Gratiot Community Air Show 2012 - Pictures

[MichiganRick]

This was the 1st time I attended this airshow, and I was super impressed. Anyone in Michigan should really check out this airshow. I think someone called it "Michigan's best kept secret"...and I agree. I'm a big Grumman seaplane fan, and no less than 5 were in attendance! 4 very well organized hours of flying, Air Margaritaville band after the day show, followed by a night airshow (which I missed )

http://gratiotcommunityairshow.com/

B-17 w/ Vlado in his P-51


One of Vlado's airplanes in attendance


One of my favorites






One of two T-28s




Lots of nice T-6 and SNJs




Aeroshell Team


Jet powered glider...too cool




Cool formation, Vlado flying the T-33


Oshkosh Best L-39 2011 winner




Formation with the Wildcat




John Mohr, what a great pilot


Ag Flight demo


"The Beast"


Matt was there too


Misty Blues


Award for best set-up to watch an airshow, complete w/ sand, palm trees, and steel drum player


WWI






The T-6 gang put on a cool Reno race demo


I know there are a bunch of these around, but this L-39 was very nice, former Ukraine jet

[MichiganRick]

A few more...

Kyle was there


More statics

[Chappie]

Wow. Where was this show? Beautiful Grumman Gooses...er Geese?

Chappie

[kalamazookid]

Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing. Just got off the phone with my Dad, who made it up there. Said it was a great show, and it looks like it from your photos. Alma really is the best kept secret in Michigan as far as warbirds go. On years they don't have the airshow, there's a warbird fly-in that has just as good a turnout usually.

I can't believe they flew the Beast! That was displayed at the first airshow I went to up there in 2007. I assumed that it was under restoration by now. Cool to see it flying. Also nice to see the old Tope Family T-6 "Oily Boid" getting flown by its new owner.

[MichiganRick]

This one is on my annual list for sure. Very relaxed atmosphere, with great opportunites to get up and close with all the aircraft. I'm sorry I missed the night show, but I had to split after 10 hours

[cooper9411]

I never knew anything about this show and now I do. All ready marked it on the calendar for next year

[Rajay]

Wow. Where was this show? Beautiful Grumman Gooses...er Geese?

Chappie

I counted only one Grumman G-21A Goose, N42GL (s/n B-52) - and one Grumman G-73 Mallard, N1888T (s/n J-31)

The other so-called "Grumman" seaplanes were actually:

one McKinnon G-21G Turbo Goose (N70AL, s/n 1226, which officially stopped being a "Grumman" in March 1970 when it was converted by McKinnon from ex-USN model JRF-5 s/n B-125, Bu. no. 87731. Because it was converted by McKinnon almost directly from surplus military stock, it was never certified as a civilian "Grumman" model G-21A and also contrary to many other reports, it never carried the registration N60AL, which was requested by McKinnon but never actually "taken up" as they say...)

and

two French-built SCAN Type 30 Widgeons which appear to be N350GW and N540GW (SCAN serial nos. 4 and 3 respectively*) which in spite of their current registrations have never actually been "Grumman" aircraft at all; they are just license-built metric copies of the Grumman G-44A design. Both of these SCAN Type 30 Widgeons have had the Magnum TIO-540-J2BD engine conversion and they belong to what I expect are brothers - Steven and Mark Taylor, who apparently live right down the road from each other.

*For Widgeons, proper identification is simple:
if the serial number is from 1 to 41, it is a French SCAN Type 30,
if the serial number is from 1201 to 1400, it is a Grumman G-44,
and if the serial number is 1401 or higher (up to 1476 actually) it is a Grumman G-44A.

Last edited by Rajay on Sat Apr 13, 2013 9:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Noha307]

I went looking on Wikipedia to find out about the G-21G and guess what I found...

The description states the photo was taken at Oshkosh. That has got to be the most ungainly looking engine mount I have ever seen. They look about ready to fall off.

Matt was there too

That is one of the sickest looking paint jobs I have ever seen!

[AG pilot]

Great looking photos of the airshow! Nice to see.

[The Inspector]

I went looking on Wikipedia to find out about the G-21G and guess what I found...

The description states the photo was taken at Oshkosh. That has got to be the most ungainly looking engine mount I have ever seen. They look about ready to fall off.

Matt was there too

That is one of the sickest looking paint jobs I have ever seen!

The mounting design is very solid and sturdy and is set up as you see it to keep the weight and balance gods quiet. A stock P&W R-985 weighs in at around 685 lbs +/- and a stock P&W PT-6 tips the scales @ around 339 lbs +/-. in most cases (like the AG WAGON shown in the post) old mother nature has to be sort of tricked into keeping everything in balance) so turbine power coversions will have the engine mounted a considerable distance forward of the original piston engines old location look up PILATUS PORTER PC-2 with the ALLISON 250 vs. the original piston engine. Also Turbine DHC-2 BEAVERS or OTTER.