Tomorrow, Saturday, May 15, 2010, is Armed Forces Day in America.
A little celebrated day anymore. Perhaps it needs to be reinstated, in its full honor.
I was on the I5 freeway north out of Burbank, on my way home, when I saw an aircraft, big, some distance away, circling to the east and then back to the west. Two engines. When it got at a certain angle, I saw it had the twin tails. It was a B-25. I knew it exactly.
Where the heck was it flying. It continued its way west and I could not keep it in sight, and still keep my eye on the freeway traffic. Oh man, I love the B-25. I don't know why. Never flew in one, never even got all that close to one. My daydreaming stopped...
Ahead, coming out of the east in a steep left bank, Holy Moly!!!
It was a B-17! Man, I was doing my best to keep my eyes open for anyone else distracted enough to cause a major accident, while I still kept my eye on that bird. Should I pull over and stop? Oh, man!!!
It leveled off and I knew it was headed for the Burbank airport. Silver it was, fat wheels down for landing. I stayed with traffic while keeping an eye as best I could on that magnificent airplane.
Finally, my exit, and the B-17 was out of sight. Never flew on this bird, either, although outside of Portland, Oregon, years ago, there was one situated over a gas station, and for a small price, we kids got to clawl into it and enjoy ourselves. What a fun time that was.
There is a Armed Forces Day celebration tomorrow at the Burbank Airport, with that B-17, the B-25, and P-51, and I imagine a number of other aircraft, but these three are the crown jewels. I don't know for sure, but I think the B-17 will have flights available, for a fee. Wish I could afford it.
I am writing this because seeing those two heart-stirring aircraft kicked up memories of the aircraft in which I have flown. I am not a frequent flyer, so the ones I have flown on stand out. Especially certain ones. And certain events around aircraft grab my heart.
My first flight was on a Dougie, DC-3, West Coast Airlines, out of Pocatello to Lewiston. I sat over the wing. The Stewardess offered me some gum to help my ears. As we flew, I distinctly remember looking out at the engine, and in particular, a rivet in the engine cowling that vibrated loosely. The flight went well, but I never forgot that rivet. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE DC-3s!!! Wish I could own/fly one!
Another memorable craft: The Constellation. One summer I worked fire crews for the Sho-Bans out of Fort Hall, Idaho. One fire we were assigned to go to another state. Yep, at the Pocatello airport, walked out of that terminal and there were those big three Connie tails standing tall. Smoothest flight I ever remember. Didn't fly back on it though. Only time, and wish I could fly on one again.
Another was a Fairchild F27 Propjet, SFO to Monterey. Fort Ord for basic training. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs on the same flight. Noisy bird.
Flew in a single-engine from Tacoma to eastern Washington, over Mt. Rainier, into a tiny wooded airport, we came in steep---lordy lord---and set down sweet. Flight back was memorable because the pilot gave us a 'tour' of the mountains... heh heh heh. Whew! Thanks. Once was enough.
Had one incident on a commercial flight, scared the crap out of everyone. Sudden dive about twenty minutes after liftoff. My friend, who was flying with me to a class reunion, and I thought this was it. No. Loss of cockpit cabin pressure, but we flew low and slow to our destination.
Not a lot of flights, most on Boeing jets and once a DC-10. But there are memorable ones. I feel jaded writing that sentence.
But seeing that B-25 and B-17 touched a heart nerve. I had a friend who flew the B-25 'Heavenly Body' off the USS Ranger in 1992, commemorating the Doolittle raid, and the DVD he gave me of that is stunning.
Helicopters are for another diary. This is about the aircraft that I love: DC-3, B-25, B-17, Bi-Planes, F-86 Sabre... actually, too many to list. For me, one of the most memorable, and saddest, film moments is from THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, when the Dana Andrews character walks out into a huge field of aircraft in various stages of dismantling. He even crawls up into a bomber and sits in the front, where he 'worked.'
The recent volcano event that caused such a massive disruption in airline travel made me laugh. How easy we take for granted such travel. And how easy that travel can be brought back to earth. Laughed my ass off at the whining of travelers and company executives.
I still deeply wish I could afford to take a flight on that B-17. If I can, maybe I can get to the show and just be blessed with being able to place a hand on it, the B-17, and that P-51.