Some Ryan Navion Air to Air Stuff

[Randy Haskin]

One of these days I'll have to break out the Navion formation photos taken of my father's ex-Navion as flown by the famous pilot Frank Pine.

Back in the late 70s, they made a TV movie called "Young Joe, The Forgotten Kennedy" in which they filmed a number of aerial sequences between a B-24, the Tallmanz B-25, and a scale FW-190. These were staged out of Bayview airport in western Washington state. The details for me are fuzzy on this one because I was only 5 or 6 years old at the time, but I definitely remember seeing the "big iron" flying!

Anyway, somehow my dad's Navion was contracted to do some aerial camera work, and they removed the canopy and mounted a big movie camera tripod where the back seat and baggage area are. Frank Pine was flying the Navion and my father and I were in another private airplane going out to film the flying dequences. Pine had that Navion tucked in so tight that not only was there wingtip overlap, but the prop arc was inside the wingtip, too!!

Now that I fly formation on a daily basis in my job, it doesn't sound so impressive, but to a kid of my age, it was about the coolest thing I'd ever seen in a Navion.

[TimAPNY]

I remember both of those a/c. Where are they now? I don't think I've seen them in several years.

[krlang]

I can at least say that Sophie has been really busy with being a Yia Yia (grandmother) and we have only seen John at the last couple of get togethers. but the airplane is still in N.H.
The polished airplane was owned by Pete Fraser who passed away earlier this year, My girlfriend flew in that airplane last Sept. at Plum Island in a very similar formation, the pictures Rob took look very similar to the ones we have from that weekend.
the lead airplane was based out of Marlboro, MA but i think Jim sold that one to finish his current Navion

On almost any given weekend you can find this bunch flying together,
once in a while the Navions change and there may be an 0-2 in the group but they all have a good time. this past sunday was Sanford, ME
and the weekend after next will be the Nantucket show


See You There!