Freedom Flight America 1995

Fri Jun 24, 2016 8:16 am

Freedom Flight America Glendale AZ July 31, 1995

Freedom Flight America by Bill Word, on Flickr

Beechcraft AT-11 "Kansan" ("Tantalizing Takeoff") (912) (USAAF 41-9486)(N214CR)

Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan Tantalizing Takeoff cn912 USAAF 41-9486 N214CR a by Bill Word, on Flickr

Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan Tantalizing Takeoff cn912 USAAF 41-9486 N214CR b by Bill Word, on Flickr

Fri Jun 24, 2016 9:47 am

Looking forward to seeing your pics from this one. The McGuire AFB stop of this tour was one of the first airshows I attended. First time I ever saw an AT-11.

Fri Jun 24, 2016 12:37 pm

First I've ever heard of it. But in that pre-internet era, if you didn't see something like this yourself or talk with someone who did, you often never knew it'd happened.
Also, with all the stuff associated with the 50th anniversary of WW2 still going strong, it would have been easy for this to have slipped under my radar (especially since I lived in Florida at the time and this flight passed nowhere near my part of the country).

Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:36 pm

Carl Schmieder and myself took part in Freedom Flight, we could not to the whole event due to commitment at Oshkosh, but we did the last half. We were the lead of Freedom Flight 39. The others in the flight were Rick Hosking and Bob Mitchell from Sedona, Az, Mike and Nona O Hearn and Tom and Collen Miller from Riverside, Ca.

Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:58 pm

I was there in '95 at Long Beach and have the T-shirt to prove it

A whole bunch of T-6's as I recall.

Fri Jun 24, 2016 5:21 pm

Freedom Flight, 95

This is on my flight helmet bag

Fri Jun 24, 2016 6:15 pm

Bill, please continue posting Breckinridge pictures....like Dean I only missed two. And if you have a picture of my SNJ, N3653G, that would be great!

Old Shep If you are reading this thread here is the photo I said I had at Freedom Flight America.
Noorduyn AT-16 "Harvard IIB" (RCAF 3324)(N3653G)(Painted as USN SNJ-3)

Noorduyn AT-16 Harvard IIB RCAF 3324 N3653G Painted as USN SNJ-3 a by Bill Word, on Flickr

Noorduyn AT-16 Harvard IIB RCAF 3324 N3653G Painted as USN SNJ-3 b by Bill Word, on Flickr

Noorduyn AT-16 Harvard IIB RCAF 3324 N3653G Painted as USN SNJ-3 c by Bill Word, on Flickr

Fri Jun 24, 2016 6:37 pm

North American SNJ-6 (AT-6F) "Texan " (121-43077)(USN 112269)(USAAF 44-82355)(N269CB)

North American SNJ-6 Texan cn121-43077 USN 112269 N269CB by Bill Word, on Flickr

Douglas DC-3D (42961)(N3006)(Painted as USCG R4D-5)(Originally Swiftlite NC3000)

Douglas DC-3D 42961 N3006 Painted as USCG R4D a by Bill Word, on Flickr

Douglas DC-3D 42961 N3006 Painted as USCG R4D b by Bill Word, on Flickr

Fri Jun 24, 2016 6:55 pm

Hi Bill:

Indeed that is my family's SNJ....my dad and my uncle (both Naval aviators, one during WWII the other in Korea) flew the plane from CA back to Texas where I was supposed to continue on. Airplane broke and we couldn't continue. Airplane was purchased in 1980 and has been in the family for 31 years (I sold it and then bought it back: too attached to it!). Airplane was refinished, but I decided to polish the fuse instead of painting it silver...all the markings are the same. Thanks for posting!

Fri Jun 24, 2016 11:20 pm

I remember when this flight came through Olathe. Mostly T-6's maybe a couple a twin beech's. I was working line service then and took well into the night to get the planes fueled. I think there might have been about 20 aircraft total.

Sat Jun 25, 2016 9:36 am

Beechcraft AT-11 "Kansan" ("In A Family Way") (6501)(USAAF 43-10427)(N500AM)

Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan In A Family Way cn6501 USAAF 43-10427 N500AM b by Bill Word, on Flickr

Beechcraft C-45H "Expediter" (AF-604)(USAF 52-10674)(N9172Z

Beechcraft C-45H Expediter cnAF-604 USAF 52-10674 N9172Z b by Bill Word, on Flickr

Beechcraft D18S "Twin Beech" (A-973)(N3500B)(Painted as C-45 USN 35002)

Beechcraft D18S Twin Beech cnA-973 N3500B Painted as C-45 USN 35002 b by Bill Word, on Flickr

Sat Jun 25, 2016 1:48 pm

My brother, father, and I were at Glendale airport when the flight came through. I don't remember too much about it other than it was hot and I was disappointed that there was no "heavy metal" in attendance. I did get interviewed for the local news though! Thanks for the pics Bill and keep 'em coming.