Very cool, that should be on everyone's bucket list! Thanks for posting a great story for us to enjoy. Nice pics also.
Pretty damn cool...I remember when I got to fly in a Ford Tri-Motor (not nearly as cool), memory you will have forever....
Wow, that's awesome, congrats! I'd love to fly (and roll and dip and all of those other fun things!) in a P40 someday. I've really got to get to FoF one of these times when I come down to FL. Coming to the Turkey Run this year?
Ramblur, your report on the flight gave me wood! I have visited Fantasy of Flight and was absolutely blown away! I didn't want to leave. I believe that it and Don Garlet's place are the main two attractions here in Florida. Visitors, take note, send the wife and kids to Disney World, and you head to the museum.
actually, connies have wright R-3350's in em not P&W radials. same basic motor that replaced the P&W radial that came stock on the "rare bear" bearcat :drool:
Thanks for sharing. I discovered Fantasy of Flight last winter driving across Florida to Clearwater. One quick u-turn later we were at the airfield. Awesome place. Hope to get back for a longer visit this winter.
quite a plane, rare bear. i pitted on that plane at the 99 reno races. has a orion p-3 prop cut down, looks like surf boards. also lettered and did paint work on it when it was that greenish gold and gray. congrads on your p-40 flight , that must of been quite a rush skull
Great report on a Wonderful Experience.... Kermit has a fantastic facility, and it is really nice that he "shares" the experince with others. We have a single place P-40 from the CAF Tex Hill Squadron out at the Burnet CAF Hangar for the winter. If any of you from around here want to see one up close and personal, come on by on the weekends. Several other ol birds there also at the Museum.
Just to give you a better idea of what its like being right next door,this pretty much sums it up. http://www.youtube.com/user/FantasyOfFlight#p/u/12/DjHjAiLT9ug
Wow, what an amazing ride, and in one of my favorite planes from my model airplane building days. Thanks for sharing your impressions, and thanks especially for the Tex Hill anecdote. David Lee (Tex) Hill was a member of my Lodge in San Antonio, and I sat next to him in several meetings without realizing who he was and what he had done. And just last summer I had the rare experience of getting to fly with Ken (Rascal) Kalstead in a Navy SNJ out of Santa Fe, NM. The sounds, smells, vibrations, G-forces, all are spot-on. We did two rolls and a loop in my hour-long flight around Santa Fe and environs, but the SNJ (AT-6 to you AAF types) was pokey by comparison; we cruised at about 130 kts most of the time. Experience of a lifetime, indeed! Fearless
Rememberence day here in Canada. A good friend "Irv Lowen" flew P47's in Burma in WW2. Loved every second of it as it was an extension of his love for motorcycle racing. Irv could race a motorcycle like nobody and can't imagine what he was like in the pilots seat. I remember driving down the street with him in his station wagon at 25 mph like most at 75 do. A car goes by honking his horn. Irv with a remarks with a smile, "They have never had 1800 hp and the end of a stick. He would drive his 38 Indian Scout to rallys at 75 mph while others where trailering bikes. Wish I had the ride you did today. Good on you!
congrats on the ride of a lifetime. My dad worked as a civilian maintenance supervisor at McChord afb in the sixties. I was about 8-10 years old when he took my brother and I into the flight simulator for the f-106 delta dart's. The guys in the room were real cool about letting my bro and me "fly" the simulator. I still hold the record for worst landing at 500 feet below sea level somewhere in Arkansas! I havent "flown" since!
Very cool, thanks for sharing the story...the P-40 was one of the best designed fighters of World War II, but lacked power without a turbo-supercharger. Must have been great to live the Tex Hill legend. He was one of the best pilots ever, later, as the test pilot for Boeing, barrel-rolled the prototype 707 over Lake Washington on the first test flight.
I got Tex Hills autograph on a photo of the Flying Tigers in their P-40s flying over Burma at Air Expo a few years ago. Really a nice man. I think he was in his 90's when I got it. I really prize that photo.
Jeff, your so dreamy!! Bet Donna had to peel you off the ceiling to calm you down, that night. Sorry me and the gang did not get to hang. Had an important meeting about our upcoming show. Still remember how much fun Suzy Q and I had last year. Thanks again for getting us those tickets for the Bi-Plane ride. Thrill of a lifetime, but the P-40 would have made me go into convulsions. You are a Rock Star! Sick and lost my voice, will call you when I get better. JT
I see Bob Locks' New Standard behind that P-40, Waldo Wrights Flying Service. Brings back memories of the "Moonlight Fly-in".
Oh man, what a greatest. I can't believe I missed this one last time round!! What a super rear ride, the TP-40........ man am I jealous!! Congratulations mate! Things like that stay with you forever. Love P40s, many Aussy pilots were awarded their 'Ace' moniker in them in WWII, incidentally the highest scoring P-40 Ace of any nation was Australia's (And one of my greatest hero's) Clive 'Killer' Caldwell!! 296ardun, if you ever read this the P-40 in all marks (excluding the Merlin powered variants) had a single stage turbo-supercharger. It was the lack of a two stage blower that was lacking in the Allison powered P-40s, this resulted in a steep fall in speed as al***ude increased. Having been an 'Air Cadet' since I was about 13 until 17 I spent a lot of time at air shows, was a member of Morrabbin Air Museum until I joined the Army. Then when I became a 'Red Beret' (Australian Army Parachute Display Team) we were involved in almost every air show in OZ! As a result we exchanged tandem parachute rides for rides in aircraft. I lucked out on some rides in AWESOME aircraft from a P-51D to a RNZAF TA-4K Skyhawk. Doc.
It truly was the culmination of a dream. I actually "flew" 100's if not 1000's of missions in this P-40... Later I went thru a couple Cox control line P-40s,spending hours going in circles and finding that sweet spot on those .049 needle valves. Much later and after I'd given up on aircraft wrenching for a living Kermit bought the cow pasture next door which at the time was my private field for my RC planes. One late afternoon after work I was in his field chasing buzzards with a radio control powered glider when I heard that sound of an approaching aircraft but couldn't see it anywhere. At that moment it came screaming over the tree line(and damn close at that) a friggin De Havilland Mosquito at full song and way less than half my al***ude! With the hair standing up on my neck and the adrenaline redlining I put my glider in a steep dive and somehow managed to get it back on the ground in one piece before he circled back for another p***. That was only the beginning of what was to grow out of that cow pasture and inspire visitors from around the world. And speaking of visitors, Roar and Soar is coming in November and is sorely lacking in the rod and custom dept... Bring your rides and make a weekend out of it. I quarrantie it is unlike any show you've participated in before, bands,boats,cars,planes,boat races,car slalom course,awesome flyovers, take a ride in a 1929 New Standard biplane or get some stick time in a vintage Stearman biplane. Radio control boats,planes and cars also have their own areas and compe***ions,the attraction with its world cl*** collection of vintage warbirds,racers, other significant aircraft,and immerssion experiences is also open to attendees. I believe they still allow dry camping on-site or hit me up here for a deep Hamb discount at my RV park next door. If you have kids bringem, with all the stuff geared for them they're gonna have more fun than you! CHECK IT OUT! http://www.fantasyofflight.com/roar-n-soar/
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