Jim
I made a daytrip to Peterborough Ontario, 90 minutes northeast of Toronto, to view a restored B-29 Superfortress World War II bomber which is visiting from its Texas home base. I was accompanied by my cycling friend Charles who is a history and aviation buff. Before getting my up close and personal tour of this beautiful, historic plane, I met Jim at the souvenir stand. He is part of the volunteer crew that travels with the plane when it is on tour and he was manning the souvenir stand but, like all the voluntary crew, he rotated through various duties around the plane. The Commemorative Air Force, the organization that owns “Fifi” makes sure that volunteers change duties frequently to prevent boredom and to make sure the volunteers get trained in a variety of roles. A prime function of the volunteers when the plane is on tour is to interact with the public, answer questions, and generally promote the organization.
Like all the volunteers I met today, Jim was personable, enthusiastic, and a great ambassador of the organization. Many of the volunteers have other jobs and devote their vacation time to volunteering with the Commemorative Air Force for part of the summer tour. Jim, I learned, is retired, is an aviation buff, and worked in an aviation-related warehouse and shipping career prior to retirement. When I asked how he got interested in his volunteer work with Fifi he listed a series of relatives who have flown in the military. His vision didn’t meet the standard required to fly but once he got interested in volunteer work around airplanes he felt it was a nice way to honor his relatives who served.
Jim didn’t pressure me to buy any of the souvenir shirts, hats, posters, or pins which were on sale even though the sale of these items helps fund the program. I didn’t begrudge the admission fee for the tour one bit but I’m trying not to fill our house with more souvenirs at this point in my life. Jim knew a lot about Fifi and was generous with his information. The plane was not scheduled to fly today but he encouraged me to come back on the weekend when it will be flying. “It’s a very impressive sight” he said – and I don’t doubt it for one minute. Jim didn’t hesitate when I asked if I could take this photo for my Human Family photography project. He removed his sunglasses and warned me that my camera was at risk photographing him. I told him I wasn’t at all concerned.
The Commemorative Air Force would not exist without a base of volunteers who do everything from helping restore historic planes, maintain them under supervision, keep them clean, and assist with the annual show schedule. Only a handful of positions in the organization are paid with the bulk being filled by volunteers who all have a passion for aviation and historic aircraft. Jim explained that the pilots who fly Fifi are (not surprisingly) specially trained volunteers with many years of experience in the cockpit of other multiengine aircraft. Most are senior airline captains and many have considerable military experience under their belts.
Thank you Jim for being such a positive first experience as I arrived at the airport. I really appreciated it. This is my 749th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
Jim
I made a daytrip to Peterborough Ontario, 90 minutes northeast of Toronto, to view a restored B-29 Superfortress World War II bomber which is visiting from its Texas home base. I was accompanied by my cycling friend Charles who is a history and aviation buff. Before getting my up close and personal tour of this beautiful, historic plane, I met Jim at the souvenir stand. He is part of the volunteer crew that travels with the plane when it is on tour and he was manning the souvenir stand but, like all the voluntary crew, he rotated through various duties around the plane. The Commemorative Air Force, the organization that owns “Fifi” makes sure that volunteers change duties frequently to prevent boredom and to make sure the volunteers get trained in a variety of roles. A prime function of the volunteers when the plane is on tour is to interact with the public, answer questions, and generally promote the organization.
Like all the volunteers I met today, Jim was personable, enthusiastic, and a great ambassador of the organization. Many of the volunteers have other jobs and devote their vacation time to volunteering with the Commemorative Air Force for part of the summer tour. Jim, I learned, is retired, is an aviation buff, and worked in an aviation-related warehouse and shipping career prior to retirement. When I asked how he got interested in his volunteer work with Fifi he listed a series of relatives who have flown in the military. His vision didn’t meet the standard required to fly but once he got interested in volunteer work around airplanes he felt it was a nice way to honor his relatives who served.
Jim didn’t pressure me to buy any of the souvenir shirts, hats, posters, or pins which were on sale even though the sale of these items helps fund the program. I didn’t begrudge the admission fee for the tour one bit but I’m trying not to fill our house with more souvenirs at this point in my life. Jim knew a lot about Fifi and was generous with his information. The plane was not scheduled to fly today but he encouraged me to come back on the weekend when it will be flying. “It’s a very impressive sight” he said – and I don’t doubt it for one minute. Jim didn’t hesitate when I asked if I could take this photo for my Human Family photography project. He removed his sunglasses and warned me that my camera was at risk photographing him. I told him I wasn’t at all concerned.
The Commemorative Air Force would not exist without a base of volunteers who do everything from helping restore historic planes, maintain them under supervision, keep them clean, and assist with the annual show schedule. Only a handful of positions in the organization are paid with the bulk being filled by volunteers who all have a passion for aviation and historic aircraft. Jim explained that the pilots who fly Fifi are (not surprisingly) specially trained volunteers with many years of experience in the cockpit of other multiengine aircraft. Most are senior airline captains and many have considerable military experience under their belts.
Thank you Jim for being such a positive first experience as I arrived at the airport. I really appreciated it. This is my 749th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.