Hope some of our fine readers will post plenty of P-51 photo’s from this weekends gathering in Columbus , Ohio USA! Here is a link to some of the newspaper coverage !
BlueNoser352!
Gathering of mustangs and legends
History, emotions flying high
Saturday, September 29, 2007 3:56 AM
By Mark Ferenchik
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
JAMES D. DECAMP
The Thunderbirds Aerobatic Team performs maneuvers during the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends air show at Rickenbacker Airport.
James D. DeCAMP
Veteran Dave Lowry shows 12-year-old Cory Richards of Westerville how an airman could squeeze into the belly turret of a B-17 “Yankee Lady.”
James D. DeCAMP | Dispatch photos
James D. DeCAMP | Dispatch
All eyes are fixed on an F-22 Raptor as it makes a pass over Rickenbacker Airport during a rare public demonstration.
IF YOU GO
• What: Gathering of Mustangs and Legends
• Where: Rickenbacker Airport
• When: Gates open
8 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Tickets: General admission, $25; students, veterans and military with ID, $20; children 8 and under, free. Available at the gate or online at http://www.gml2007.com
Up close, they remain sleek and strong, these World War II aircraft lined up at Rickenbacker Airport.
And up close, the pilots who flew them retain as much strength as their age allows. More than 60 years later, some still swagger, still have the cockiness that helped them survive the skies over Europe and the Pacific.
But look closely at those planes. How cramped they appear. How fragile.
The same goes for the pilots.
They’re aging, certainly. Consider the subtitle of the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends at Rickenbacker Airport this weekend: The Final Roundup.
The emotions remain fragile, too.
William Foard is 83, a quiet man from South Carolina with a soft Southern accent. The event program says he flew 23 missions in a P-51 Mustang for the 357th Fighter Group based in England.
That’s the fact behind William Foard the legend.
William Foard the man recalls watching a shot-up B-17 bomber he was escorting plow into another bomber and spiral together toward the ground.
His voice breaks. He still wonders what drove bomber crews back into those lumbering planes that had to fly straight, easy targets.
He mentions that his brother was on a B-17 and begins to weep.
“My brother was a tail gunner,” he said. He can barely go on. His brother’s plane was shot down over Yugoslavia. Henry Foard was killed in action.
Dominick Olivito Jr. is a judge in Carroll County in eastern Ohio. Yesterday, he was pointing to a British Lancaster bomber and describing it to his son, Jonathan Olivito, an Ohio University history major.
The elder Olivito, a military history buff whose father was a World War II veteran, said that when you look at such a plane, you get the impression it is indestructible. But dozens were lost in bombing raids.
“The men had the courage to go up and fly,” he said.
One of them was Bob Yarrington of the Northwest Side. The 82-year-old was a radio operator on a B-24 in the Pacific, bombing Japanese targets. Yesterday, he was explaining to his grandchildren, Allan Griggs, 9, and Anna Griggs, 6, how a belly turret worked on a B-17 at the air show.
Yarrington said he felt secure in his bomber during his 33 missions. One thing he learned from the war: “You take things day by day.”
Dave Lowry of the Yankee Air Museum, the group that cares for the B-17, slipped inside the belly turret to show 12-year-old Cory Richards of Westerville that someone could truly fit inside.
“Pretty cool,” Cory said. “Pretty tight.”
To Cory, that seemed the safest place on the airplane.
For the pilots, their safety depended on their skill — and a lot of luck, said Roscoe C. Brown.
Brown, retired president of Bronx Community College in New York, was a squadron commander in the 332nd Fighter Group — the Tuskegee Airmen, the famed squadrons of black pilots.
“The greatest plane I ever flew,” Brown said of the Mustang. “The Cadillac of the skies.”
Olivito, the judge, has immersed himself in military history over the years. His father landed on Omaha Beach in 1944 on D-Day.
He came to look at the planes yesterday. But his curiosity isn’t just from his interest in the war.
“I honor my father,” he said.
That tie isn’t fragile.
[email]mferenchik@dispatch.com[/email]
By: T J Johansen - 19th November 2007 at 09:58
Not the latest pictures of Mustangs but some i took at Harlingen in 1982. That’s a quarter of a century ago!! If anyone would like bigger and better copies just mail me.
Woah. Nice to see these older photos too. Of the five, three still have the same owner, one burned up, and the last was sold, has been restored and looks beautiful in its new guise.
T J
By: rhavers - 18th November 2007 at 17:32
Not the latest pictures of Mustangs but some i took at Harlingen in 1982. That’s a quarter of a century ago!! If anyone would like bigger and better copies just mail me.
By: go4b17 - 15th November 2007 at 10:51
Some More shots from Mr De Camp
aweome Air to Air
By: go4b17 - 6th October 2007 at 12:38
some shots here from the show -pretty neat site !
By: ShabbyAbbey - 4th October 2007 at 13:07
Cheers Ron…
…you top man you!
What a great scheme 🙂
By: go4b17 - 4th October 2007 at 09:35
Gunfighter
Was Reg Urschler and ‘Gunfighter’ there?
Here you go Russ
By: Mark V - 4th October 2007 at 09:06
Final Offical count : 83 P-51s at the Gathering.
Check out the 51 Formation….. on ASB
We now believe it was 77.
By: Mark V - 4th October 2007 at 09:04
Was Reg Urschler and ‘Gunfighter’ there?
They were.
By: Mark V - 4th October 2007 at 09:03
Is that the Scandinavian Historic Flight’s “Old Crow” or someone else’s? 🙂
No its US based, formerly owned by Jack Roush but now owned by Jim Hagedorn of Scott’s Miracle-Gro!
By: ShabbyAbbey - 3rd October 2007 at 21:59
Nice one Ron!
Thanks for the photo of ‘Miss Marilyn’ Ron…good to see the 55th represented. Was Reg Urschler and ‘Gunfighter’ there?
Speak to you soon mate,
By: RF769 - 3rd October 2007 at 21:48
Got sunburned from the good weather Friday Sat Sun and blisters on me feet thru pushing Mustangs around . Will add photos as I get over the jet lag 😉
this was taken Sunday Afternoon around 1pm
Is that the Scandinavian Historic Flight’s “Old Crow” or someone else’s? 🙂
By: go4b17 - 3rd October 2007 at 16:25
Mustang Legends
Thanks Tom – bumped into Yak 11 and Madagascar from Hardwick Warbirds :p , worked with a Brit or two , one, an RAF guy called Brian who works with Hercules at Lyneham and just loved the Show and being around Mustangs , didn’t we all .
The Canadian Lanc was awesome and had to make the go around on the Sunday because smoke from the “Wall of Fire” obscured the approach
I can see why you like those Bluenosers now , theyr’e pretty !
By: BlueNoser352 - 3rd October 2007 at 16:19
All Hail the 352nd The BlueNoser !!!!!!!!!!!
Maj George Preddy Jr at work in 1944 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By: BlueNoser352 - 3rd October 2007 at 16:05
Ron thanks for the photos/….. great stuff !
Ron:
Got your email today and the photo’s you just posted look great, glad you had a good time over here in the Colonies. I think you get a good break this time on the exchange rate. Nice to hear FIVE P-51’s with 352nd colors showed up. Looks like a great event but like I suspected the great event got very little coverage here in the USA. Very sad… I could not even find any video here at the station on our satellite feeds. But did see some nice stuff on YOUTUBE already…. must have been a wonderful event to attend. I noted in the article I posted above on the coverage of the event… it quoted a former P-51 357th pilot who lives here in South Carolina.. will have to ring him up and say hello. I have some photos some friends sent me and scan them here soon. Wonder if you meet anyone from this board who came to the event. Perhaps our friend from Switzerland was here for the event…SwissMustangs !!!! Got the photo’s you sent today..enjoyed looking at them and guess our good friends at FLYPAST & AIR CLASSICS will have a nice photo spread of the event . Sure hope so !!! Thanks again Ron and hope all is well with you and family ! I was going to try and make the event..but this is college football season over here and I had to work ! Nice to hear you had a good time… Nice to see a Lanc made it to the event. Looking forward to the new book on the 352nd coming out soon !
All the Best !
BlueNoser352 !
By: go4b17 - 3rd October 2007 at 11:49
Got sunburned from the good weather Friday Sat Sun and blisters on me feet thru pushing Mustangs around . Will add photos as I get over the jet lag 😉
this was taken Sunday Afternoon around 1pm
Sat evening around 7pm -it got really cold on that ramp but seeing two flights of three come back at dusk and peel off made up for it
By: Rocketeer - 3rd October 2007 at 10:37
Didn’t come back on DL1 out of New York by any chance did you Rocketeer? Thought I spotted you as I boarded.
Stunning weekend, got fed up with the rain on Thursday and went to Dayton, sadly didn’t get upgraded and had to make do with a Chevy Shed with an iffy wheel bearing. Superb selection of aircraft, just got 1700+ pics to sort through now….
it was indeed old chap! Dayton wiped out my brain!! Amazing fun I shot a similar number of phots to you, but we are lightweights compared to Geedee who did 5000+!! lol
Twilight Tear was lovely and did Horseman on all days except the Sunday… she was accurately ‘dirty’ and a joy to look at, cheers Mr Grey!
By: Yak 11 Fan - 2nd October 2007 at 20:24
Didn’t come back on DL1 out of New York by any chance did you Rocketeer? Thought I spotted you as I boarded.
Stunning weekend, got fed up with the rain on Thursday and went to Dayton, sadly didn’t get upgraded and had to make do with a Chevy Shed with an iffy wheel bearing. Superb selection of aircraft, just got 1700+ pics to sort through now….
By: The Freshest - 2nd October 2007 at 19:37
Did TFC’s mustang ‘Twilight Tear’ suffer any technical problems? Just caught a bit from another site saying it was broken.
By: Rocketeer - 2nd October 2007 at 17:29
Geedee & I have just got in….2 days in Dayton at the Museum then 4 at the Gathering, almost drowned Thursday in the rain lol. Flew in a B25, got sunburn, highlight was Patty Wagstaff flying a beautiful routine in Princess Elizabeth to Cohen’s ‘You dont like music do you’ (or whatever its called) – loved the Raptor display and the heritage flights were to die for!!
The hire car company upgraded me to a Convertible Mustang (from a Hyundi!) for free….so what do you get when you have two Englishmen attending an airshow in a convertible Mustang? -Torrential rain!!
By: RF769 - 2nd October 2007 at 17:29
Who cares about the number? 😀 Just LISTEN…! Close your eyes and you’re suddenly camping at the cliffs of Dover in ’44 with the boys going out… :diablo:
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September 30, 2007 at 3:39 pm