nrc
10-01-07, 10:30 AM
Yesterday was quite a memorable day. We went to the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends at Rickenbacker airport here in Columbus and saw some amazing things.
The day started off right with a P-51 in a low pass over the parking lot as we were walking in. Think Alain de Cadenet and the Spitfire flyover. Ok, so not nearly that low, but low and head on in a view you rarely get what with all those pesky safety rules.
Once on site you could almost imagine an air base circa 1944, with literally dozens of P-51s lined up on the tarmac where you could see and walk among them. I guess there were about 80 Mustangs in attendance. Also flying were a P-40, P-63, two P-47s, two B-17s, two B-25s, and an Avro Lancaster. The P-38 Glacier Girl was on hand and flew Saturday but not Sunday.
There were flight demos of the F16, F15, and F22. If anything, the first two just set the stage for the Raptor to demonstrate just how far beyond it has gone. It's past fighter jet amazing into UFO territory. It doesn't do loops, it simply back flips. Every flight manuever is taken beyond what you would think is physically possible. The thing flat spins down like a maple seed and then instead of falling out it just flies off. Vectored thrust, computer assisted flight controls, and copious power are wonderous things.
After the Raptor flight the F16, F15, F22 and a Mustang formed up in a diamond for a few heritage flight fly-bys.
As the show was winding down and they were preparing to send the Mustangs out for their final formation flight we decided to walk out to the parking lot to view the finale from there since the view was nearly as good as from show center. The walk out took us directly past one of the flight lines where they were prepping two dozen Mustangs for their flight.
We stopped to watch and got a rare treat. The Mustangs cranked up and started to taxi out. The front row of planes was not 50 feet in front of us and they probably were less than 20 feet away as they rolled out one after the other. It was an unforgettable moment.
We waited in the parking lot for the final fly-over. I'm not sure how many they put up on that last flight, but I imagine that it was more Mustangs than have flown together in a long, long time, or perhaps ever will again.
I'm always in awe of the men of that generation and the sacrifices they made for their country and the world. It's probably a little too easy to envy some of their experiences while forgetting the price they paid for them. I'm humbled to have gotten even a hint of what it may have been like.
The day started off right with a P-51 in a low pass over the parking lot as we were walking in. Think Alain de Cadenet and the Spitfire flyover. Ok, so not nearly that low, but low and head on in a view you rarely get what with all those pesky safety rules.
Once on site you could almost imagine an air base circa 1944, with literally dozens of P-51s lined up on the tarmac where you could see and walk among them. I guess there were about 80 Mustangs in attendance. Also flying were a P-40, P-63, two P-47s, two B-17s, two B-25s, and an Avro Lancaster. The P-38 Glacier Girl was on hand and flew Saturday but not Sunday.
There were flight demos of the F16, F15, and F22. If anything, the first two just set the stage for the Raptor to demonstrate just how far beyond it has gone. It's past fighter jet amazing into UFO territory. It doesn't do loops, it simply back flips. Every flight manuever is taken beyond what you would think is physically possible. The thing flat spins down like a maple seed and then instead of falling out it just flies off. Vectored thrust, computer assisted flight controls, and copious power are wonderous things.
After the Raptor flight the F16, F15, F22 and a Mustang formed up in a diamond for a few heritage flight fly-bys.
As the show was winding down and they were preparing to send the Mustangs out for their final formation flight we decided to walk out to the parking lot to view the finale from there since the view was nearly as good as from show center. The walk out took us directly past one of the flight lines where they were prepping two dozen Mustangs for their flight.
We stopped to watch and got a rare treat. The Mustangs cranked up and started to taxi out. The front row of planes was not 50 feet in front of us and they probably were less than 20 feet away as they rolled out one after the other. It was an unforgettable moment.
We waited in the parking lot for the final fly-over. I'm not sure how many they put up on that last flight, but I imagine that it was more Mustangs than have flown together in a long, long time, or perhaps ever will again.
I'm always in awe of the men of that generation and the sacrifices they made for their country and the world. It's probably a little too easy to envy some of their experiences while forgetting the price they paid for them. I'm humbled to have gotten even a hint of what it may have been like.