Sun-n-Fun

Dennis Bergstrom · **Posted:** Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:25 am

Anyone have information about what warbirds are there this year? I know that P-38 "Glacier Girl" was supposed to be there on static all week. What else?

Dennis

Chuck Gardner · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2005 6:39 am

I sat in Galcier Girl yesterday. Steve Hinton is such a super guy and took time from talking to evryone to show me the P-38. It is absolutely stunning, BTW. The nicest restoration of a flying WWII fighter I have ever seen in my life.

Stewart Dawson's Spirit of Texas Seafury is there as well as Cavanaugh Flight Museums TBM and FM2, Gerry Yeagan's P-40 and P-51, Stallion 51's P-51, a Yak 7, and an unpainted Sea Fury. Tim Savage's B-25 is on display and there is a C-54, DC-3, and several Albatross seaplanes.

It is still very light turnout as far as warbirds go..................

Oscar Duck · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:12 am

How is the price of AvGas in USofA/UK. Here we are nudging AU$1.25/lt [US$.50/USG]? Makes most warbirds v/expensive to fly. My last 55USG drum of 120 oil cost me around US$700.00.

C170BDan · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:34 am

Good to hear that Glacier Girl is out and about! Thanks for the on site report Chuck.

Found this on AVWEB.

Swiss Mustangs · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:04 am

Hey Chuck

is Gerry's P-51D N51EA still painted as "Double Trouble Two" ? - I miss her here in Switzerland.....

TIA !

Martin

Mark V · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:38 am

Its still in the same scheme Martin.

hairy · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2005 5:17 pm

Isn't a certain Mr. Patterson supposed to be there in his Sea Fury?

Chuck Gardner · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:05 pm

Hi All,
I just spent day two at Sun n Fun. Tim's B-25 was really drawing a crowd and there were lots of folks interested in the Warbird Digest magazine.
The P-38 Glacier Girl has been one of the first acts of the airshow for the past two days. Steve brings her past the crowd line making high speed passes with nice turns to show the wings. Today the P-40 and Yak 7 chased the P-38 in very loose trail and made about 8 passes. At the same time there were a dozen T-6s, almost as many T-28s, and about 20 Yaks/Nanchangs were all in their own formations above.

Mary Dilda put on a great demo in her T-6 and so did the Aeroshell T-6 group. John Moore put on a breath-taking show in the Stearman that was scary enough to make people jump out of their seat to see if he was going to crash. Lee Lauderback flew the P-51 Crazy Horse putting on a great aeroabatic routine. Stallion 51 brought over their new P-51 they bought, now named Crazy Horse 2 and parked them together.

I had nice chats with Stewart Dawson (Sea Fury), the Cavanaugh Flight Museum guys Doug, Kevin, and Mike (TBM, Wildcat, and T-6), and Steve Patterson who showed up in his Sea Fury today.

The PBY "Black Cat" arrived early on as well as a 2nd DC-3. Another Albatross and Mallard came in about mid-day. The CAF P-51 "Red Nose" was there selling rides and the Bill Greenwood 2 seat Spitfire traxied in to the fighter ramp.

I forgot to mention yesterday that Kermit's Duck is on display on the fighter ramp. It was being given an annual inspection a few weeks ago so he could fly it for the show, but he broke his leg last week and that put an end to the Duck getting airborn again.

Today was my last day at Sun N Fun, I have to go back to work tomorrow and fly planes for the rest of the week. Darn! I hope someone attending the event will be able to give us airshow updates for the next 4 days.

I took hundreds of pictures today and I am fairly sure that some of them will be pretty good. I wont be able to post them until tomorrow night so you will just have to wait another day. Sorry.

Al Moore · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:06 pm

Thanks Chuck for the update. Would you happen to know the former identity of "Crazy Horse 2" Stallion 51's new P-51?

Thanks
Al.

Ollie · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:15 pm

Hmmmm, Yak 7!!!

Chuck Gardner · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:31 pm

I believe that Crazy Horse 2 was the former "Kentucky Babe".

I also forgot to mention that I ended the day by flying in a 1929 New Standard as a passenger. The company is owned by Bob and Rob Lock and they have two Standards and a Stearman and usually operate out of Fantasy of Flight. It was a great experience and I wondered to myself how many tens of thousands of people got their first airplane ride in this same plane.

tomroyal · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:46 am

Chuck Gardner wrote:

It was a great experience and I wondered to myself how many tens of thousands of people got their first airplane ride in this same plane.

My son did...

Chuck Gardner · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 6:33 pm

That is a great picture of your son.
I just heard that a T-6 with South African marking ran off the runway after the show was over today just a little while ago. It put a stop to all flying and departures for a bit.
I also heard that the P-51 "Geraldine" was the only addition the the warbirds today.
I was witness to an F-86 doing pattern work and low approaches at the Kissimmee airport today. We got about 5 nice passes and it was great to see it such a rare plane up close.
I will be processing some pictures from the last few days and posting them here tonight, so stay tuned.

Steve T · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 7:10 pm

Hi all--

Nobody's asked yet, but whose was the "unpainted Sea Fury"? I'm guessing maybe Sandy T's NX1324 from Mt.Hope?? Mmmm: "Spirit of Texas", "Southern Cross" and what I'll call the "Northern Ghost", all in one place. It simply isn't possible to have too many Furies at one event...

C'mon summer!

S.

Ollie · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 7:43 pm

Steve, one's more than enough.

On the other hand, one can never ever have too many Spits, because a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit is a Spit...

:lol:

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