By the end of my stay, some folks I owned this TBM Avenger because I was with it so much. Painted exactly as President George Bush’s TBM appeared when we was shot down, this is simply a gorgeous plane I love spending time with. The number of the plane is in honor of our 41st president. You might notice a second shadow as we drag the TBM down the runway. That’s the Shorts Sky Van I’m shooting from.

This Heritage Trophy winner P-51D Mustang was brought back to life by famed restorer Robert Odegaard. There are a couple of “Cripes A’ Mighty” P-51Ds flyin in the US and that’s because of the Ace for whom it represents. Major George Preddy was an amazing flier with 6 confirmed kills before he was shot down….by his own ground forces! Here, Odegaard is skimming over the desert outside of Mesa, AZ during an evening shoot. “Cripes A’ Mighty” is hangared during the winter at the AZ CAF Wing where you can walk up and see this legendary Mustange!

When you look at Odegaard’s P-51D “Stang,” you would have no clue it is made from parts from 20 different Mustangs. “I traded for most of the parts to build “Stang” Ode told me. As a kid, he was told he would never be able to fly so went west from his home in ND to learn to become a aviation mechanic. He returned to ND at age 19 to teach others how to repair planes (he was a natural). He soon discovered he got bad information and took his passion for planes becoming an amazing pilot. He never lost his skill though for turning a wrench which I have seen personally and the aviation community as seen in his restoration of the only two Super Corsairs in the world. With that being said, on the maiden flight of “Stang,” “it suffered gear problems and Bob was forced to make an emergency landing. The left gear collapsed and the clamshell doors and left flap were destroyed. After just two weeks it was flying again.” I’ve photographed “Stang” many times now and will again this weekend and with Ode at the stick! It’s a gorgeoous plane. Oh, and the name, it’s part of a cartoon series along with “Duggie” the Smile in the Sky DC-3.

The P-40 Warhawk with the shark-faces is easily recognizable as a member of the AVG, better known as the Flying Tigers. The AVG or American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force true history has been overshadowed by John Wayne’s Flying Tigers. While in operation for only slightly over a year in China, the pilots of the AVG performed some amazing feats despite military and political conflicts. The model of the P-40 used by the AVG is not what you see here, but the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk IIB. How they got their aircraft and they were maintained is a fascinating story of political and military intrigue.

Their one year service produced some amazing pilot like David “Tex” Hill and Greg Boyington, going on in the service of the US to become aces. Some of Chennault’s bomber / fighter tactics prior to the going to China that were shunned, but with the training and skill of his pilots were proved and put into wide spread practice. The history of the Flying Tigers and their contribution to WWII is an amazing story worth your time to explore!

Even those who aren’t into aviation have heard of the Japanese Zero. The A6M was Japanese long-range fighter that at the beginning of the war provide Japan with an aerial edge. It’s speed and agility along with its two, 20mm Canons made it a lethal enemy. When you look at the Zero, it seems to a very unsophisticated aircraft considering its aerial success. US Wildcat pilots while out classed by specs quickly discovered weaknesses in the Zero’s performance and Japanese aerial tactics though making it possible to bring the Zero down. With the introduction of the F4U Corsair though the Zero meet its match.

Nine time Reno Air Race Gold Unlimited champion, Strega with its pilot Steve Hinton is just simple spectacular to watch in action together! The first time I saw Strega screaming directly for us at Pylon 4, I had to ask just what kind of aircraft it was. With its turtle deck canopy, chopped wings and being new to racing, I had no clue it’s a race modified P-51D Mustang. Once you hear its 3600HP Rolls Royce engine scream past you, you know exactly what kind of aircraft it is. The time, care and professionalism that goes into this aircraft is nothing short of impressive. During race week, after a night in the pits working on her, the crew has the plane out before sunrise for a test flight. Once Hinton has it in the air and is putting it through its paces, you can’t help but be swept up in the speed record setter at work. From the ground through, it doesn’t look like work, it just looks like fun!

The reaction by the public to the movie Red Tails has been pretty darn cool! The desire to learn more about the pilots and the aircraft can be seen in many forums around the country. Many have been seeking examples of the aircraft to see them in person, experiencing for themselves the aircraft. A great example is the P-51C housed at Kermit Week’s Fantasy of Flight, Polk City, FL.

This original P-51C was restored to the letter like famed Tusksgee flies Lee Archer flew in the ’40s (in fact, Archer autographed the armor plate behind the pilot seat). Everything from the radio behind the pilot seat to the name of the plane to every other detail are exact as Archer flew it. Fantasy of Flight has demos flights everyday and if you’re really lucky, you’ll be there the day Kermit takes the P-51C out. That’s when you’ll really get a feel for the Red Tails and their contribution to our freedoms.

In the movie The Aviator, Howard Hughes steps off an oddly romantic flying boat after he lands it in a bay and drifts up on the sand to ask an actress out on a date. Just what is this aircraft? Sometimes called “The Explorer’s Air Yacht,” The Sikorsky flying amphibian plane first flew May, 1928 with 110 being constructed. The army ordered a couple and Pan America a whole bunch more. Now in Kermit Week’s hangar, Thomas Schrade’s beautifully built S-38 replica “Osa’a Ark” represents filmakers Osa & Martin Johnson’s S-38 they flew over Africa in the 1930s. This includes all the details in the cabin to the crazy zebra stripes on the exterior. Construction started in 2000 and required over 40,000 man hours to complete.

These photos were taken at OshKosh in 2010 where it was S-38 flew a number of demo flights. Schrade’s S-38 reproduction (now owned by Kermit Weeks) was built with original Sikorsky plans by the late Buzz Kaplan’s “Born Again Restorations,” of Owatonna, Minnesota, along with Sam Johnson’s Carnauba S-38. Johnson used his plane to retrace the 1930s flight made to South America by his father in search of a carnauba palm supply for the family’s business, Johnson Wax. What an amazing piece of aviation history brought to life!

The P-51D “Sizzlin Liz” that belongs to Ted Conti (at the stick) is a gorgeous plane. This photograph though is to celebrate the Sierra finally getting snow after a two month drought. Based out of Carson City, NV, it took us seconds to be over the snow to celebrate winter finally arriving with an air to air over the scant cover.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat entered service in 1943 to replace the Wildcat. It was a carrier based fighter in the Pacific. Over 12000 of them were produced and while it looks like just a bigger version of the Wildcat, it was a totally new design. Nicknamed by its pilots as the “Aluminum Tank,” it had a well earned reputation of taking a lot of abuse from the enemy. This gorgeous Hellcat is part of the SoCal CAF Wing and was at the 2011 Reno Air Races where it participated in the Navy Centennial flights.