- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
- Messages
- 4,573
- Location
- Georgetown, ME
- Display Name
- Harley Reich
- Home Airfield
- KIWI
I am very tired after three long days as a volunteer -- one of many hundred -- at the Great State of Maine Airshow. Working with the Safety crew, wing-walking(guiding) into place an arriving B1 Bomber(and touring same), a P-3 Orion(and touring), two KC-135(and touring), the Texas Flying Legends Warbirds, I think I'll sleep the next three days. Meeting Rob Holland, Dan Marcotte, the Misty Blues All Woman Skydiving Team, Greg Koontz and the Alabama Boys, Randy Harris, Steve Oliver, lunching with the Air Force Thunder Birds pilots, Mike Goulian, and other famous flyers, it was worth every moment. I'll have some pictures, later.
I was chatting Sunday morning with an aging fellow as he sat on a golf cart in the huge Hangar 6. How long had he been flying? "Oh, I don't fly; I just travel around to air shows." Grandfatherly-type, very nice. He turned out to be the "grandfather with the shotgun" who tries to shoot down the "grandson" who interrupts the show with a $5.00 certificate for a flying lesson; the grandson then getting into the J-3 Cub(for the first time) and doing some of the most amazing "first flying experience" stunt flying a J-3 Cub has ever seen. It's a hilarious act about which I had read but had never seen. On the Cub: "Bob's Flying School - If You Buy It I Can fly It." Greg Koontz is amazing, and then lands the Cub on the top of the pickup truck's steel platform.
Then there's the story about the B1 Bomber. Prior to its arrival at Brunswick the flight crew was advised to go offshore and burn off some fuel, so they did. At some point there could be seen below, two lobster boats. Obviously, the lobster boat captains could see the giant above them. What they didn't suspect was the rare bird above them to descend to 500' msl and then crank-in full power. True story which a Thunder Bird pilot was telling me during lunch.
Oh, and the Thunder Birds routine on Saturday differed slightly from the Friday evening show. ?? My Safety Group was temporarily stationed at the north end of the taxiway. Four of the jets came from the south, in the diamond formation, followed by two that came from the opposite direction and not far above us. But one of the two broke off and appeared to be landing. That's not the way it was on Friday. Mechanical problem? It happened that there was a bird strike. The plane landed and was quickly replaced by another aircraft which joined the routine. At lunch the pilot told me that the bird had hit the top edge of the canopy, but there was negligible damage.
It took six of us to push the Tuskegee Airmen P-51 from static display out onto the ramp, and after its flight, back to its display space; that sucker is heavy. And the two FA-18(am I remembering that correctly?) aircraft: magnificent flight demonstrations. Am I wired? The Thunder Birds hadn't been here since 1995. The Blue Angels only made one appearance(I think) this year in New England -- Portsmouth, NH - the former Pease AF Base. They'll be back in Brunswick, I'm told, for next year's show.
HR
I was chatting Sunday morning with an aging fellow as he sat on a golf cart in the huge Hangar 6. How long had he been flying? "Oh, I don't fly; I just travel around to air shows." Grandfatherly-type, very nice. He turned out to be the "grandfather with the shotgun" who tries to shoot down the "grandson" who interrupts the show with a $5.00 certificate for a flying lesson; the grandson then getting into the J-3 Cub(for the first time) and doing some of the most amazing "first flying experience" stunt flying a J-3 Cub has ever seen. It's a hilarious act about which I had read but had never seen. On the Cub: "Bob's Flying School - If You Buy It I Can fly It." Greg Koontz is amazing, and then lands the Cub on the top of the pickup truck's steel platform.
Then there's the story about the B1 Bomber. Prior to its arrival at Brunswick the flight crew was advised to go offshore and burn off some fuel, so they did. At some point there could be seen below, two lobster boats. Obviously, the lobster boat captains could see the giant above them. What they didn't suspect was the rare bird above them to descend to 500' msl and then crank-in full power. True story which a Thunder Bird pilot was telling me during lunch.
Oh, and the Thunder Birds routine on Saturday differed slightly from the Friday evening show. ?? My Safety Group was temporarily stationed at the north end of the taxiway. Four of the jets came from the south, in the diamond formation, followed by two that came from the opposite direction and not far above us. But one of the two broke off and appeared to be landing. That's not the way it was on Friday. Mechanical problem? It happened that there was a bird strike. The plane landed and was quickly replaced by another aircraft which joined the routine. At lunch the pilot told me that the bird had hit the top edge of the canopy, but there was negligible damage.
It took six of us to push the Tuskegee Airmen P-51 from static display out onto the ramp, and after its flight, back to its display space; that sucker is heavy. And the two FA-18(am I remembering that correctly?) aircraft: magnificent flight demonstrations. Am I wired? The Thunder Birds hadn't been here since 1995. The Blue Angels only made one appearance(I think) this year in New England -- Portsmouth, NH - the former Pease AF Base. They'll be back in Brunswick, I'm told, for next year's show.
HR
