Really cool, thanks.

You bet!!

How cool is that, to have film of your father flying! Is he still with us?

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
How cool is that, to have film of your father flying! Is he still with us?

He is still with us. He doesn't remember much anymore.

Surestrike, very sorry to hear this. My mom had Alzheimer's for 12 very long years. Almost killed my father. Maybe your dad has a different form of memory loss. It is hard to see our fathers, who seemed like such giants when we were young, become so vulnerable.

We still have some good times together.

Bill,

He can remember perfectly any and all V speeds on airplanes he's flown. He can remember perfectly operational weights, approach speeds and power settings. He remembers any and all aerobatic maneuver entry speeds on just about every airplane he's ever flown and the list is impressive. To include but not limited to, the FM2 Widlcat, F6-F Hellcat, P-51D,H and TF-51H, AT-6, PT-17, In the big stuff the list includes the B-25, DC-4, DC-6, DC-7, L-18 lodestar, L-12 Electra Jr, piles of G/A aircraft and plenty I'm not recalling at the moment.

I put him in a B-777 sim several years ago and gave him a raw data ILS down to 1800 RVR the needles never moved from glide slope intercept to breakout. I had to do a double take to make sure the auto pilot actually disengaged.

But he can't remember what he did 10 minutes ago.

Strike, that is amazing information, thanks. What planes did you fly with him? Strange how the mind works. He remembers the things that kept him alive clearly.

I have said it before but it rates restating, I really appreciate your posts about aircraft. Hope to buy you a drink someday at DSC or SCI.

quote:

Originally posted by PSmith:
Strike, that is amazing information, thanks. What planes did you fly with him? Strange how the mind works. He remembers the things that kept him alive clearly.

I have said it before but it rates restating, I really appreciate your posts about aircraft. Hope to buy you a drink someday at DSC or SCI.

We flew ots of general aviation stuff together. He taught me to fly in a C-195. He checked me out in a T-6 when I was 18 years old and I worked for him as a kid and am typed in the L-18 Lodestar. Some of my fondest childhood memories are going out and doing loops and rolls in that old N3-N and ridding in the nose gunners position on a B-25 that he rebuilt and sold.

One of these days soon I will get back to SCI or DSC and am very much looking forward to taking you up on that drink!

SS: Your pop is obviously a man of great skill and talent. Rebuilding a B-25 is not for the faint of heart. I'm looking forward to seeing one at an airshow in Salem, OR, in June.

reminds me of my father inlaw he found a fuselage of an old waco in a barn a d built the hole thing from there. been some years ago, but was followed in rebuilding a seabee. he's now 88 and flying no more. but that old seabee is still in his hanger totally in original shape