Great smile on your Grandson! I was kind of amazed at what one could buy for not a lot of cash in the Rebel line. Oh, MA2A subject matter runs the gamut, one of the things that makes it what it is! Here's a shot from your neck of the woods............
Great action shot, looks like you guys had a big time down here. You gotta be in top shape to hold that line.
For the record; I could do that too ... and with therapy might walk again in a year or so.
Perfect illustration of the 'Good Old Days' XHawkeye.
I grew up with Armed Forces Day. There were a few static displays, the base band played service anthems and Sousa marches --- then formation fly by and acrobatics. Various years the ANG would bring Mustangs, Thunderbolts and (once) a Mitchell.
The big event was Bob Hoover from North American putting the F-86 and F-100 through their paces --- rolls, loops and high speed passes inches from the ground.
Then came his gut wrenching demo of recovering the F-100 from a Sabre Dance.
It was a great morale builder for pilots --- made more meaningful by Hoover's randomly picking planes from the flight line to show his confidence in North American and the quality of Air Force maintenance.
All this with a few thousand civilians, dependents and service folks gathered on one side of the flight line.
We didn't know any better than to enjoy the show and be proud of our country. The years since may be progress but I'm not sure it's all for the good.
In the early '70s I was a crew chief on F-101s. One of the first airshows I worked as a crew chief, the pilot landed after an early show 4 ship demo. When I helped him out of the cockpit, he told me to only fill the fuel system to 50% (about 1000 gallons). I couldn't do a post flight and sign it off without a full load. I had to get the acting Chief of Maintenance to sign off on it. I launched him as a solo. He put on one heck of a show. I don't think he was airborne more than 10 minutes and never came out of burner! His name was Capt. Ken Gurry...one heck of a pilot. He was a weekender who owned a Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning company. BTW...the WSO used the paper bag...if you know what I mean. IIRC, he had less than 200 gallons left when he landed.
I know I posted this before, but it is my only photo of an F-101 taken by our TxANG photographer Bucky Densford.
Wrei wrote:
In the early '70s I was a crew chief on F-101s. One of the first airshows I worked as a crew chief, the pilot landed after an early show 4 ship demo. When I helped him out of the cockpit, he told me to only fill the fuel system to 50%. I couldn't do a post flight and sign it off without a full load. I had to get the acting Chief of Maintenance to sign off on it. I launched him as a solo. He put on one heck of a show. I don't think he was airborne more than 10 minutes and never came out of burner! His name was Capt. Ken Gurry...on heck of a pilot. He was a weekender who owned an Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning company. BTW...the WSO used the paper bag...if you know what I mean.
I know I posted this before, but it is my only photo of an F-101 taken by our TxANG photographer Bucky Densford.
I don't do this kind of thing often enough, as you all know, but I can't resist a Grandchild's request..............spontaneous trip and a midnight arrival at MCO..............
...so, all fixed up 
