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Thread: Early Father's Day Gift

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    Orange Park, FL
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    Early Father's Day Gift

    My eldest son informed me a couple of weeks ago that he had tickets to take a ride in a WWII B-29 bomber.
    There are only two of these left that fly.
    Yesterday we went to Brunswick, GA to do this.
    These type of planes are cared for by the Commemorative Air Force.
    Soon after getting checked in we were instructed about boarding, safety and the aircraft's history.
    I was first on. It was a tight squeeze for my 79 yo body but I had a lot of help.
    The flight was about 20 mins long and very scenic.
    Many thought ran through my mind of the hero's who once were once in this type of craft and where we would be without them.
    We had a smooth landing and I wandered over to a P-51 Mustang sitting oh so beautiful on the tarmac.
    I said to my Son, Doug, I wonder if the man getting out of the plane has any connection with the Mustang?
    I was ready to head back home and Doug said, "Your the next one in line to go."
    Talk about being gobsmacked. We both hugged and shed tears.
    The flight was delayed due to low ceiling for the longest hour of my life.
    The pilot got me stuffed in the back seat. Remember this was a single seat aircraft. I learned all the safety things and how o talk with the pilot.
    We taxied down to the end of the runway. The pilot had to make small zig zags to see ahead. This is a tail dragger with huge V-12 engine and the view is not good.
    We took off and boy did we take off.
    The one part I will always remember is the pilot saying,"I'm going to get to 300 mph and make little climb." Up we went and he said, "The Little Angle wants back in Heaven.
    I will, no doubt, recall this every day with the time I have left.
    There was a WWII Vet present that day. There was a B-24 there also giving rides. The Vet had been a B-24 gunner and he was taking one more ride.
    What a day.


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
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    Mid West and North East USA
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    Jealous with Envy while I think of words to make up the minimum.
    Best Regards, Maurice

  3. #3
    That's one fine son you have Jerry.
    Thanks for posting this. It made me smile.
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  4. #4
    Very nice post and story!

    My Dad was a B17 turret gunner in WWII. 39 missions over Nazi Germany and occupied Europe. He was flying from Africa to South America to the U.S. to be retrained for the Pacific. En route the bomb was dropped and the war ended. He was discharged when he got back to the U.S.

    Anecdotal story. I was fishing with him on a small rental boat in the Delaware Bay in the 1980's on a foggy day. A plane flew over and he said rather mundanely "That is a B17." I thought he had lost his marbles. The next week in a breakfast spot I was reading a local free paper that was on the counter. A B17 had been flown from somewhere in NJ to Dover Air Force base on the day we were fishing. Dad was right! I believe the B17 was called "Shoo Shoo Baby," a restored plane that was used for shows.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Somewhere in the Land of Lincoln
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    2,545
    What an amazing present he gave you. Memories for the both of you. Envious of you as well. So neat to ride on a part of history like this. The P 51 as well. They were an amazing plane in their day and still are today. I think he gave you a Father's Day gift for the ages.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
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    28,504
    That is about the best father/son day I could imagine! Congratulations!
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Longview WA
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    WOW!

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
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    9,876

  9. #9
    Outstanding Jerry. you couldn't have had a better day.
    Dave Anderson

    Chester, NH

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