wreck site, too. Not a good day but happy both in the aircraft made it out safe.

Randy

[bdk]

What the heck is up with that cowling? Why was it blocked off like that?

[Matt Gunsch]

Randy, I guess we have been at the same airshow at least once. I did not remember any L-birds in the air, Lefty had just taken off, followed by Scatterbrain Kid II. I had been helping the 38 crew cleaning and reinstalling plugs in the right engine and installing the cowls after a ground run.

[Lynn Allen]

Lynn - yes it is a younger Reg but it is an F6F!

Randy

Thank you Randy, I never knew he flew the F-6. Its was in Ed Messick's hangar (F-6F) as he would come down and fly the P-51 when it was there as well...

Last edited by Lynn Allen on Wed Jul 13, 2016 3:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Triplane102]

What the heck is up with that cowling? Why was it blocked off like that?

If I recall, it was blocked off, as well as the wings shortened at one time for ...wait for it...AIR RACING !!!

[Lynn Allen]

Randy, I guess we have been at the same airshow at least once. I did not remember any L-birds in the air, Lefty had just taken off, followed by Scatterbrain Kid II. I had been helping the 38 crew cleaning and reinstalling plugs in the right engine and installing the cowls after a ground run.

The L-bird that took off on a closed runway ("13"-31) with people running every where including me because he thought that Ronnie Gardner was driving it...

[Lynn Allen]

Thx again fella's. Sad endings.
Randy, not to sound morbid, and I'll understand if you or anyone doesn't want to respond, but how many fatalities have occured over the years in the CAF ranks? Seems far too many.

More lovely shots

IIR the P-40 and P-39 pix, the P-39 was flown by Gen Yeager and the P-40 was flown Joe Engle??

[Lon Moer]

<>
.... he is Brig. General Regis F. A. Urschler, USAF (Ret.), better know as Reg to friends. He retired from the USAF in 1985 and for many years was the primary sponsor and pilot of the CAF P-51D "Gunfighter". There is a pretty good bio at the link below. Hope that helps. Randy

Randy, if you could clarify some of my old notes from back then, especially since you were actually there flying these planes.
My notes have Col. Ed Messick as primary for the P-51 "Gunfighter" and I have Col. Regis Urschler as primary on the P-51 "Minute Man".(?)


ed; and back to Marks original question. My dad got his pilots license in 1976, and it was at the 1977 Reno Air Races that I first saw the Confederate's and that was what kicked my obsession. I had been to a few airshows, but wasn't really into the "old" airplanes. The CAF's Tora show was the first time I had seen an "aerial ballet".

[Speedy]

That poor P/F-82 ...




Photo credits: unknown

Oh, don't worry. Ed Messick assured me he's gonna pay for that.

[Speedy]

What the heck is up with that cowling? Why was it blocked off like that?

If I recall, it was blocked off, as well as the wings shortened at one time for ...wait for it...AIR RACING !!!

Yup. John Sandberg (of Tipsy Miss and Tsunami) fame owned the plane in the late '60's. I have photos of it with the clipped wings and a black and red racing paint scheme.