Personal Note For December 7

[Deleted]

As I've posted here before, my Dad died on Dec. 7, 1989.

Here's photos of him in 1986 in Topeka KS, in the rear seat of a T-6 Texan, the advanced trainer he flew in WWII. The photos were taken by my younger brother.








He is taking photos of the plane my older brother is flying, a C-47 like the one my dad flew on D-Day.








Family air-to-air photos.   How cool is that?

[mscott59]

pretty cool. where were these taken?

Dec 7, 2017 16:20:50 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

As I've posted here before, my Dad died on Dec. 7, 1989.

Here's photos of him in 1986 in Topeka KS, in the rear seat of a T-6 Texan, the advanced trainer he flew in WWII. The photos were taken by my younger brother.








He is taking photos of the plane my older brother is flying, a C-47 like the one my dad flew on D-Day.








Family air-to-air photos.   How cool is that?

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2017 16:40:45 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

pretty cool. where were these taken?

Dec 7, 2017 16:20:50 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

As I've posted here before, my Dad died on Dec. 7, 1989.

Here's photos of him in 1986 in Topeka KS, in the rear seat of a T-6 Texan, the advanced trainer he flew in WWII. The photos were taken by my younger brother.








He is taking photos of the plane my older brother is flying, a C-47 like the one my dad flew on D-Day.








Family air-to-air photos.   How cool is that?

In the air of course!!



Seriously ............... Topeka KS (Forbes Field) Sept '86


P.S. Notice what a good job the T-6 pilot is doing.   In both photos, the wingtip is lined up perfectly with the star on the C-47 fuselage.  Not too far forward, not too far back.

[mscott59]

Dec 7, 2017 16:46:56 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

Dec 7, 2017 16:40:45 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

pretty cool. where were these taken?

In the air of course!!



Seriously ............... Topeka KS (Forbes Field) Sept '86


P.S. Notice what a good job the T-6 pilot is doing.   In both photos, the wingtip is lined up perfectly with the star on the C-47 fuselage.  Not too far forward, not too far back.

oops. sorry... misread that. thought you were saying he died in topeka in '89.. should have re-read that. quite an keepsake to hold onto and honor your dad. our belated thanks to him...

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2017 17:09:06 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Dec 7, 2017 16:46:56 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

In the air of course!!



Seriously ............... Topeka KS (Forbes Field) Sept '86


P.S. Notice what a good job the T-6 pilot is doing.   In both photos, the wingtip is lined up perfectly with the star on the C-47 fuselage.  Not too far forward, not too far back.

oops. sorry... misread that. thought you were saying he died in topeka in '89.. should have re-read that. quite an keepsake to hold onto and honor your dad. our belated thanks to him...

No problem.   After the war, he lived in Louisiana the rest of his life.
And thanks for YOUR thanks, my friend.

He was meticulous in his record keeping, precise in everything he did, extremely careful, always neat and well groomed, and kept everything in its proper place. I inherited NONE of those traits!


While he was in Topeka, my brother let him fly his old bird, too.


 

[oujour76]

Dec 7, 2017 16:20:50 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

As I've posted here before, my Dad died on Dec. 7, 1989.

Here's photos of him in 1986 in Topeka KS, in the rear seat of a T-6 Texan, the advanced trainer he flew in WWII. The photos were taken by my younger brother.








He is taking photos of the plane my older brother is flying, a C-47 like the one my dad flew on D-Day.








Family air-to-air photos.   How cool is that?

Very cool.

[daleko]

Dec 7, 2017 16:20:50 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

How cool is that?

Beyond pretty cool. Thanks for the post.

[Deleted]

Dec 8, 2017 15:59:06 GMT -5 daleko said:

Dec 7, 2017 16:20:50 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

How cool is that?

Beyond pretty cool. Thanks for the post.

Glad you liked it, Dale.
Helps explain why I am such a flying fanatic. 

[daleko]

Dec 8, 2017 19:30:26 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

Dec 8, 2017 15:59:06 GMT -5 daleko said:

Beyond pretty cool. Thanks for the post.

Glad you liked it, Dale.
Helps explain why I am such a flying fanatic. 

Who's the pilot that's turned back for the pic in the C-47?

[Deleted]

Dec 8, 2017 21:44:34 GMT -5 daleko said:

Dec 8, 2017 19:30:26 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

Glad you liked it, Dale.
Helps explain why I am such a flying fanatic. 

Who's the pilot that's turned back for the pic in the C-47?

That's my Dad.   My older brother is in the co-piot's (right) seat.   That photo was taken during a separate flight on the same day.    
So you basically have MY family controlling a museum piece vintage aircraft in flight.       BTW, Kilroy is no longer flying.   It's grounded, but I don't think THEY are the ones who broke it.


After 40 years, the old man still knew the manifold pressure settings, number of blades to count while the starter turns the engine before turning on the ignition, the throttle, mixture and prop settings for startup, and once airborne, gear & flap retract speeds, and engine manifold pressure and prop RPM settings for climb and cruise flight.
With a non-geared engine like these, manifold pressure sets engine power, but prop RPM determines how fast the engine runs, and prop pitch determines how efficient the blades are at pulling the plane through the air.

Oh yeah, he also had to remember which direction to fly and what altitude to maintain --- to do what people normally think of  as  "flying" the airplane.   Flying is more about managing all the components of the airplane than simply driving it through the sky.   ANYONE can aim an airplane.

In a car, you start the engine, it runs, and you never think about it for the rest of the drive, except to keep it fed and cooled.  An aircraft engine requires constant moitoring.  So do the hydraulic systems that operate flight control surfaces and such.


NEVER fly in an Airbus, which has NO direct mechanical connection between pilot and flight controls.   A pilot tells a computer what he wants to do by conventional control inputs, but the COMPUTERS make the moves.   If the computers are hacked or otherwise compromised, the pilots simply become passengers who usually end up being the first ones to the scene of the crash.   They are HELPLESS.

[daleko]

Dec 9, 2017 1:07:02 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

Dec 8, 2017 21:44:34 GMT -5 daleko said:

Who's the pilot that's turned back for the pic in the C-47?

That's my Dad.   My older brother is in the co-piot's (right) seat.   That photo was taken during a separate flight on the same day.    
So you basically have MY family controlling a museum piece vintage aircraft in flight.       BTW, Kilroy is no longer flying.   It's grounded, but I don't think THEY are the ones who broke it.


After 40 years, the old man still knew the manifold pressure settings, number of blades to count while the starter turns the engine before turning on the ignition, the throttle, mixture and prop settings for startup, and once airborne, gear & flap retract speeds, and engine manifold pressure and prop RPM settings for climb and cruise flight.
With a non-geared engine like these, manifold pressure sets engine power, but prop RPM determines how fast the engine runs, and prop pitch determines how efficient the blades are at pulling the plane through the air.

Oh yeah, he also had to remember which direction to fly and what altitude to maintain --- to do what people normally think of  as  "flying" the airplane.   Flying is more about managing all the components of the airplane than simply driving it through the sky.   ANYONE can aim an airplane.

In a car, you start the engine, it runs, and you never think about it for the rest of the drive, except to keep it fed and cooled.  An aircraft engine requires constant moitoring.  So do the hydraulic systems that operate flight control surfaces and such.


NEVER fly in an Airbus, which has NO direct mechanical connection between pilot and flight controls.   A pilot tells a computer what he wants to do by conventional control inputs, but the COMPUTERS make the moves.   If the computers are hacked or otherwise compromised, the pilots simply become passengers who usually end up being the first ones to the scene of the crash.   They are HELPLESS.

Y'all any kin to Mike Kennedy? He's an air repo guy and bears a strong resemblance to your dad, as shown in that pic.  

[Deleted]

Dec 9, 2017 12:19:11 GMT -5 daleko said:

Dec 9, 2017 1:07:02 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

That's my Dad.   My older brother is in the co-piot's (right) seat.   That photo was taken during a separate flight on the same day.    
So you basically have MY family controlling a museum piece vintage aircraft in flight.       BTW, Kilroy is no longer flying.   It's grounded, but I don't think THEY are the ones who broke it.


After 40 years, the old man still knew the manifold pressure settings, number of blades to count while the starter turns the engine before turning on the ignition, the throttle, mixture and prop settings for startup, and once airborne, gear & flap retract speeds, and engine manifold pressure and prop RPM settings for climb and cruise flight.
With a non-geared engine like these, manifold pressure sets engine power, but prop RPM determines how fast the engine runs, and prop pitch determines how efficient the blades are at pulling the plane through the air.

Oh yeah, he also had to remember which direction to fly and what altitude to maintain --- to do what people normally think of  as  "flying" the airplane.   Flying is more about managing all the components of the airplane than simply driving it through the sky.   ANYONE can aim an airplane.

In a car, you start the engine, it runs, and you never think about it for the rest of the drive, except to keep it fed and cooled.  An aircraft engine requires constant moitoring.  So do the hydraulic systems that operate flight control surfaces and such.


NEVER fly in an Airbus, which has NO direct mechanical connection between pilot and flight controls.   A pilot tells a computer what he wants to do by conventional control inputs, but the COMPUTERS make the moves.   If the computers are hacked or otherwise compromised, the pilots simply become passengers who usually end up being the first ones to the scene of the crash.   They are HELPLESS.

Y'all any kin to Mike Kennedy? He's an air repo guy and bears a strong resemblance to your dad, as shown in that pic.  

Not that I'm aware of.
I remember watching that show but I can't recall any names, and only a general idea of what they looked like.

It ain't easy to steal an airplane that isn't already running and preflighted, is it?

[daleko]

Dec 9, 2017 12:24:46 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

Dec 9, 2017 12:19:11 GMT -5 daleko said:

Y'all any kin to Mike Kennedy? He's an air repo guy and bears a strong resemblance to your dad, as shown in that pic.  

Not that I'm aware of.
I remember watching that show but I can't recall any names, and only a general idea of what they looked like.

It ain't easy to steal an airplane that isn't already running and preflighted, is it?

Put a ball cap on this guy and compare it to your dad's photo. Close, I believe.
pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/499975723440799744/4ZzZpzZ6.jpeg

You can steal anything if you have enough guts to fly it. The small modern SE aircraft are easier, jets and old stuff nsm.  But a lot of that program was set up and made for TV drama.

[Deleted]

Dec 9, 2017 12:50:20 GMT -5 daleko said:

Dec 9, 2017 12:24:46 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

Not that I'm aware of.
I remember watching that show but I can't recall any names, and only a general idea of what they looked like.

It ain't easy to steal an airplane that isn't already running and preflighted, is it?

Put a ball cap on this guy and compare it to your dad's photo. Close, I believe.
pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/499975723440799744/4ZzZpzZ6.jpeg

You can steal anything if you have enough guts to fly it. The small modern SE aircraft are easier, jets and old stuff nsm.  But a lot of that program was set up and made for TV drama.

Yeah, I remember him now.  There IS a resemblance.  Maybe that's why I liked him the best on the show.

All those "reality" shows are only a fraction of actual reality.  How can you sneak onto an airport with ans entire film crew following you?  
Any airplane that is not airworthy can kill you without a complete preflight inspection.  Imagine getting airborne in an airplane that was in the hangar to have its corroded and broken main spar bolts replaced?  You get 5,000 feet in the air and THEN the wing folds up and quits.  It's not about how complicated the plane is to fly, but whether all of its major parts are intact and functional. 

I used to love that show about the "Lizard Lick" towing company.  Contrived as hell, but funny just the same.

www.trutv.com/shows/lizard-lick-towing/videos/index.html