Randy Sohn

BS'ed just now with "Sir Ralfus". He'd wanted to know how to reinstate hisself on Avsig, I forwarded his message to Mike. best, randy

Yes'sir, was gonna tell you that the Guard took over at SUX. Had 102s, IIRC. I was with the MNANG in MSP, C-97s. And I well recall the SAGE building there, used to pass thru SUX several times a day wth NOR's DC-3s and later, 340/440s and later yet, 580s and still later, Diesel 9s. best, randy

Been a l-o-n-g time since it happened but thinking back, that "wooden wonder" that we had in the CAF at KHRL was ferried over from England by Duane Egli and Ed Jurist. best, randy

Never flown a Mossie, we had one in the CAF many years ago, Duane Egley flew it down from El Paso to HRL once. best, randy

Yup, tell ya what, life-long mission to ELIMINATE any of them! Twelve barrel - double gauge <g>! Been reading this section with interest, can recall growing up in NW Iowa (Lake Park) and dad always telling us to beware of hay bales that'd come from Nebr. or the Dakotas. best, randy

Concur, did that with the one Bob had at the museum here at Flying Cloud. Had a crank on each side - similar to an automobile's window. Did you note the rear of the centersection? It had a metal ladder that you could trip the latch on to enable it to fall, then you could climb up on the aircraft and get into the cockpit. Liked two engines for some things, recall once I took it from here over to a show at Kalamazoo. With any single engine plane I'da gone down to the south end of the lake at Chicago., tho with the the 38 I just went to MKE and then on across the water to Kazoo. Speaking of airplanes here, the P-51 Mustang that I formerly had was an ex RAAF one from the Woomera tests. A68-1. best, randy

WOW!!!!!!! And also here, my dad used to tell me about taking our fattened Hereford steers to Wagner, Garrison & Abbot Commission Firm at the SUX stockyards and then going further out south with the trucker to the SUX airbase and seeing their B-17s. Years later I was hired at North Central Airlines and we used to transit SUX on the way to OMA (MOT-ABR--FSD-YKN-SUX-OFK-OMA with our DC-3s and then later, Convair 340/440s and then 580s. Those tar paper buildings were still there at SUX in 1961 and 62. best, randy

Chuckle, yup, Ladd had to set it down in that field and the peeps at Red Bull finally got it rebuilt and done. Cubic yards of money! If you look closely at the radiator inlets you'll see that they are sorta angled back on White Lightnin, the later F models had radiator inlets at a 90 degree angle. Used to stay overnight with Marvin L. "Marvelous L" and his wife Jeanne in Brownwood. One of the guys that dusted in Stearmans for him at Gardner Flyers, Darrell Skurich, was along with me when I brought that B-29, Fifi, back to HRL from China Lake at Inyokern. Lefty sure did an amazing airshow act with it, he was on the CAF's staff when I was first inducted into them. Lefty was one of the guys from the CAF that went over to England to fly Messerchmidt 109s in the film "Battle of Britain". best, randy

Good photo there to show some stuff, note the supercharger's exhausts coming back from the Allison's (V-1710s) and then into the turbo rotors to the rear on the top of of each boom. Also, if you look closely, you can see the inlets that lead back for the air blast to cool the rotor wheel. Intercoolers to the rear of the star and bar on the booms. 70 gph (X2) = 140 gph. Was barely enuf room to install a seat back there for a PX, neat ride but a tight fit. Wheel aileron control (not a stick). Those sidewindows can be rolled down to your side. best, randy

Unh-huh, concur about SUX, and we did up at Lake Park/Excelsior. best, randy

Concur, takes all kinds but I grew up where they weren't, now been pretty much worldwide and I still am of the "twelve barrell, double gauge" solution! Period!!!!!!!! best, randy

Same-oh around here. best, randy

Ernest had been a Navigator (or some crewmember like that) on B-29s. Took him along with me on a flight or two in the B-29 down in the Valley at the CAF when we first got it. Great guy. best, randy

Been reading this section for several days! Grew up in NW Iowa and always had an all consuming worrry/concern/whatever for ANY kind of snake. Powerful - I read the message on here a page or so ago about "putting up with them". Disagree - violently - don't care what kind it is, garter on up, have only one desire/emotion, that is to kill it, hack it up or apply the "12 ga., double barrell" solution. ASAP! best, randy

Good grief!!!!!!!!!!! The patterns on the F-20 and the M worked great for me - sure glad that I went off to the USAF before all the things that I see on here! best, randy