Steve, et al-

Yeah, Friedkin does the world a service by displaying his birds in other environments where they might not otherwise be seen, good on him for doing so (I personally enjoyed watching the British reaction to the Grummans, a friend of mine said that they were the only planes he’d ever known that could be out of sight behind the horizon and STILL drown out conversation)…they were an interesting addition to the already good mix of planes at DX that year…
For those who would lament the loss of a Hurricane and a Spit to these or other shores, consider….we only have x amount of Spits in the States (and less of Hurricanes), so these birds are REALLY appreciated when they show up at the airshows they go to each year, it gives the airshow a ‘worldly’ feel, having two of Britain’s finest on the ground in the U.S….now if only we could respond in Kind and loan you the B-29 and the Canadian Lanc for a year or two…I’d love to see it!

Mark

Why and how would ML417 find its way back over there?

Mark

Ah, crap…now that REALLY sets the bells and whistles off, another Corsair gathering…when did this come about and how come this is the first I’ve heard of it? Gonna have to have a talk with my e-mail circuit and see why they’re slacking….Hey Crazy, can you pass on any more details? I have on my e-mail list Mint Moore also, so I have asked him for details, but anything more you hear and pass on would be appreciated…

Dallas…ick….not a HUGE fan of Texas anyway, but that far east? Oy….oh well, closer than Indy was 2 years ago…

Mark

Hey, kids, here’s a crazy idea…why don’t we wait for the actual film to COME OUT before we bash it all to hell and slap it around for it’s Hollywoodization of historical events without even knowing if it’s going to be accurate or not? I know, I know, a radical idea to say the least, but what say we give it a try before lining up in queues outside the local theatre to protest en masse the film which has not even been released! :p

Mark

You British folk eat some weird stuff at airshows…thank god. Loved the food at Old Warden, very unconventional compared to the American airshow food…funnel cakes, pancakes at early morning breakfast (with sausage and coffee)…love the bratwurst at American shows…had pizza delivered to the A-26 ‘Feeding Frenzy’ once at Midland post show, a great time with those folks (Jeff Ethell included, hell of a guy)…usually pack a cooler with lots of soda in it and some ‘Lunchables’ in it, pre packaged crakers and meat with mayo or mustard, you make little sandwiches out of them…cold fried chicken is good too. Nothing beats a pint from the on site pub at Duxford after a day’s airshowing, and i particularly liked the mint marinated Lamb at the Plough near Duxford post show one time.

Mark

Some truly great stuff, gents…love the Bucc photo above, guessing it was JUST before a belly landing…I’ll throw in my own 2 cents with a photo I’ve posted before (I’m kinda limited on what I can post due to my scanner being broke), this is of the CAF P-40N over Hubbard Reservoir in Breckenridge, TX around 1995…best photo mission I’ve had yet.

Mark

Alright, well…it seems most of you already know what happened as detailed in the posts above, and Howard is alright…I have a photo of the Wildcat passed on from several friends to me and I attach it here for the benefit of all readers on this forum…Howard is a character and he is hard to get to talking, but once he starts he’ll talk your ear off, especially if it’s about something he likes (like flying or warbirds)…my own and my partner Denise’s relationship with him goes back to the Breckenridge shows in the early 90’s, we loved those shows, and Denise has several photos of Howard dancing with her daughter to country music and he remains a good friend to this day….I just have to wonder (and marvel) at his luck and hope that it holds. He is a great character and friend and if you have’nt met him, i encourage you to do so next time he climbs out of the Hellcat at Legends (or whihc ever plane they put him in)….it’ll be well worth your time.

Mark