Planes of Fame Airshow 2018

[C VEICH]

When did the Bearcat show up? It was not there on Saturday. In fact the Hellcat was the only CAF Camarillo bird I saw. The usual Spitfire, Zero, and Bearcat were all absent. Did not see the rumored A-26 Invader, nothing from the Sanders family or Erickson collection, only the Tigercat from Rod Lewis, and the Yanks P-40 was nowhere to be seen on the ramp. I could be mistaken but the show did seem to be down in numbers a bit this year. Of course a PoF show down in numbers is still three times better than any other show in the USA! I would have made the trip just to see Dottie Mae, White 33, the Collings P-38, or Lula Belle by themselves, much less all four.

[JohnTerrell]

I noticed the Frasca-owned Flugwerk Fw-190 being absent this year - it must not currently be at Planes of Fame (I didn't see it in any of the POF hangar shots over the past week). It is nice to see the Friedkin Mk.IX Spitfire at the show/displaying in public again.

[GRNDP51]

There was definitely a lot missing, but overall the turnout was amazing. Could have been incredibly historic if White 33 came with her sister Thunderbolt, Erickson sent his 38 and 47, and Lewis sent their 38 and 47. What I got to thinking of is the difficulty isn't having the planes there, it's having the pilots to fly them. Steve is supposedly the only one to fly White 33 and very few fly GG. Stew could have though...

I had a feeling the A-26 wouldn't show, nobody knew which one it would be... and Sanders were on the list to do the smokewinder demo way back when they announced the performers so that was odd as well.

And John I'm almost positive I saw a picture of the FW in the foreign hangar sometime leading up to the show, might have been in one of the livestreams, I was sad that Dan's P-40M left, thought for sure it would've stayed. Could've been 7 P-40s there if Erickson sent the old Banta one too... Maybe next year!

I also asked about GG coming and the response I got was "Steve didn't ask"...

Best surprise was for sure Swamp Fox showing up, was also nice to see Diamondback and her tall tail

[Vagabond]

The CAF Bearcat had another gig elsewhere on Saturday, but was on the ramp Sunday AM.

Also Steve H took up the Collings' P-38 for the show opener on Sunday so we had 3 P-38's in the air with the 2 P-47s. I heard a starter went bad in "White 33" - bummer - would have loved to see her airborne as well, but a fantastic weekend of POF magic for sure.

[warbird51]

When did the Bearcat show up? It was not there on Saturday. In fact the Hellcat was the only CAF Camarillo bird I saw. The usual Spitfire, Zero, and Bearcat were all absent. Did not see the rumored A-26 Invader, nothing from the Sanders family or Erickson collection, only the Tigercat from Rod Lewis, and the Yanks P-40 was nowhere to be seen on the ramp. I could be mistaken but the show did seem to be down in numbers a bit this year. Of course a PoF show down in numbers is still three times better than any other show in the USA! I would have made the trip just to see Dottie Mae, White 33, the Collings P-38, or Lula Belle by themselves, much less all four.

Chad, I beleive the Yanks P-40 did fly both days. And there was 2 Tigercats that flew. I am hearing that the Sanders aircraft are grounded and the A-26 had mechanical issues. It was great to see you. I’ll send you some pics of the completed P-47 cockpit soon

[JohnH]

I was there both days - as the other poster said- Yanks P-40 did not fly and wasn’t on the ramp. You saw other P-40s.

[ZRX61]

A-26 had mechanical issues.

Was it Frenzy?

[marine air]

I would like to fly warbirds for someone's collection. I have put the hard work in building the credentials. I do contract flying exclusively and would like to add work for someone next year. Any suggestions how one can gt involved ?

[Mick F]

That is all I have for now. Time to drive home.

Will[/quote]

Hot darn! Those Tiger pics are something else!

[Pogo]

What is White 33? I should know this, but plead brain cramps.

Again, thanks to all who post pix on WIX!!

[Vagabond]

Hi All,

I've reposted my photos from earlier in the thread (and added a few different ones) that i originally posted on Thursday 5/3/18. I've since had the chance to process, watermark and repost them. If you're interested, go back to page 2 of the thread to take a look or go here:

https://www.vgbimages.com/AirShows/2018 ... y-Arrivals

to see the gallery of images and video from Thursday 5/3/18.

I'll post links to the other days as soon as I get them finished and posted.

Cheers!

[OD/NG]

What is White 33? I should know this, but plead brain cramps.

White 33 is a P-38 owned by Jim Slattery.

[OD/NG]

I would like to fly warbirds for someone's collection. I have put the hard work in building the credentials. I do contract flying exclusively and would like to add work for someone next year. Any suggestions how one can gt involved ?

First off, I would get out of the mindset of doing contract work flying warbirds. With very, very few exceptions, nearly all warbird piloting is done on a voluntary basis. Unless you are a well accomplished and highly experienced warbird pilot, you won't get paid to fly them unless you are ferrying aircraft, doing first test flights, or work for a multi-billionaire such as Paul Allen. Other than that, I would start out by volunteering at your local flying warbird museum or CAF chapter. Coming in as an "outsider", one must prove themselves before gaining the trust of that organization or individual to start flying the big iron.

You will probably have to start out flying the little stuff, i.e., L-birds, Stearmans, etc., and eventually move your way up to the fighters and/or bombers, provided you have the proper training and experience. The days of just walking up to an individual or flying organization and saying, "I'm here to start flying your P-51" don't exist unless you have an extremely impressive aviation resume, like being a former Thunderbird / Blue Angels pilot, former military test pilot or Space Shuttle astronaut. Any way you slice it, you're going to have to "prove yourself" to the organization - that not only do you have the requisite skills and experience to handle such aircraft, but that you are also the person that can "fit in" with the group and has the right personality, attitude, safety mindset, airmanship, dedication, and all the other "non-flying" personal skills required.

The biggest thing I've learned from talking to my various friends in the warbird world is that nearly all people that get accepted to fly the big iron warbirds are from word-of-mouth referrals and connections through networking and making friends/associations in the industry. Unfortunately, politics, just like any business, has a prominent role in who gets selected to fly certain airplanes.

It's very difficult for an "outsider" with no previous referrals or recommendations to join a group and immediately start flying fighters or bombers. One must "pay their dues".

If there are no local flying museums or CAF chapters nearby, I would seek out the Collings Foundation. I know that they are always looking for well qualified individuals to fly their aircraft on tour. If you already have a type rating/LOA in a specific warbird they fly, that will give you a huge advantage towards getting accepted.

[Blackbirdfan]

How about a few more shots from Sunday....













Enjoy,
Will

[Chris Brame]

So many great photos to thank you all for!
Now did anyone get any shots around Aero Trader, or the Tallichet boneyard this year?