One of the few events that I actually look forward to every year is the Jimmy
Stewart Airport Festival held in Indiana, PA. This year I decided to concentrate on the airport and the planes themselves rather than crowd shots and things of that nature.
I created this poster by first shooting the air-intakes and nose of a P-40 Warhawk. I then added the text in PhotoShop.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Lease Aviation has moved across the airport to its new building next to the terminal. The huge flag in the background would be used later over the weekend when a large 1940s dance was held Saturday night as part of thr airports festival.
A couple of tail draggers sit in front of the terminal early Friday morning.
1979 Bellanca 7ECA
1954 Cessna 170B
1946 Cessna 140 2-seater
It's based in the hangar that you see behind it. This is old school.
Ted Davis, the barnstormer, settling to earth in his 1929 White New Standard.
http://www.americanbarnstormers.com/
Ted cuts across the taxiway on his way to the tie down area.
Flight Design CTLS taking off from Indiana.
Next to land at the Indiana Airport for the festival was this 1935 Fairchild 22.
The Fairchild 22 was built by the Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company of Hagerstown, MD.
Piper PA28-140 Cherokee was a family light aircraft that was introduced in 1960.
1929 White New Standard D25A.
One of my show favorites has always been the Stearman PT-17.
1969 Piper PA28-140.
In the hangar looking across the airfield.
Being 1 of only 79 Model 22s that were built between 1930 and 1939 this particular aircraft was restored during the 1990s and is now flown out of Culpeper, VA.
The main reason I go to the airport on the Friday of the air show is to take pictures of planes that I would never, ever have a chance of seeing again as they are flying in for the show. For me as a fan of airplanes and a photographer these are the shots and the things that I want to see when I go to an air show. Static displays are one thing but to actually see and feel one of these huge airplanes coming in for a landing, is something that you don't forget.
The C54 passes over the Jimmy Stewart Airport.
Life just don't get any better than this.
With a puff of smoke from the tires the C-54 finally lands in Indiana, PA.
Although the front wheel is still in the air, the big Douglas starts to slow down. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first American president to have his own airplane, and it was a C-54 Skymaster called the Sacred Cow. To learn more about the C54 visit their website at http://www.spiritoffreedom.org/
Just about to make the turn for the terminal.
Douglas C-54
At one time this C-54 served with the United States Marine Corps and was based in El Toro, California with Marine Air Base Squadron 37.
With the second officer keeping his eye on ground control the C-54 comes to a rest in front of the terminal at the Jimmy Stewart Airport in Indiana, PA.
Sunday, June 12, 2010
It's only 9:30 Sunday morning and I arrived at the airport just in time to watch pilot Mike Porter land his Stearman PT-17 after an early morning sight-seeing flight of the Indiana County area.
I don't know what to say, I just find this photograph to be so amusing!
One of my first stops on Sunday morning was to visit the Douglas C-54. Looking much like it did during the Berlin airlift is the cockpit of the C-54.
A member of the C-54 crew explains the Berlin airlift to a couple of the Air Festival visitors.
A display area at the rear of the aircraft showing some of the resources that the air lift provided to the citizens of West Berlin.
Once referred to as the "Flying Jeep" a Stinson L-5 air ambulance sits next to the present day, high-tech LifeFlight helicopter.
1966 Pawnee
After being pushed out of the McCreary Hangar the P-40 sits in the early Sunday morning air.
Curtiss P-40M.
I couldn't find much out about this little experimental aircraft other than it's a Frantz Tommy RX-40 air bike. Had this been a motorcycle show, this would have been the rat bike, which is fine by me 'cause I always like to see something that's a little different. I'll be trying to find out more about this airplane in future visits to the airport.
After letting the P-40 Jacky C warm up for a few minutes, pilot Dan Dameo heads for the terminal and the start of the days events.
Navy TH-57C.
Every year during airport festivals the Young Eagles program at the Jimmy Stewart Airport provides a free ride to school age children. This Cessna 152 is one of the planes that is used and it is flown by a qualified flight instructor.
1966 Pawnee crop duster heads down the runway about to give a demonstration of crop dusting.
The New Standard barn stormer returns after another ride around the city of Indiana, PA.
Father and son in the front seat share a thrilling moment in a young mans life.
Against gray skies the Pawnee heads down field. Owner and pilot Rudy Vrbanic has been flying this plane for over 30 years and has logged over 9,000 hours in the air.
The Pawnee stands out against the clouds as it banks around for another pass at the airfield.
Making a final drop of water to the delight of the crowd the Piper Pawnee heads skyward once again.
It's 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon and the P-40 Warhawk heads up the taxi way to begin his fly-by.
Stopping at a tie-down area just before the end of the taxi-way, the P-40 takes a few more minutes to warm up it's engine before taking off for the show.
With it's rear wheel starting to lift off the ground the P-40 hurtles itself down the runway under an ever threatening cloud cover.
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk over Indiana County Airport in black and white.
http://www.americanairpowermuseum.com/
Underside of the P-40 as it passes overhead at 300 mph
Once the scourge of the Japanese the Curtiss P-40 Warhawks became better known as the Flying Tigers during the AVG (American Volunteer Group) defense of China just prior to the start of America's entrance into World War II.
P-40 Jacky C.
P-40 Flying Tiger.
After making several passes over the airport, in an ever increasing downpour, Pilot Dan Dameo heads back to the safety of the runway.
Tiger in the rain. P-40 pilots prefer not to fly in the rain because if it gets too heavy, it peels the paint off of the propellers.
With the Army-Air Force line maintenance Jeep waiting, the P-40 taxis back up the runway at the end of the flyby. Of the 15,000 P-40s built, there may be 29 that are still flying.
