What was YOUR memorable experience?

[ripcord]

I grew up in Marietta, GA and remember the C-124's as well. Since Dobbins had not only the air force, but the navy, the marines, and army there could be all kinds of airplanes buzzing around. I do remember the F-100, the F-8, the A-4, OV-10, C-7, C-141, an occasional JetStar, OV-1, A-7, F-105, A-6, UH-1 and F-4. Being in a Civil Air Patrol squadron that met on the base was great since we were tasked with 'security' at airshows. Mostly we told people not to touch the roped off static airplanes. At the airshows I saw an RA-5C which was awesome, the B-52G, an F-106 from the Florida ANG, F-5, RF-101C, B-57, S-2, and CAF aircraft like the Hellcat, Corsair, Mustang, B-25 and A-26. Great memories. You don't see that kind of variety anymore.

[wardie]

In '66 or '67 at RAF Gaydon (unsure but Dad was posted there at the time) I saw the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel display at an airshow on base. We were located on the fence line and I can still feel the sting of the blown about gravel as it hovered in front of the crowd.

Wardie

[ZRX61]

In '66 or '67 at RAF Gaydon (unsure but Dad was posted there at the time) I saw the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel display at an airshow on base. We were located on the fence line and I can still feel the sting of the blown about gravel as it hovered in front of the crowd.

Wardie

I remember a Harrier making a slow/low pass at Dx many years ago that removed all the grass from a patch of ground about 30ft wide by 100 yards or so long..

[b29flteng]

Number three engine fire in FIFI...

[K5DH]

An image burned into my mind (from about 1964) is a whole line of KY ANG RB-57 Canberras starting up simultaneously with those noisy, smoky black powder starter cartridges.

Growing up about 3 miles from the DE ANG base at New Castle County Airport, I used to see (and hear... and feel...) C-97s going in and out of there all the time. There were also a number of civilian freight operators running Big Dougs and Twin Convairs, and for a time, TWA had a Connie maintenance facility there. Dang, I sure miss the throb of all of those big-inch radials. . .

[The Inspector]

1986, flying in N3FY in position #9 of the AIRMADA over Vancouver B.C. as part of the DC-3's 50th anniversary along with 21 other DC-3's. 262crew was 12 at the time and another friend Mr Widgeon also flew on 3FY.

The AIRMADA took the time to fly over Victoria B.C. on Vancouver Island and then we circled Ernie Ganns place on Lopez Island in the San Juans as a salute to him as he was near the end of his life then.

N3FY had some celebrity on TV and in the movies appearing in several episodes of McJiver and as the airplane that took Rocky to Russia in Rocky IV, 3FY is gone, after a missed approach to some dirt strip in Central America in lousy weather, and the operator SALAIR is also long gone.

Pretty powerful memories there-

[SPANNERmkV]

B47s at North Little Rock, AR and Reynoldsberg, OH as a kid on SAC bases.

Clear Lake, Texas right by NASA JSC on the 4th of July in the early 80's the ANG from Ellington would fly a pair of Phantoms over the lake (which was NOT clear and was NOT a lake) where all the private boats were waiting for the fireworks and one of them would get over the middle of the lake, point the nose up and hit the after-burner.

Visually stunning and it would change your heart beat!

[Nathan]

Great stories! Keep em' coming! Thanks!