Another story that seems to have evaporated was the time I was driving over the
rolling hills of northeast Pennsylvania on I-80, heading for the George Washington
Bridge and running late. It was sometime around 1990 and somewhere
around the top of the Poconos, just towards dusk, with the slider sunroof wide open
and under a heavy overcast, when a powerful prop plane headed over the hill in front
and roared directly at me, only a few hundred feet over the road. It was an old
P-40 in WWII OD camouflage; what a thrill! I would guess the old warbird was
heading home from Rhinebeck or some such place and ground-hopping in the
gathering darkness.
(05 Sep 06)
This related one, from an e-mail, is as sentimental and flag-waving as all get out, but I
can't resist posting it:
(05 Sep 06)
"This is a good little story about a vivid memory of a P-51 and its pilot by a fellow
when he was 12 years old in Canada in 1967. Some of you may know a few
others who would appreciate it.
It was noon on a Sunday as I recall, the day a Mustang P-51 was to take to the air.
They said it had flown in during the night from some US airport, the pilot had been tired.
I marveled at the size of the plane dwarfing the Pipers and Canucks tied down by her.
It was much larger than in the movies. She glistened in the sun like a bulwark
of security from days gone by.
The pilot arrived by cab, paid the driver, then stepped into the flight lounge. He
was an older man, his wavy hair was gray and tossed... looked like it might have
been combed... say, around the turn of the century. His flight jacket was
checked, creased, and worn - it smelled old and genuine. Old Glory was
prominently sewn to its shoulders. He projected a quiet air of proficiency and
pride devoid of arrogance. He filed a quick flight plan to Montreal (Expo-67, Air
Show) then walked across the tarmac.
After taking several minutes to perform his walk-around check the pilot returned to
the flight lounge to ask if anyone would be available to stand by with fire
extinguishers while he "flashed the old bird up... just to be safe." Though only
12 at the time I was allowed to stand by with an extinguisher after brief instruction on
its use -- "If you see a fire, point, then pull this lever!" I later became a
firefighter, but that's another story.
The air around the exhaust manifolds shimmered like a mirror from fuel fumes as the
huge prop started to rotate. One manifold, then another, and yet another
barked -- I stepped back with the others. In moments the Packard-built Merlin
engine came to life with a thunderous roar, blue flames knifed from her manifolds.
I looked at the others' faces, there was no concern. I lowered the bell of my
extinguisher. One of the guys signaled to walk back to the lounge. We
did.
Several minutes later we could hear the pilot doing his pre flight run-up. He'd
taxied to the end of runway 19, out of sight. All went quiet for several seconds,
we raced from the lounge to the second story deck to see if we could catch a glimpse
of the P-51 as she started down the runway. We could not. There we
stood, eyes fixed to a spot half way down 19. Then a roar ripped across the
field, much louder than before, like a furious hell spawn set loose---something mighty
this way was coming.
"Listen to that thing!", said the controller. In seconds the Mustang burst into
our line of sight. Its tail was already off and it was moving faster than anything
I'd ever seen by that point on 19. Two thirds the way down 19 the Mustang
was airborne with her gear going up. The prop tips were supersonic; we
clasped our ears as the Mustang climbed hellish fast into the circuit to be eaten up by
the dog-day haze.
We stood for a few moments in stunned silence trying to digest what we'd just seen.
The radio controller rushed by me to the radio. "Kingston tower calling Mustang?"
He looked back to us as he waited for an acknowledgment. The radio crackled,
"Go ahead Kingston." "Roger Mustang. Kingston tower would like to
advise the circuit is clear for a low level pass." I stood in shock because the
controller had, more or less, just asked the pilot to return for an impromptu air show!
The controller looked at us. "What?" He asked.&bsp; "I can't let that guy go
without asking... I couldn't forgive myself!" The radio crackled once again,
"Kingston, do I have permission for a low level pass, east to west, across the field?"
"Roger Mustang, the circuit is clear for an east to west pass." "Roger, Kingston,
I'm coming out of 3000 feet, stand by." We rushed back onto the second-story
deck, eyes fixed toward the eastern haze.
The sound was subtle at first, a high-pitched whine, a muffled screech, a distant
scream. Moments later the P-51 burst through the haze, her airframe straining
against positive Gs and gravity, wing tips spilling contrails of condensed air, prop-tips
again supersonic as the burnished bird blasted across the eastern margin of the field
shredding and tearing the air.
At about 400 mph and 150 yards from where we stood she passed with an old
American pilot saluting... imagine... a salute. I felt like laughing, I felt like crying,
she glistened, she screamed, the building shook, my heart pounded... then the old
pilot pulled her up... and rolled, and rolled, and rolled out of sight into the broken
clouds and indelibly into my memory.
I've never wanted to be an American more than on that day. It was a time
when many nations in the world looked to America as their big brother, a steady and
even-handed beacon of security who navigated difficult political water with grace and
style; not unlike the pilot who'd just flown into my memory. He was proud, not
arrogant, humble, not a braggart, old and honest, projecting an aura of America at its
best. That America will return one day, I know it will.
Until that time, I'll just send off a story; call it a reciprocal salute, to the old American
pilot who wove a memory for a young Canadian that's stayed a lifetime."
times since the counter was installed.
(Images from e-mail submittal)
