Slightly off topic, but I know a lot of you guys love War Birds and Jack Roush is a legend. I say anything with 4 huge V-12's running open exhaust is a hot rod. They have some very cool stuff up at the Warplane Heritage Museum, if you are ever in the Hamilton area check it out. Aviation enthusiast takes flight with our Lanc November 18, 2009 GARRY MCKAY THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR MOUNT HOPE (Nov 18, 2009) Jack Roush has known the thrill of victory many times in his NASCAR racing ventures. The Michigan businessman admitted yesterday, however, that he got a very special thrill from his flight in the Lancaster bomber at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at the John C. Munro International Airport. Not only is Roush an aviation enthusiast, who has restored several Second World War fighter planes, but one of his companies makes specially engineered parts that have been used and continue to be used in helping keep Hamilton's Lancaster bomber in the air. It's one of only two in the world still flying. "Rolls-Royce did a wonderful job of building these engines," he said. "I'm a repair station for the engines and these engines have some of my parts in them. It gives me a great sense of pride that I'm able to be a custodian of some of the history that helped the free world overcome the tyranny of the Germans and Japanese in World War II." Roush Fenway Racing, one of the most successful auto racing companies in the world, has won championships in the NASCAR Nextel Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. They operate five full-time Nextel teams. To coincide with Roush's visit yesterday, the Warplane Heritage Museum had a mockup of Greg Biffle's NASCAR race car as well as several other vehicles on display. For Roush, however, yesterday wasn't about car racing, it was about his other love. "I have an affinity for flying. I'm a pilot and I fly routinely. I'll fly to North Carolina (today) and then fly home (tonight). "I have two P-51 Mustangs, who were the defenders of the skies over Western Europe when the Lancasters and the B-24s and the B-17s were bombing Germany out of the war, and I fly those as much as I can."
He bought one of those Mustangs right here where I live. What ****s is, I didn't even know there was a Mustang here until after it was gone.
Good to see, thanks Jack for stepping up and taking a interest in these planes, they like the men who flew them need to be remembered for there part in freeing the world from evil.
The Lancaster sounds just aweome when they fly it over my house, they seem to love opening it up when the get over the lake too!
I occasionally get to hear the sound of 3,000 hp bellowing over my head(at treetop level)when Jack does a flyover of the small airport(Meyers-Divers)across the street from my home.Jack and Keith Diver are friends and if he is in the neighborhood will make a balls on p*** over the field,usually early in the morning and only once so no one gets his tail number.A friend of mine on the local constabulary says that will usually light up the switchboard at the station for a half hour or so.As far as I know they haven't tagged him yet.
Too cool. I missed my chance to see the Lanc this summer when it was in Edmonton. Hopefully I'll get another chance.
That's so cool. Two winners, The Lancaster and Roush. (what ever happened to Gapp?) I too am a rabid WW2 nut. Planes,tanks,ships. Anything to do with it. I'd have to think war birds and hot rods are joined at the hip.
I've heard that Jack flies one of his P-51's to all of the Nascar races and states that is one of the few times he is alone with his thoughts and does some strategy planning while he is flying. He is a remarkable fellow who has done some exraordinary things since his street racing days of the 60's. Anyone remember his silver Mustang the had a HUGE X HUGE big block engine and just enough room between the slicks for the rearend centersection? I'll bet a bunch of old Woodward racers remember it. Frank
Interesting that some douche rated this thread a 1 star yet all comments are positive. Roush has done a lot of good work to keep these hot rods airworthy by improving the reliability and safety of operating 70 year old technology. Frank, I don't believe that Jack flies a Mustang to all the races, he's got a biz-jet that is certainly faster and more comfortable for the longer trips. The jet is painted up "warbird-like" though. He keeps his birds at Willow Run in Ypsilanti and I am fortunate to see them frequently, usually once a week. Low, loud, and fast....just like any good hot rod.
The Lanc flies over Niagara quite often and it can be heard from a long ways off - what a sound. I can only imagine what the noise was like in WW2 when they flew hundreds at a time. I didn't know Roush was involved but it makes sense, he sounds like quite a guy. I understand the museum has owned the Lanc longer than the military did - they last longer when nobody is shooting at them!
I had the pleasure of seeing/hearing the Battle of Britain flight (A Lancaster,Spitfire and Hurricane) doing a low level run along the Clyde estuary a few years back. 6 Rolls Royce Merlins in unison just blew me away! My old man flew 'Lancs' during WW2,so it had a special significance for me.... Thanks for sharing the pics. I've got some neat old pics my Dad took from the 'blister' in the canopy,I'll need to suss out how to transfer them onto the computer.
Thank you for the post! WWII airplanes are always welcome IMO, lots of Hot Rodders got their start working on them.
Not Mustangs but a cool picture nevertheless.Taken on Memorial Day 2007 across the street at Meyers Airport.These guys do flyovers locally every Memorial Day at their own expense.Radials can be just as noisy as Merlins;especially when there are nine of them taking off at 20 second intervals.Enjoy.
I've ridden in the back seat of a P-40 trainer and T-6. The P-40 was cool but the T-6 was just as much fun. We flew in formation with 4 other T-6s and a Beech 18 at at airshow. It was awesome. I was able to open the rear conopy and take some pictures. Flying at 140 with an open ****pit was really something. All those radial engines make a glorious noise.
We all owe alot to the brave pilots in the Spits and Hurricanes in the summer of 1940. They held the line with the odds against them. All the other brave pilots and service men and women too.
My Dad worked on the Lancs at Rockliffe Air Force Base in Ottawa, Ontario in the early to mid sixties. He was an instrument tech. They were a neat old plane. I think the air museum is at that base now that is closed down. Pat.
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