Aircraft

[Leo Tanner]

Leo, Thanks for the music and video. That was some of Doris Day's best music.  She said that song was special to her because she thought about the vets coming home from WW2 when she was singing it.

My pleasure.  Me an Lil listen to that music when we play cards at night.

[Texas Lawdog]

Leo, My Dad had a great collection of 78s to listen to when I was a kid. I was born about a year after he got home.  He had all types of music. He liked country, especially Hank Sr. and Bob Wills.  He also listened to the Ink Spots, the Mills Bros., and Nat King Co;e, Guy Lombardo, The Dorseys,  and especially Glenn Miller. I was so lucky to be exposed to that era of music as a kid.

[Leo Tanner]

I played big band in junior high and looking into old planes I have found even more.  Vera Lynn is on my playlist.  She was an icon for the Brits.

[Texas Lawdog]

"FIFI" is supposed to be in Fort Worth at the VFM till the end of the month. I don't know if the Museum will be open on Easter Sunday. We have our Squadron Meeting tomorrow morning in Addison.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

I played Big Band music in high school as well. Some of my favorite stuff to do. i actually figured out Bobby Hacket's solo for " String Of Pearls", and used it once. Harry James was my Mom's idol and that's why I ended up playing trumpet in the first place. A couple of Harry's horns have been up for auction in the last year, king Super 20 symphony's. Went for big bucks, too..........Buck

[Leo Tanner]

I played Big Band music in high school as well. Some of my favorite stuff to do. i actually figured out Bobby Hacket's solo for " String Of Pearls", and used it once. Harry James was my Mom's idol and that's why I ended up playing trumpet in the first place. A couple of Harry's horns have been up for auction in the last year, king Super 20 symphony's. Went for big bucks, too..........Buck

I still have a tape here of a fat Jr High kid (me) playing the solo in that song.  I always wonder if buddy originally improved it or if Glenn wrote it.  It's a weird one.

Show on right now about the WASPs.  Those were some tough gals.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

One of the SASS shooters in Calif., Lumpy Grits I believe, his mother was a WASP

[Texas Lawdog]

The WASP training base was near Big Spring, Tx. There are plans in the works to erect a memorial to honor the WASPS.  I paid a visit to Cavanaugh's Museum of Flight this morning. There is a lot of construction being done on the runways. Ol 927 is parked at it's home in the South Hangar. I got off without my phone and camera, so no pictures. Mr Cavanaugh has an extensive collection of Aircraft from WW2, Korean War, and VietNam. If anyone is ever in Dallas, the Cavanaugh Museum at Addison and the Frontier's of Flight Museum at Love Field in Dallas.

[Texas Lawdog]

They are axking for volunteers to do some light sanding on the rudder and elevators on the A-26 to resurface and recover them. I'm planning on going Wed. morning and maybe next Sat. also. I ain't done much metal sanding since we got rid of the body shop in 1970.

[Leo Tanner]

Prep work is the worst unless you was born ta do it.

[Texas Lawdog]

I got started sanding fenders when I was old enough to hold a sanding block.

[Texas Lawdog]

They've got "FIFI" squeezed in the hangar among 8 to 10 other aircraft, including a B-25, another A-26, an AT-6, and 2 C-47s.  That B-29 is a biig plane. She looks good after the recent overhaul and refinish.

[Texas Lawdog]

I was talking to one of the B-29 mechanics yesterday at the hangar. They are doing maintence on the engines in preparation for leaving on an Air Show tour in a week or so. He was asking me where he could buy a Texas flag for "FIFI". I had won a 3 X 5 Texas flag as a door prize at the NCOWS Convention in March. I told him that I had one and I would donate it them because I am a Texan and a Squadron member. If anybody gets to see "FIFI" on tour this summer, you will get to see my Texas Flag.

[Leo Tanner]

That is neat Pop.  We just had our air show but I hope to see Fifi soon with your flag.  Lil just went through a case of old family pictures and found some of her grandfather when he was on a crew at Curtis Write.  Guess he worked on the Spirit of St. Louis and later became a pilot flying folks up to Alaska.  His plane was sabotaged by some rail road men and he went down.  The pictures she found are worth sharing, I just have to get my scanner set up.

[Texas Lawdog]

Leo, It is neat over at the hangar beacause I get to walk under "FIFI's fuselage every time I walk across to the restroom on the other side.

[Texas Lawdog]

Check out the Vintage Flight Museum web site.  There's a good picture of "FIFI" and there is a photo of what our A-26 will look like when it is finished.

[Texas Lawdog]

I volunteered to go down to Waco in the morning to bring the spare parts for the A-26 that were left in Waco.  We're taking a couple of trailers and we're gonna get a rental truck. We're gonna haul back as much stuff as we can haul back.  There are supposed to be 2 spare engine down there. They will have to wait another time. I am enjoying the restoration on the A-26. It will be neat to see it fly after we get it done.

[Texas Lawdog]

We brought back 3 engines, 2 of which are just cores. on a trailer. We filled up the rental truck with loose parts. The other trailer had engine stands and landing gear parts. There are still parts down there, so another trip will be needed to get the rest of the stuff. We have a hangar rented at Meacham Field to store the parts in. It was a long day and I slept all night for a change.

[Texas Lawdog]

I'm waking up with my second cup O Cawfee this morning. We will have our monthly Squadron meeting about 10 am.  I will probaly stick around for a while after the meeting. I don't know if they got the rental truck unloaded, if not, I'll help with that. We've still got another truck load of stuff down there, including a spare turret and periscope. They have a target date of July 1 for the plane to be finished in Breckenridge. The next project is for us to recover the control surfaces and get them ready for installation on the aircraft at Breckenridge.

[Texas Lawdog]

We un loaded the Truck after the Squadron meeting yesterday. I am a little sore in my lower back from the lifting and twisting. We are making progress on the restoration. We will make another trip to Waco next week to get the last of the spare parts. We've got about a month or so to get the control surfaces recovered and ready to be installed back on the aircraft.

[Sod Buster]

If anybody gets to see "FIFI" on tour this summer, you will get to see my Texas Flag.

I checked out her schedule and it appears she will be in Hampton Roads, VA , Andrews AFB (MD), and Farmington, NY at Republic Airfield - all in May (This month).  Since I drive past Republic evert time I go to Long Island, I may have to stop by. 

[Steel Horse Bailey]

I'm all excited now!

It looks like the Indianapolis/Mt. Comfort Airshow will be held this coming weekend (May 14 & 15) and thanks to my old buddy Dutch, I may have some tickets!

Fifi isn't scheduled to be there, but plenty of planes will be there for my inspection, including the Blue Angels and a team of F-16s called the Viper West team.

Awesome!

Even if I can't be there, my backyard is right in the flight path to the airport (about 6 miles from me as the crow flies) and there are always many planes coming & going as well as practicing routines right over my house!  I'll have to get out my binos to watch the goings on this week!

This is the only thing that interests me as much (if not a wee bit more) than shootin' cowboy iron!

[Leo Tanner]

Livin under a flight path is fun.  We've been getting a lot of low flying large props going over lately.  The sound is not a problem, it is a joy.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

I'm with you, Leo.  I NEVER tire of the sound of a powerful radial crankin' overhead ... no matter the time.  (Uh ... water-cooled as well, but they aren't as common and sound more like some newer craft.)

And when the Angels or T-Birds (BOTH are regulars at our show - they seem to rotate the off-years) are practicing - which they will be prob'ly Thursday & Friday, I get chills.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Nothing gets my attention quicker than the sound of a quartet of radials! They are a rare sound here, thus they command a look see if heard...............Buck