Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler
I remember going to that airshow with my father, I think Keith came too. I don't recall the parachute incident but I clearly remember seeing Mustang VH-IVI fly that day, it was the first warbird I'd seen flying and I was quite excited. I remember taking lots of photos with my cheap plastic lens Kodak camera, which was a hand-me-down from my sister, and when I got the B&W prints back from the chemist the Mustang was just a small blurry smudge! Sadly VH-IVI crashed a few years later with the loss of the pilot/owner.
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I don't remember the parachutist either, maybe the excitement of the Mustang erased that memory. I do remember seeing the Firefly on the flight line and being disappointed it wasn't started up as promised. The other interesting to me aircraft was the Brain and Brown Anson which also flew. The Mustang seemed incredibly loud to my young ears.
I took a few pictures with my 2 1/4 square Welmy 6 camera and could not wait for the photos to be ready at the chemist, riding my bike there a couple of times a day.
The Mustang you mentioned Mike was of course the famous Fleetwings garage machine which had been rescued by Dick Hourigan and restored by Judy Pay's Old Aeroplane Company. As a 15 year old I could never have imagined as I stood intently peering into the cockpit I would one day fly in the back seat of this same aircraft.
Dick had to 'rescue' this aircraft again from the Museum back in the late 60s or early 70s by craning it over the fence and it was stored for some time in Mildura.