Warbird Information Exchange

I was at that show myself..I was 13 and it was the first time I saw Fifi and other real warbirds in person. I saw a crowd gathered around the B-29, but couldn't see what was going on..my older brother told me about the protestors. I saw the crash trucks come over and open up with their water cannons..at the time I assumed it was some sort of emergency equipment demo, but I think they were either hosing the paint or the protestors off the ramp.

SN

When was that and what happened? I must have still been under my rock, I never heard of that.

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Eric

"I spent most of my money on alcohol, women and skyraiders....and the rest of it I just wasted."

It was back in 1992 guess thats more than a few years ago. The kid had a part time job on base and thought it would be a good idea to get drunk and be remembered...

At the 2005 Akron Air Show there was a aviation school that was based at Akron Fulton Airport who had their display behind the P-38 Porky. Well, they were having a good time at the air show and thought they would just make their own lunch. They brought in their own grill and set it up about 5-10 feet behind Porky's tail right after it had been refueled! Idiots!!! Well, as soon a we called security, they started complaining that they had the right to do that and all that and made a scene.

I'm not sure what happened but I'm pretty sure they were arrested!

Later, when the Super Hornets went up for their demo. They turned so their exhaust pointed directly at the school's tents. We had mentioned the story to the pilots and for some reason, they had an abnormally long warmup time and we just sat back and watched everything in their tents get blown out!

I asked the one pilot if they had done that on purpose... he just looked at me and grinned and said "what are you talking about?"

Sorry, former car type guy here, but when I was with Excalibur (exotic car type company) we'd do the Chicago Auto Show each year. We had a display that was roped off and still would have to kick people out of the cars when they would just climb the ropes to get in.

Best story was late one night when the show was closing and four Chicago cops came running by to ask if we saw the kids who stole the steering wheel from the Pontiac display. Unbelievable what some folks think they deserve for general admission.

If it were my plane, I'd electrify it and deal with the charred remains later!

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"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

The general public seems to like to use the induction trunk inlets (on the leading edge of the wings) of the Sea Fury as garbage cans as well. Cups, cans, little styrofoam airplanes, you name it. If you have a Sea Fury, Corsair, Mustang, or anything where folks can reach the inlets, try to keep them covered and ALWAYS check 'em before you fly.

Gary

[quote="jpeters]
Well at least the parent did his job and scolded the little snot-nosed brat...unlike many of the other parents in these stories. Thanks for sharing!

John[/quote]

Yes he did and thats why I was chuckling a little. It was funny to hear the words I was going to speak before I had the chance to speak them. I have many many good stories of people who are respectful and ask permission to look and touch. I have more of those stories than I do idiot stories. It's just that the idiot stories tend to stand out in my mind.

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It's you and me against the world.

We attack at dawn.

Wow- this thread might almost get to be as big as Gary's Diamond Lil Thread. Amazaing and yet sadly not so when you look and see how many of these incidence are repeated over and over.

I was at a Texas fly in a few years back as a passenger in the LSFM Dauntless when I walked around a corner to see a 5 year old standing on the elevator. When I made B line to get him off the father saw me coming and had the NERVE to yell at me and tell me that it was okay as he was taking a picture and I was scaring his son. Of course I threw right back that since I was counting on that airplane as my ride home it was CERTAINLY NOT OKAY.

At wings over Houston a few years back when I was CC for the first time on Thunderbird I looked up from the tail area to see a Redneck **shole poking hard at one of hte ailerons and his buddy was in the process of pulling a knife out of his pocket. When I promptly yelled the standard "Hey Don't do That" he flew into a rage over the fact that: A- his name was not Hey, and B - he had spent all of this money to be there and god darn if he wasn't going to get his moneys worth. It was obvious that the majority of the money he spent that day was at the bear tent. After a heated discussion we finally ran him off.

The great thing about the last episode was that less than five minutes later a WWII veterean navigator came over with his wife and we spent an amazing 30 minutes talking with him and going through the airplane together. THis was one of those moments that made all of the BS melt away and we realized why we were really there.

Steve

Wow- this thread might almost get to be as big as Gary's Diamond Lil Thread. Amazaing and yet sadly not so when you look and see how many of these incidence are repeated over and over.

I was at a Texas fly in a few years back as a passenger in teh LSFM Dauntless when I walked around a corner to see a 5 year old standing on the elevator. When I made B line to get him off the father saw me coming and had the NERVE to yell at me and tell me that it was okay as he was taking a picture and I was scaring his son. Of curse I threw right back that since I was counting on that airplane as my ride home it was CERTAINLY NOT OKAY.

At wings over Houston a few years back when I was CC for the first time on Thunderbird I looked up from the tail area to see a Redneck **shole poking hard at one of hte ailerons and his buddy was in the process of pulling a knife out of his pocket. When I promptly yelled the standard "Hey Don't do That" he flew into a rage over the fact that: A- his name was not Hey, and B - he had spent all of this money to be there and god darn if he wasn't going to get his moneys worth. It was obvious that the majority of the money he spent that day was at the bear tent. After a heated discussion we finally ran him off.

The great thing about the last episode was that less than five minutes later a WWII veterean navigator came over with his wife and we spent an amazing 30 minutes talking with him and going through the airplane together. THis was one of those moments that made all of the BS melt away and we realized why we were really there.

Steve

I overnighted at a show once a few years ago and left the Stearman outside, tied down, and with the cockpit cover on. The next morning while getting ready to depart a guy came over to me and started showing me the pictures he'd taken of it - including one of him sitting in the rear 'pit the night before after he'd removed the cockpit cover.

Where do you start...

Dan

Mention of WOH brings a memory from mid 90s. I returned to the YO-55 after briefing to find two guys who appeared to be Middle Eastern looking into the engine. They had actually opened up the cowling and the canopy and were poking and fiddling in there. In halting English, they said they had paid their admission so they could do anything they wanted to the planes. I initially explained No No that is not the case politely thinking this may be their first expereience at a show. As they continued to say I was wrong in increasingly excitable, loud and rude voices, I threatened to call security and have them arrested. They disbelieved there could be any charge. Finally after explaining several times the Federal offenses for tampering with aircraft, they left but not before yelling obscenities and derogatory gender specific terms as they walked away. Needless to say prelflight was a little more intensive that morning. Don't we have fun at shows

Sweet Jeezus, reading some of these stories makes me flat-out angry... and I wasn't even there! God bless all you folks who bring your planes out to shows, I knew some silly s**t went on there but had no idea that people would actually try to cut elevators and what-not... if I am ever fortunate enough to own a warbird, I'll have to think long and hard before placing it in the public display area at a show.

I'd hate to have to go to jail for beating the tar-snot out of some jackhole trying to screw with my airplane.

Lynn

this stuff happens at places other than airshows. student pilots and instructors seem to think it is ok to open and climb into any plane they like.

I don't know how many times I have chased them out of planes that were up on jacks, some with the landing gear removed. They also have climbed in the plane and started to move the controls around while I was in the tail cone checking the cables.

Anytime I had a plane in the shop that they would be interested in I would have to lock it if I was going to be away from it for any length of time.

I took a C-130 to a small, local fly-in and they parked us at the edge of the flightline with the nose facing part of the employee parking lot. We did cockpit tours all day and watched as people let their kids grab all manner of buttons, levers etc and we would stop them and threaten to have their parents' wages garnished. My favorite question to them when they messed with something was, "Do you know what that does?" answer: "no, uhuhuhuh"; "Then please don't touch it". As the day wore on, I told the event boss to get his employees' cars and the port-o-potties in front of the Herc moved since we didn't bring a tug and we'd be reverse taxiing to get out of parking. He said everything was fine where it was and I tried repeatedly to convince him and he said don't worry about it. So I didn't. When the APU fired up a crowd naturally gathered in front of the airplane and I was able to send the loadmaster to convince him to get them moved off to the side. We cranked up the four T56 Allisons, the loadmaster cleared us to the rear and I pulled the throttles back and put the props in full reverse and dust, hats, and trash started flying everywhere and the port-o-potties fell over like toy soldiers and made...well... a mess. My engineer and copilot simultaneously went, "OHHHHHH!!!" as if watching a sporting event, then my copilot said, "two more crappers and you're an ace", the loadmaster in back said, "we're gonna hear about that when we get back", and the navigator was...well...the navigator and was worried about being home late for dinner. Ahh the glamour of trash haulin!! I miss flying with those characters.

I know that some of you might think that this is a mean comment, but it has been my own experience that some people visiting from other countries can be the worst, and very rude.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager