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Author
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Topic: All in a Saturdays sigh....
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Snickers
Pilot
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posted 03-04- 10:20 PM
   
It had been an unusually wet winter, cold enough to give chills, but warm enough it didn’t snow. The sun finally came out one March Saturday and he decided to pay some attention to his brides horse. CJ was frolicking in the sun when the sound of a plane drifted on the North breeze. Looking up he expected to see the usual crop duster or some WWI biplane. This plane was different. In a flash he recognized it as a P38 Lightning. The plane flew directly overhead at a low altitude. It was low enough he could make out the individual “Invasion Stripes” used during the battles in and around Normandy.Just as it passed overhead the pilot started with a barrel roll and moved into more complex air combat maneuvers. He recognized of course, the Loop, the Immelman, Split “S’s” and scissor movements. There were others he didn’t recognize. At one point the pilot pushed the throttles forward to War Emergency Power. The sound from the twin Allison engines was incredible. A deep throated roar that threatened to loosen his teeth. Pure raw power to command. Then it banked and the sun glinted off the silver surface of the aircraft, as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone. Not before one last maneuver known to almost everyone. Before leaving the pilot “waggled” his wings to his one man audience.
It was beautiful. Sigh........
Snickers
=FC=
BTW - The 38 *really* can turn tight IF its going slow. At higher speeds? No way. Seeing is believing.
Sigh......... IP: Logged |
Werner Molders
Pilot
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posted 03-05- 01:01 AM
Is this for real? Did a P38 buzz you and do all that this weekend? I am envious beyond description.  Werner ------------------
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 IP: Logged |
Snickers
Pilot
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posted 03-05- 11:28 AM
This was for real. It was phenomenal. (And that IS an understatement...) I suspect the plane was from Chino's "Planes of Fame" museum. It has been chilly and very rainy (not normal southern CA weather even in winter) Saturday was clear and warm. We (wife and I) were out out the stable and it happened almost exactly as I described it. Snickers
=FC=
[This message has been edited by Snickers (edited 03-05-2001).] IP: Logged |
Mk10 225th
Pilot
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posted 03-05- 02:41 PM
Actually, I was hoping it was more of a dream, and I could borrow some of your sleeping pills...Mk IP: Logged |
Spectre_USA
Pilot
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posted 03-05- 02:56 PM
Wow,Flash-back. Reminds me of an incident I had MANY years ago on the opposite coast. New
Hampshire, actually. I was at the Hampton boat club, readying the ol' Lobtser boat.
I heard a different sounding aircraft engine or two. Passing me from right to left were
not only a P-38, but a Bf-109, in full WWII livery! No fancy moves, just a slow jaw-
dropping fly-by from a pair of ghosts of the past. Thanks for the memories... ------------------
-=Spectre=-
Spectre@jorg.net IP: Logged |
Himdog
Pilot
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posted 03-05- 03:33 PM
Cool, I was mountain biking last summer and got buzzed by a P51. Also that summer I was sitting on my back porch and heard a plane but it was going very slowly. I looked up to see a Folker Dr1 fly overhead. It was very cool, all dressed in black. Three summers ago some friends and me called in sick to work and went to the lake for a day of water skiing. This was during a weekday so no one was at the lake, the best time to go skiing. A helicopter (sorry don't know what kind, but it was station out of RDU airport, and it was Army) was flying along the shore line, must have been maybe twenty feet above the water as he flew around the lake. We started waving at him and he flew right over us! He did this four times that day. I'm sure he killed us on each pass! He was so close that you could see right inside.------------------
7./JG3_Himdog out
www.luftwaffe.net IP: Logged |
jgro
Pilot
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posted 03-05- 03:38 PM
I guess I must be spoiled. I live about 40 miles south of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, home of the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association). Every summer they have their fly in. They usually have about 2,000 planes fly in from all over the world. Included in these are many warbirds. The airport in the town where I work, which is about 15 miles from Oshkosh, is where all the warbirds park for the nite. I really enjoy that time of year, just sitting outside and watching all the birds fly over.  jgro IP: Logged |
Commando
Pilot
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posted 03-05- 04:06 PM
I was at a Pink Floyd open air concert, during the day a bf109 flew over, later with Pink Floyd on stage at sunset doing Dark Side of the Moon we had a spit overfly the concert at the bit the plane crashes, Breathtaking.IP: Logged |
Snickers
Pilot
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posted 03-05- 05:15 PM
Being close to Chino, March AFB and San Diego I get spoiled too (look up sometime to see the N2M flying wing go by or 4 P51's in close formation....). But this was the first time in my birdwatching that I saw a 38. (My favorite non seagoing plane...  ) It was a double bonus that he chose to do his maneuvers directly above me...
(I still sigh at the thought of the sight....)
Snickers
=FC=IP: Logged |
Vahnatai
Pilot
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posted 03-05- 06:28 PM
neener neener neeeener at a 4th of july a few years ago we had a zero and a corsair mock dogfight for about 10-15 minutes....later, at an airshow there was a b-17 formation fly byIP: Logged |
Werner Molders
Pilot
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posted 03-05- 06:53 PM
I am so jealous of all of you... I've seen a lancaster in real life, two in fact, but they aren't airworthy anymore I don't think. I have never seen a WWII warbird flying in real life, much less "happen upon me" which would be much more memorable than going to an airshow packed with hundreds of people, all the noise, distractions, etc. What snickers described above is the perfect warbird experience, short of flying it yourself. (imho)*sigh* to top it all off I was at summer camp several years ago when the Confederate Air Force's B17 and He111 came to town. My dad was good enough to go take pictures, but there's nothing like being in it, touching the real thing. Oh and Argon, watch it mister, you might just have a catburgler after your closet in a little while. Werner ------------------
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