As usual, I will be bringing my ’51 along for the weekend.

I get a real kick out of looking at the pics on the CF website and see not only how much my project has moved along but also all the progress made by all the other guys ‘n’ gals that attend.

And to re-iterate, if you havent been to the event yet, make sure you do this year, you absolutely wont regret it

Got quite a few flights in the best ‘Queen of the skies’. She sounds the Bee’s knees when the dude up front firewalls the loud levers and the Conways do ‘their stuff !!!’

I’ve even got some in cockpit footage of the take off / landing sequence.

She is a real beaut and will be sorely missed when withdrawn from service.

Was that the same year that he posted shots here of the Stearman-to-helicopter transfer, and flounced off the forum in a huff when people said that it looked dangerous? Just curious.

Hey Mike, good to hear from ya buddy, wondered when you’d turn up again :diablo:

Good to see that you’re still able on your 64th post in nearly 12 years (WOW dude, you need a faster computer :)) to not actualy add anything valid to the thread point as ever !

Any-how, to get back on topic, this has indeed been a sad time for the aviation community. Notwithstanding the tragic events of this past few weeks, we have lost some exceptional Showmen / Women this year and I will say that allthough I know personally, some of the performers who have now moved on, it is always a deep shock to the hear the news that something, for whatever reason has gone wrong and a life has been lost.

In the end, it doesnt really matter one bit if the incident was caused by mechanical failure or pilot error, you have to remember that its not just the person involved in the event that suffers. The trauma that the families must endure whilst dealing with thier grief, knowing full well that the whole event will be played over and over again in the media and discussed to the Nth degree on various forums, must be truly devastating. I doubt if a close family member died, any-one would really like to see the event splattered all over the media umpteen times a day to keep reminding them.

With modern technology such as mobile phone camera’s and suchlike, you just know that whatever happens will be played continually in the cause of sensationalism with little or no thought for the emotional upset it causes.
Yes, it could and will be argued that some of the acts at airshows whereby the performers have lost their lives, should never have been allowed in the first place, but hey, did the pilots / perormers do it against their will ? I dont think so !

They did what they did because they have a passion for their pastime and enjoyed what they did and the pleasure it brought to millions.

Because of this, I do sincerely and with humility, salute them all !

Blue Skies and Tailwinds

geedee, thank you for showing me around the Mustang and answering all my questions, that you must have had to answer again a hundred times 🙂

Put another nought on the end of that figure ! 🙂

And no worries, enjoyed the chat (thats one of the main reasons I go !)and many thanks for your comments . You’re lucky I didn’t try to persuade you to have a go at building a ’51 as well !.

You have to STRING the posts together. I know a ropey joke.

Ropey joke ?,,,’fraid not !

An update on ASB quotes…

All, Please forward this letter on to whoever you see fit…

Good morning all. Let me first express on behalf of Amanda, Kyle,
myself and both of our families so many thanks for all of your prayers
and well wishes. We are all so fortunate to have such a wonderful
support network in all of you.

We are still waiting for updates and it could be many hours, days, or
weeks before we know exactly how the recovery process will play out
between Amanda and Kyle. I can however report that Kyle was not injured
and or burned as badly as reported earlier by the media and is expected
to make a full and rapid recovery. I can also say that the updates we
are receiving on Amanda are increasingly optimistic and though she has a
long road of recovery ahead of her, the doctors are giving us the
impression that things are not as bad as first reported and her chances
for a full recovery are getting better not worse. The first 24 hours
will set the tone for the story ahead.

I also have to extend a very sincere thanks to my brother-in-law Kyle
who I strongly credit for the fact that my little sister is still with
us. Having witnessed the accident and being on of the first on the
scene, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that he made no less than
five quick decisions in the air and on the ground that gave her a second
chance at life!!

When the engine quit, Amanda was on the top wing in the rack. Kyle
continued to fly the airplane in a straight and level fashion as long as
he could to give Amanda every opportunity to unstrap and get into the
front cockpit where she would have the best chance in the event of a
hard landing. He also resisted the tendency to turn for the pavement
which typically induces a fatal stall/spin situation. He avoided a
landing in the pyro field which could have proven to be fatal, and faced
with the only other option of land in mesquite woods, Kyle landed into
the wind drastically reducing the forward speed at impact. Upon
reaching the scene, I noticed that he set the airplane down in the only
Waco sized piece of ground in that dense woods that didn’t have tall
trees in it. Kyle sustained the majority of his burns trying to pull
his wife from the wreckage and when his efforts produced no results, he
stayed in the cockpit and transmitted a repeating distress call about
the post impact fire that had started. I honestly believe this
motivated the rapid responders to press through the brush and douse the
airplane at a more rapid rate which meant the split second difference
that saved Amanda, who was still in the plane.

The first responders on the scene did an excellent job of responding to
the situation in a rapid manner. Having a professional air boss teamed
up with professional CFR personnel made a world of difference that could
be the single most important factor that both Amanda and Kyle are still
with us.

Please continue to send your thoughts and prayers this direction because
we sincerely believe they are helping. I will pass updates along as I
receive them.

Sincerely

Having seen the vid of the event, I am amazed that they survived at all. Also, lets not forget the emergency services for their fantastic response !. My sincere best wishes to Amanda and Kyle for a full and speedy recovery and looking forward to seing them back in their normal envirnment

As long as deisel prices dont reach £400.00 a litre, I’m bringing my ’51 Mustang along. Hope to have done some more work on her as well !!!!

Outstanding !. Very usefull assembly shots for me, many thanks for posting !.