Thank you Wayne and associates

[AAFO_WSagar]

Hey Len, let's not be selling you guys short here! Without the 100's of volunteers who run the timing, pylons, tows.. EVERYTHING to keep the sport going!

In case some of you don't know, Len's one of the several people who spend a LOT of time at Reno doing the timing of the races and on top of that, one heck of a guy too boot!

Wayne

[Kilo Hotel]

Bearcat Professor

Hey, Peashooter –

I wonder if we’re thinking of the same Bearcat; the one I recall was parked just up the ramp from my parents' C172 at Tweed-New Haven in the late ‘50s. Wasn’t the owner a philosophy professor at Yale? I think I recall he set a time-to-climb record from sea level to 10,000’ in that thing, and I remember a few years later how sad I was when I heard he’d put it into a hillside in bad weather. What a beautiful airplane; I was just a tyke at the time, but I still recall being mightily impressed by how it sat there on those improbably long gear, at that ridiculous deck angle.

My own start as a pilot came at that airport in the 172. We were flying, just the two of us, and I was thrilled to be in the front for once; since my parents were both licensed pilots and we normally flew as a family of four, front seat time was precious. I was five or six at the time, and reached for the yoke, without warning, as we turned final. Dad gently told me I’d have to wait a few minutes, he was busy; we went up again and I got my first taste of being the pilot instead of the passenger. I was hooked; the rest is history…

I’ve attached a photo from 1959, scanned from a 2-1/4” slide. In it, you can see my father polishing the windscreen of the 172 on the ramp at Tweed-New Haven. That’s Nicole, our French exchange student, looking rather apprehensive, just before her first flight in an airplane (she’d arrived from France on the Liberte).

Let me add my own thanks to Wayne and the others behind the scenes at aafo; it's a wonderful thing you're doing here. See you in the pits next month...

[blacksheep]

wayne

No .We have never had any communication outside your most excellent website.

As for the 707, the Story was told to me by my avaition mechanics instructor at Benson High school (class of 69).

Seems they had to strip alot out of the interior of the jet (seats, galley stuff , etc), fuel it with minimun fuel supply then back it up to the very end of the runway with a two man crew for takeoff


Blacksheep

PS
ever been to one of the "open houses" at the airbase? There was the first place I ever saw a F-104 or got up close to a C-5

[AAFO_WSagar]

Blacksheep... Nope I've never done one of the open houses out there.. I do know some folks who have had some "inside" connections out there who were able to do some things that most of us can only dream about tho!

I did, however, go out to an open house at Kingsley Field down in Klamath Falls when I was living down there a year or so ago.. Fascinating stuff... they were doing a dissimilar air combat thing at the time of the open house...

Some interesting types were there to be sure, as well as nationalities. From Canadians to Saudi's, Marines, Navy and Airforce, all on the same field flying with/against each other.. We did not get to see any of the "combat" but the pilots and crews could not have been a finer bunch.

Wayne
PS... what area of the "area" are you in?? I'm out in Wilsonville...

[blacksheep]

where?

I live in Portland its self

Blacksheep

[blacksheep]

more

Wayne

I know what you mean, when I was in high school we had a student who's dad was a Col. at the Airbase. He claimed to have many hours in the simulator (F-4)(I saw the pictures of him in it!!) that was there at the time.

The first open house I saw was right after the Tomcat had been introduced and they flew one up from San Diego. When it left it did a high speed pass around the field then did a high speed climb out to altitude before it left.

In talking to the pilot of the German TF-104, an American Airforce instructor Pilot out of Luke AFB, I asked him if they were going to let the Navy show them up and he made some excuses like , well we an old single engine fighter set up or cross country but we will do someting

Something , right The took the full length of the runway to take off and then just stood that thing on its tail and BANG goes the afterburner and away it went straight up till it was almost out off sight


Blacksheep