thedrifter
05-17-09, 08:20 AM
dailypress.com
World War II air show can provide the ride of a lifetime
By Hugh Lessig
247-7821
May 17, 2009
PUNGO — As an old newspaperman, I have come to know the three basic rules of journalism.
Never assume. Always get a name. Do not throw up during an interview.
Grounded in these precepts, I visited the first-ever Warbirds Over the Beach air show Saturday to fulfill a dream and fly in a World War II aircraft — with the appropriate mix of dives and spins.
Jerry Yagen was my capable chauffeur. As president of the Military Aviation Museum, he organized the show as a fundraiser. It featured vintage World War II aircraft of every stripe — from speedy fighters to imposing medium bombers.
On the ground was an interesting mix of World War II re-enactors, including a wide sampling of U.S. and German units. Some slept in tents and ate combat rations during the show, which ends today at the Virginia Beach Airport on Princess Anne Road.
More on them in a minute.
First, I had to check out my ride — a two-seat, single-engine Navy SNJ-4 that had ferried supplies over the Aleutian Islands during World War II. It could also be used as a trainer.
Hopefully, the ol' SNJ-4 had at least one more flight left.
Yagen quickly gained altitude and banked into a series of turns. Then came a free-fall, leave-your-stomach-behind dive that made every roller-coaster seem like Sunday school.
We buzzed a couple of kayakers. They waved.
Then came the terrifying part.
"Have you ever flown a plane?"
I must have misheard.
"Do you see the stick in front of you? Put your hand on it."
Yagen was clearly unfamiliar with the fourth rule of journalism: Do not allow reporters to fly planes.
But I did as instructed, and he walked me through a series of banking turns — he steered, but I felt the stick moving.
"Now you try it. If you go too hard to one side, the plane will flip over."
Oh really?
I tilted the stick, and the SNJ-4 swerved about 6 inches. John Wayne in "Flying Leathernecks" was doubling over in laughter right about now.
"You can go a little more," he coaxed.
So began my own "30 Seconds Over Pungo," and while it will never sell in Hollywood, it was fun while it lasted.
On a more serious note, such a ride gives you a greater appreciation of real World War II pilots. They are old men now, many of them frail, their memories fading. But they made it look easy, and their skill and courage can never be underestimated.
Somehow, this coming Memorial Day will feel a little different.
For re-enactors who attended the show, that reverence for history is a constant. And some get their start early in life.
Charles McFarlane is 15 years old and lives in New York. He drove hours to be with his fellow re-enactors this weekend, where they depicted a Marine unit that fought at Guadalcanal.
They constructed a spartan camp down to the last detail, even eating Japanese-type rations as the Marines did during that brutal campaign.
He attributes his love of history to his parents, who instilled it in him at an early age.
"It's really a sad time to be starting the hobby," he said.
"There aren't that many veterans around anymore. I'm just so happy that so many are writing books. If they didn't, there wouldn't be any inspiration at all to do this."
Ellie
World War II air show can provide the ride of a lifetime
By Hugh Lessig
247-7821
May 17, 2009
PUNGO — As an old newspaperman, I have come to know the three basic rules of journalism.
Never assume. Always get a name. Do not throw up during an interview.
Grounded in these precepts, I visited the first-ever Warbirds Over the Beach air show Saturday to fulfill a dream and fly in a World War II aircraft — with the appropriate mix of dives and spins.
Jerry Yagen was my capable chauffeur. As president of the Military Aviation Museum, he organized the show as a fundraiser. It featured vintage World War II aircraft of every stripe — from speedy fighters to imposing medium bombers.
On the ground was an interesting mix of World War II re-enactors, including a wide sampling of U.S. and German units. Some slept in tents and ate combat rations during the show, which ends today at the Virginia Beach Airport on Princess Anne Road.
More on them in a minute.
First, I had to check out my ride — a two-seat, single-engine Navy SNJ-4 that had ferried supplies over the Aleutian Islands during World War II. It could also be used as a trainer.
Hopefully, the ol' SNJ-4 had at least one more flight left.
Yagen quickly gained altitude and banked into a series of turns. Then came a free-fall, leave-your-stomach-behind dive that made every roller-coaster seem like Sunday school.
We buzzed a couple of kayakers. They waved.
Then came the terrifying part.
"Have you ever flown a plane?"
I must have misheard.
"Do you see the stick in front of you? Put your hand on it."
Yagen was clearly unfamiliar with the fourth rule of journalism: Do not allow reporters to fly planes.
But I did as instructed, and he walked me through a series of banking turns — he steered, but I felt the stick moving.
"Now you try it. If you go too hard to one side, the plane will flip over."
Oh really?
I tilted the stick, and the SNJ-4 swerved about 6 inches. John Wayne in "Flying Leathernecks" was doubling over in laughter right about now.
"You can go a little more," he coaxed.
So began my own "30 Seconds Over Pungo," and while it will never sell in Hollywood, it was fun while it lasted.
On a more serious note, such a ride gives you a greater appreciation of real World War II pilots. They are old men now, many of them frail, their memories fading. But they made it look easy, and their skill and courage can never be underestimated.
Somehow, this coming Memorial Day will feel a little different.
For re-enactors who attended the show, that reverence for history is a constant. And some get their start early in life.
Charles McFarlane is 15 years old and lives in New York. He drove hours to be with his fellow re-enactors this weekend, where they depicted a Marine unit that fought at Guadalcanal.
They constructed a spartan camp down to the last detail, even eating Japanese-type rations as the Marines did during that brutal campaign.
He attributes his love of history to his parents, who instilled it in him at an early age.
"It's really a sad time to be starting the hobby," he said.
"There aren't that many veterans around anymore. I'm just so happy that so many are writing books. If they didn't, there wouldn't be any inspiration at all to do this."
Ellie