How about a different kind of photo contest?

[garbs]

At least I think is would be different. I've only been on WIX for a year or so - if this is old hat please disregard. As much as I like the idea of the proposed contest in the sticky section, it's hard to imagine actually looking through the thousands of submitted photos and coming up with a "Best of Show" much less 13 winners.

What I propose is a "Who owned them then, where are they now" type of thing for the following composite picture from Oshkosh 1974:



It was my first year there and I was (unfortunately) shooting slides - as I recall, they taxied all the planes out, shut them down, and then talked about them a bit. Then someone fired a Very pistol and they all "scrambled". This must have taken a huge amount of time by today's airshow standards but I was in awe back then. Sorry about the width - it is obviously two prints (from scanned in slides) taped together, which I then took another digital photo of. Long way around, I know.

I'm pretty sure that I have identified most of these - there is one that I have narrowed down to two possibilities and another where I have no idea. Of course there are the 3 ex-FAG Mustangs at the end and I only have the N-number of one. I'm also pretty sure there are Wixers out there who know them all.

I do have individual photos of all of them but some are pretty crappy. For this reason, the "winner" would have to be determined by consensus. Not a real problem since the only thing at stake is bragging rights.

So...what do you think? I posted a lot of photos from OSH 2008 and then got into my old slides from Mundalein and a few other Museums last fall, but I haven't been able to put much time into WIX lately. (Missed a good dust-up, it seems) If this turns out to be dull & boring I'll let it die; otherwise I'll start posting the individual shots every few days.

I can post a scanned in table if needed (you fill in the blanks and repost it), or people can just list their answers. Complete answers would be:

N-number in 1974
Owner of record in 1974
N-number now (if still around)
What happened to it if it isn't
Owner of record now

Any takers?

[bdk]

And extra credit if you still have a pair of those slacks sitting around the house.

[garbs]

Dang - my wife just threw mine out last week.

I'd settle for the ability to grow hair like that.

[bdk]

I'd settle for the ability to grow hair like that.

Back then I could!

[Randy Haskin]

This is my brother Brad's response to the "photo contest":

Hmmm…not as easy as it looks. The first one is the CAF P-63C that was grounded for corrosion in the late ‘70’s.

The next one is the Ed Jurist/CAF P-47D that Lefty raced at Reno that year.

I think the Hellcat is Ed Messick’s (N10782 that ultimately went to the CAF).

The Wildcat was called “Fang”, had the #7 on the nose…can’t remember who owned it (N2876D).

Not enough markings on the Corsairs to tell who’s they are, either.

Next is Gunther Balz’s F8F-1 (N9G, former racer).

I think that’s John Stokes Sea Fury (N51SF, former racer), followed by Tom Camp’s P-40, Ken Burnstine’s “Miss Suzy Q” (N69QF, former racer), and Jack Shaver’s “Miss Kat Brat” (N998C).

Not sure what the silver w/yellow nose Mustang is, but the OD one behind the guy in the orange coat is Burns Braham’s “Tangerine” (N169MD, former racer).

Don’t recognize the next two P-51’s, but the red nose with blue glare shield is Max Hoffman’s “Boomer” (N6310T, former racer, which eventually—I think—became Samurai).

The last three look like some Mustangs that Connie Edwards brought out of Guatamala.

[garbs]

Excellent start, Randy. Here's a few of the P-63: (Crappy quality, like I said)








Remember "The Red Devils"?

There was another Kingcobra there in '74 as well:



I haven't tried to ID this one yet.

I get a different read on the Hellcat & Wildcat, though. May just be N-number reassignments. Will post more in a few days.

[Dan K]

There was another Kingcobra there in '74 as well:



I haven't tried to ID this one yet.

Surely this is 43-11719 (P-63F currently with CAF), no? Were any other "tall tail" P-63's flying in the 70's?

[Trey Carroll]

There's the 3 camo Mustangs, a Red nose (4th FG) Mustang, and then I believe Tom Wood's P-51. The bands on the nose look like Tom's, as they are pretty wide. And the checkers around the cowl are pretty big as well.



TC

[garbs]

Note - I started a new posting under the subject "OSH 74 Photo Quiz" and added a (small) prize. Sorry for any confusion!

Should have named this thread properly the first time.