Calvin and Larry in the office... Panchito's flight deck.
History came alive for me this past weekend like never before aboard Panchito, a fully restored World War II aircraft. I attempted to approach photography in much the same way I do with landscapes... to leave the viewer with a sense of the place. Here's a 'landscape' that became quite familiar with so many during World War II... the flight deck of a B-25 Mitchell bomber.
Here, our pilots Calvin and Larry work on a heading for a circuit around another pilot, Mount Pilot to be exact (see last post www.flickr.com/photos/snapdraggin/9890577604/). You'll notice a couple of anachronisms here with a GPS nestled among the instruments and Larry's tablet, which makes it easier for pilots to go paperless, as air charts are available for them. I remember reading from Pappy Boynton's autobiographical account, Baa Baa Black Sheep, of his exploits as a World War II Marine Corsair fighter pilot. His Black Sheep squadron was flying cover for a group of B-24 bombers headed for Japanese held territory. In most situations like that, the fighter pilots depended on the bombers' navigators to lead the way so that they could concentrate on staying alert for enemy fighters. Boynton had traveled this route before and something about this flight was nagging at him. They were flying above clouds that covered their entire route... and also covered all the visual landmarks. He called out to the bombers for headings and course corrections without response. Finally, a call came back, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear: "We're lost! Every man for himself!" Each aircraft in that formation reversed course and dove toward the Pacific to get under those clouds. Some didn't make it back to base, because when you ran out of fuel back then there was no aerial refueling to replenish it... when the engine bled the tanks dry, there was nowhere to go but down. Though it's not an exact replacement for IFR, ol' Pappy might have appreciated a GPS back in the day.
It's nice to know that the view out these windows isn't some enemy held territory, but rather the beautiful countryside of North Carolina that surrounds Smith-Reynolds Airport at the Winston-Salem Air Show. I met some new friends there... one fellow said he had waited about 70 years for his flight aboard a B-25. He had helped to launch them from places like New Guinea and the Philippines during the war. At 92-years of age, he's outlived most of his peers, but just like me he found it difficult to wipe the grin off his face after his flight on Panchito. It was great to meet him and so many other veterans, including these two fellows, whose service has helped to keep this world free.
Calvin and Larry in the office... Panchito's flight deck.
History came alive for me this past weekend like never before aboard Panchito, a fully restored World War II aircraft. I attempted to approach photography in much the same way I do with landscapes... to leave the viewer with a sense of the place. Here's a 'landscape' that became quite familiar with so many during World War II... the flight deck of a B-25 Mitchell bomber.
Here, our pilots Calvin and Larry work on a heading for a circuit around another pilot, Mount Pilot to be exact (see last post www.flickr.com/photos/snapdraggin/9890577604/). You'll notice a couple of anachronisms here with a GPS nestled among the instruments and Larry's tablet, which makes it easier for pilots to go paperless, as air charts are available for them. I remember reading from Pappy Boynton's autobiographical account, Baa Baa Black Sheep, of his exploits as a World War II Marine Corsair fighter pilot. His Black Sheep squadron was flying cover for a group of B-24 bombers headed for Japanese held territory. In most situations like that, the fighter pilots depended on the bombers' navigators to lead the way so that they could concentrate on staying alert for enemy fighters. Boynton had traveled this route before and something about this flight was nagging at him. They were flying above clouds that covered their entire route... and also covered all the visual landmarks. He called out to the bombers for headings and course corrections without response. Finally, a call came back, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear: "We're lost! Every man for himself!" Each aircraft in that formation reversed course and dove toward the Pacific to get under those clouds. Some didn't make it back to base, because when you ran out of fuel back then there was no aerial refueling to replenish it... when the engine bled the tanks dry, there was nowhere to go but down. Though it's not an exact replacement for IFR, ol' Pappy might have appreciated a GPS back in the day.
It's nice to know that the view out these windows isn't some enemy held territory, but rather the beautiful countryside of North Carolina that surrounds Smith-Reynolds Airport at the Winston-Salem Air Show. I met some new friends there... one fellow said he had waited about 70 years for his flight aboard a B-25. He had helped to launch them from places like New Guinea and the Philippines during the war. At 92-years of age, he's outlived most of his peers, but just like me he found it difficult to wipe the grin off his face after his flight on Panchito. It was great to meet him and so many other veterans, including these two fellows, whose service has helped to keep this world free.