I hope this isn't too off topic so please move it if it is.
Fred Austin asked me to fly Fred Patterson's Lockheed 10E from Gnoss field in Novato, California to Reno Stead a little while ago. Alby Reddick was in charge of getting her ready to go and he and I flew her to his shop at Stead.
I was honored that Fred asked me to fly the rare bird and it was my first time in a small Lockheed. She was painted up in Amelia's colors and even had her registration numbers NR16020 on the wings but small actual N number N72GT under the tail. We used Amelia's registration for the last flight.
I was expecting it to be nimble but she definitely handled more like a transport category aircraft, slower on the controls just as cvairwerks mentioned but without the mass and momentum aspect of the larger transport birds. Still quite a lot of fun for sure.
Not long after the Air Races Alby had her all ready he and I took her up to the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Seattle. Kind of sad really that it was going to be her last flight, possibly forever, so there were mixed feelings about the great honor to be flying her and that it was probably going to be her last time in the air.
I asked the museum about doing some air to air photo and video and we met with Clay Lacy in a Baron near Olympia and joined up for a photo shoot. Let me see; flying a super rare Lockheed 10E to a museum on her last flight next to Clay Lacy in and around Seattle and landing at the Museum of Flight. It was a good day for Alby and I!
I was pretty much locked on to Clay with typical formation flying tunnel vision while Alby watched the engine instruments and everything else so I wasn't that aware of where we actually were. Something caught my eye and I glanced over quickly to see the space needle going by.
It was the most relaxing flight I have ever had through the Seattle class bravo area since I was simply flying on Clay, he was working Seattle Approach and Alby was watching everything else. It wasn't until I saw the video that I found out just where we had flown. Sort of bummed I missed the amazing view but I was busy at the time. Cool video that they shot:
https://vimeo.com/75649616I followed Clay for a pass down runway 13 right near the museum where there were a lot of people waiting to see the Electra. I broke off and made a solo pass and then brought her in for a landing. I had been concentrating on the flight so much that I wasn't thinking about it until the main wheels touched the runway when it flooded back through my head like a bolt of lightning that this was likely her very last landing. Bitter sweet as I felt sorry for the old gal and told her I hoped it wouldn't be her last.
Overall The Electra was a blast to fly. Round wood control wheels were a kick as was everything else. Thanks Fred for the great honor. Thanks to the museum for the opportunity and taking care of her. She has been and will be appreciated by countless patrons and will continue to inspire future generations so of course she is in a great place.
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To donate to the PV-2D project via PayPal click here
http://www.twinbeech.com/84062restoration.htmWe brought her from:
to this in 3 months:
Help us get her all the way back
All donations are tax deductible as the Stockton Field Aviation Museum is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Tell a friend as the Harpoon needs all the help she can get.
Thank you!
Taigh Ramey
Vintage Aircraft, Stockton, California
http://www.twinbeech.com'KEEP ‘EM FLYING…FOR HISTORY!'
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