On the Ramp Right Now!

I love "on the Ramp"

fredvon4 wrote:I love "on the Ramp"

THANK YOU FRED!!!!

Not directly Brodhead-related, but part of the trip:  I'd seen this poor Thunderstreak on previous trips up north, but had forgotten about it 'till fate decreed that my brain and butt simultaneously demand some break time as I drove up Interstate 39.

I chose this exit at Wenona (State Hwy 17), and there it was.  I THOUGHT there was a VFW Post right behind it, but maybe my brain just made that up.

Anyway, Gate Guardians and other 'Planes on Sticks' have a dual effect on me.  I'm happy to see they still exist, but heartbroken that they aren't preserved for a more adoring audience.  This historical fighter could be made of 2x4's and styrofoam for as much as most people care, but for airplane crazies, even the mechanics of the landing gear are fascinating, bird poop or not.

I like to try to imagine where it's been, and the missions it may have flown, and if any of it's pilots still survive and care to remember their hours in it (could be that some would say a parking lot is the best place for it---you never know!)

For me though, this is like having an Apollo Space Capsule, planted in a playground for use as a climb toy.  While it's at least not in a playground, it's still right out there, in a parking lot, with just a few yellow poles to protect it.  I wish it had it's own building, surrounded by information panels on it and it's design and war history.  

One of my lottery fantasies (AFTER acquiring a few dozen hours in a Mustang, of course) would be to assemble a team of airplane nuts and lawyers ("can't do nothin' without lawyers") to roam the countryside, looking for these artifacts.  If the local municipalities won't let us adopt them, we'd offer to build a proper shelter for them.

Fantasies are easy though, in real life, something bad would happen, I'd get sued out of my lottery winnings, and end up living alone on a hill out in the country...wait a minute...


















Photo from a small, enclose stand next to the F-84


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Along with the F-84 was this article on Iceal Gene Hambleton.  According to the article, the book and movie 'Bat 21" were based on his rescue.  I haven't finished reading it, but think this is not related to the F-84, just an acknowledgement from his hometown.

Sorry for the quality...shooting photos through some old plexiglass:

Out here in rural Texas we have a fair share of town/community airports many with some meager "Air Museum"... some with tanks, Artillery, anti aircraft pieces, and some WWII, chorea or Viet Nam era war planes....most of the displays are long since forgotten and very dilapidated

I have never visited most of the better Museums but over the years did tour some of the lesser know ones like up in Seattle Boing's

See many many air shows....mostly in Germany...I was there for a few of the disaster flights

All tings aviation and rocketry has always been a fascination and especially the training I got in the Army to fix the confounded things
A whole lot of words to agree with Kim....each unique piece in some bone yard or display always has me wondering about IT's history and the guys who flew it

"there I was 25,000 feet over North Viet Nam as my Bitching Betty was screaming about an incoming missile that I could not see yet"!

"I jink left, I jink right, and still do not see the threat!"

"so I just dive straight down hoping I can out run the damned thing!"

"I pull the F4 out just above the Jungle floor and see the Fuggin missile hit my wing man.........please oh please let me see a Chute!!!"

MY dad did two tours and actually brought home some audio tapes of these type events....
One memorable one was a call for close air support from a Inf unit under extreme fire.... from some grunt LT on the ground...FAC (Forward air control) said "nothing in AO" (area of operation) "except a C130 with BIG Bunker buster"...The LT said coordinates... danger close...the AF pilots nails the drop...silence for 3 minuets...then LT came back on... ....." don't know what the Fugg that was but please do NOT do it again!"

Dad had 30 hours of recorded exchanges from his MAAG assignment S3 Op center where he worked closely with AF liaison as well and Navy

Sadly when he died of Agent orange [bleep] my mom trashed all his Viet Nam stuff

Sorry for the rabble but the photos brought up a LOT of memories

Actually found your post fascinating...just imagine all the stories gone forever.

I actually have a lot of my own experiences to accentuate those of my Dad's......both training and Real World

Dad was initially very POed that I enlisted then later as we told "our" WAR stories he accepted my decision and accomplishment and experiences

I know Bob, George, Ron and others here can tell story after story

MY flying buddy Sean McEntee moved away to Fort Carson ...he is a E-7 drone pilot with multiple deployments to the middle east.....

I tell him dad's stories...then some of mine, and he relates to current world...and we both get a kick out of how so much has changed but the realities of combat stay the same....

In my story above was a danger close situation...once I told Sean the story he recounted a USA /Afghan Unit that was FUBAR and about to be REAL FUBAR...his team needed to THREAD the NEEDLE and drop munitions EXACTLY.... two operators were replaced with better seasoned guys and they surgically dropped Hell Fire's EXACTLY where needed....our guys lived to fight another day

Although I was in the USAF during the time, our unit almost went three times but thankfully did not have to go to Vietnam, Republic of.
We heard numerous pilots stories, some scary some funny.
An F-4 pilot described going into a mountain pass to bomb a bridge with dumb or retarded bombs with many NV AA guns on all sides firing all at once. After the bomb drop, he put the throttle to Emergency War Power (1350 MPH !!) to get out of gun range. After he took his first breath after a couple of minutes he thought he was clear. About then what appeared to be 3 glowing red wine bottles flashed by the windshield !!! A radar guided Russian 85mm gun !!!!
A C-130 Spectre gunnery officer described the great fun of having the aircraft commander firing the 105mm at a truck convoy on the Ho Chi Min trail to the tune of the Rolling Stones  "Can't get no satisfaction" !!!
He later described getting food poisoning and used an empty 20mm ammo box to do what he had to do. Before he threw the ammo box out the window at the bad guys, he wrote on the box " Yea though I fly through the valley of the shadow of death, I shat upon the heads upon mine enemies !!!!!!" LOL...…..

Steve...………..

As forecast, had a rock-n-roll weather night here in Brodhead.  Looks like more is on the way, but with possible breaks.

During a pause in the rain early this morning, I grabbed the video camera and hoofed it around some of the Pietenpols.

The red Piet is an original from the 1930's, built by Allen Rudolph, who passed away some years ago.  In the early 1990's it was rebuilt by Allen's friends, with it's final details being added under it's own tent at Oshkosh.

There's footage of his reunion with his 'new' Piet in 1994 included toward the end of this video.  A great guy.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sVsOp6CUqQ






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I zeroed in on this Corvair-powered Piet, just as the rain started again, so I got some of it's details and headed back to the camper.











When Piets (and Cubs and Champs for that matter) are parked, and there's a chance of rain, many owners like to remove their gas cap/wire fuel gauge, and replace it with a closed cap to keep rain from running down the wire into the fuel tank.  And, some use a little more imagination!

6:00am and the 'Piet Alarm Clock' is on duty! More photos to come as the Folgers soaks into my brain...

Good Stuff Kim !! you just can't stand still can ya LOL at least you're out there having a fun time and seeing some countryside . Enjoy the stories Fred and Steve , makes me wish i had went in but then again may not bee here now to listen to yours . Thanks as alway for takeing use along with you Kim .

fredvon4 wrote:I love "on the Ramp"

X2

Bob

Kim, you head'in to Oshkosh next?

Mark Boesen wrote:Kim, you head'in to Oshkosh next?

Not on this run. Gonna chill out tomorrow and try to get some Piet footage as everybody heads home.. Not much Piet flying today---14-18 mph crosswinds---but DID get some good stuff of others that flew.

You up for a hamburger late tomorrow. ???

Friday was pretty much a wash, as far as Piet flying was concerned, but there were some arrivals through the day, including a cute little 'Baby Corsair':










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Also had these Cubs stop by on their was to Oshkosh:












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The prep for the Friday Night Fish Boil:






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Got my requisite T-shirt







"Please Mind the 'Low Flying Aircraft' Signs"



So, we got another gloomy morning, but engines are starting up.  Time to go see what's happening.

Later !!!

Good stuff. Thanks,
Rusty

Yeo! Nothing better to get your airplane Jones fixed!! Lotta great stuff there!

And, we're back home again.  Got most of the yard mowed, the camper prepped for the next run, and still wading through a ton of photos and video footage.

I'll probably being posting more photos for a while as I glean them from croppings and video captures.

The Piet flying was way down because of the constant crosswind on the main runway, but still had some great times at the little airport.  Many of the locals brought their antiques out to play in the breeze and I covered several of them.

So, a good trip.




































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Oh, man. I just love them old “barn storming” Aircraft. That Baby Corsair was pretty sweet too. Like Roddie said, Thanks for posting the pictures.

Glad you got home OK a lot of impressive airplanes there i see the Mini Corsar got in the air Some those planes look pretty small ? that one pic of a older model car in the field brings some perspective to size . And a Pork chop diner man can't beat that with a stick ! Nice !!

Thanks man. It is a great get-together, with a lot of great folks.

The old car is a Model 'A' Ford, powered by the same engine as the red Piet parked next to it.

Arrived at the airport yesterday just in time to catch the departure of this big spray plane.  Fellow airplane nut Fran, had some sparse info that it was headed for Oshkosh, Wisconsin to tend to an oil or chemical spill up there.  

The "Dawn Bomber" reference was from a nickname given to a previous plane (DC-4 I think) that came through on it's way to the gulf a few years ago.  The guy we talked to said the chemical they lay down is basically Dawn Dish Washing Liquid, that breaks down oil floating on the water's surface.

According to it's I.D. plate and what Fran got from the copilot, it's a C-47, original manufacture from 1942.   I don't have much else, and haven't yet searched it on Google, but it was a great time seeing the Dakota/SkyTrain crank up and depart into the drizzly sky.





Spray Booms and Lines