Warbird Information Exchange

Russ Francis.

hmmm

hmmm

2nd that Hmmmmmmm.

qantas- q a n t a s - qantas

I ran into Russ Francis a couple of years ago in Hastings, Nebraska. He owned the FBO at that time and he spent half an hour talking with me about his adventures in the X-Bob Love P-51. He wished he had never sold it.

Was this the one that after Francis had it, it was painted black and then confiscated by Federal Marshals and put in storage for later auction ???

[quote="PeterA"]Although Cliff Robertson owned Spitfire MK923 for plus or minus 30 years I have no record of him actually flying it. He was certainly a pilot but perhaps his own good sense or possibly the film mogul insurers said this was a 'Warbird too far'.

Can anybody confirm?

PeterA[/quote]
No Mr. Robertson never flew his Spitfire mk. IX. For 21 years, my Grandfather flew it for him, until he sold it, and told my grampa to piss off!
Or so he claims! Mitchell Billing

Cliff Robertson did get checked out in Mustang at Oshkosh back in the late 70's. Sport Aviation did a feature article on his training and "Mustang solo".

David Gilmour did fly his Mustang...I have a Mustang book that shows him airborne.

Jim

Since we have ventured away from just actors! Russ Francis also owned the Sea Fury that later went to Wiley Sanders. Johnny Rutherford had two 51s, and former Indycar Team boss (and ex driver) Jim Hall had a 51 around 1959. Footballer Wayne Meylan got killed in his 51 in 1987. Le Mans driver Ron Flockart had two 51s around 61-62. One had a cockpit fire in Athens, and the next crashed killing Flockart in 62! It appears that race car driver Briggs Cunningham had a 51, but I haven't found out which one. Another race car driver with a Warbird was Rex Mays. He raced a P-38 in a post-war Bendix.

T J

And a friend of mine just reminded me, former race car driver Vern Schuppan owned a P-51 now with Tony Banta (Thanks Simon!). Schuppan also had a couple of Spitfire projects at one stage!

T J

He had a Pitcarin mailwing bi-plane that was offered awhile back at an auction. I believe he also had a Stearman.

Also, he had a very nice L-4...it saw it advertised about ten years ago in Trade-A-Plane, a couple of years later it was offered again.
The asking price was a few thousand more than the typical asking price at the time.
I kept telling my wife "i'm gonna get it.." but never did because of my situation (still inthe USAF). Now that I'm retired and have a bunch of friends into old planes, (plus two-three are tailwheel CFIs) of course, the plane is nowhere to be seen.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

harrison ford is also an accomplished chopper pilot, & actually performed an aerial rescue in it. a mountain climber in distress or something. this is true!! not something out of a phoney hollywood gossip rag!! this fact was published in the national aviation hall of fame program in 2003, in which he was m.c. at the event. best, tom

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

dennis quaide is a pilot / aircraft owner, but he should have crashed his flight of the phoenix picture re-make. poor jimmy stewart is probably turning over in his grave!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Steve McQueen owned at least two Stearmans, and Roy Clark (the world's greatest guitar picker) has a Stearman that he's had for years. He was featured with it in last month's "Private Pilot" magazine.