bneal
06-22-2014, 09:43 AM
History….warbirds….vintage….aircraft. To a typical airshow attendee you’ll see a warbird, admire its size. Admire its sound. But what else? What does it mean to you? An attraction to draw a crowd? Nah…not for me. I see history and can only be curious as to this P-51 mustang I am looking at….and it goes like this.
0430. Airbase in England. As the night is fading today a layer of fog is slowly lifting on the plane as the condensation gently beads to the ground. In the barracks the boys are getting their briefing for today’s mission. Escort the bombers to Germany. You’ll be carrying extra fuel via drop tanks this will be a long escort. Your going up against the German fighters the ME109’s which at higher altitude perform better than your plane. You know it, the Germans know it. Its duty…..you’ll do your mission to serve your country.
0600: As you slide canopy back and nestle yourself into the cockpit going through the aircraft checklist’s, your thinking about what if? What if this is my last time? Was this my last day to waken? Systems are go and as the ignition is switched to on the Merlin engine pops and swings the prop to life and the plane is shaking with anticipation to fly. As you line up down the runway advance the throttle and your now flying an extension of you, it's at your command and you feel it as it feels you.
At this point it all becomes a mystery to me. All I can imagine is what happens after takeoff. What was the dogfight like? What did you see? Over 25,000 airman lost their life’s in WWII. I can imagine the sweaty palms, the fear, and the joy when this plane landed back at base in England. This wasn’t just one time. This was done multiple times in this aircraft. Back when it was man and machine. Here I am looking at this magnificent machine and wonder what its history is. If it could talk what would it tell me? What did it do or what did it see? Did it fly alongside famous planes like Memphis belle? It has soul.
I am privileged. To be able to fly a 1947 L-16A aircraft that served in the military. Now it’s not a fighter, it never will be. It was meant for liaison work, a trainer. But as I look at my plane. It’s more than some fabric and tubing. It’s more than a wing and fuselage. It does have a story and it does have soul. So every time I fly it. It’s another story for the plane; it’s another “tick” on the chart saying it got you back home safe.
Perhaps I read too much into looking at that warbird, nah…I do not think so. It’s alive and it has soul.
It does not matter if you have an ultralight, production, homebuilt, helicopter, etc etc. All these machines live and breathe just like us. All have story's and all have souls
But to me, everything has soul. A car, a boat, whatever your passion is. You know it has soul. It makes you feel alive when you’re doing it. People look at me like I am foolish and crazy when they ask where you vacation every year. I go to Oshkosh Wisconsin to a place where there are so many stories’ waiting to be told and almost everybody and every airplane has soul.
0430. Airbase in England. As the night is fading today a layer of fog is slowly lifting on the plane as the condensation gently beads to the ground. In the barracks the boys are getting their briefing for today’s mission. Escort the bombers to Germany. You’ll be carrying extra fuel via drop tanks this will be a long escort. Your going up against the German fighters the ME109’s which at higher altitude perform better than your plane. You know it, the Germans know it. Its duty…..you’ll do your mission to serve your country.
0600: As you slide canopy back and nestle yourself into the cockpit going through the aircraft checklist’s, your thinking about what if? What if this is my last time? Was this my last day to waken? Systems are go and as the ignition is switched to on the Merlin engine pops and swings the prop to life and the plane is shaking with anticipation to fly. As you line up down the runway advance the throttle and your now flying an extension of you, it's at your command and you feel it as it feels you.
At this point it all becomes a mystery to me. All I can imagine is what happens after takeoff. What was the dogfight like? What did you see? Over 25,000 airman lost their life’s in WWII. I can imagine the sweaty palms, the fear, and the joy when this plane landed back at base in England. This wasn’t just one time. This was done multiple times in this aircraft. Back when it was man and machine. Here I am looking at this magnificent machine and wonder what its history is. If it could talk what would it tell me? What did it do or what did it see? Did it fly alongside famous planes like Memphis belle? It has soul.
I am privileged. To be able to fly a 1947 L-16A aircraft that served in the military. Now it’s not a fighter, it never will be. It was meant for liaison work, a trainer. But as I look at my plane. It’s more than some fabric and tubing. It’s more than a wing and fuselage. It does have a story and it does have soul. So every time I fly it. It’s another story for the plane; it’s another “tick” on the chart saying it got you back home safe.
Perhaps I read too much into looking at that warbird, nah…I do not think so. It’s alive and it has soul.
It does not matter if you have an ultralight, production, homebuilt, helicopter, etc etc. All these machines live and breathe just like us. All have story's and all have souls
But to me, everything has soul. A car, a boat, whatever your passion is. You know it has soul. It makes you feel alive when you’re doing it. People look at me like I am foolish and crazy when they ask where you vacation every year. I go to Oshkosh Wisconsin to a place where there are so many stories’ waiting to be told and almost everybody and every airplane has soul.