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                 Gilbert Lodge Blog
         The life and times of Mark and Paula Persons
Saturday, July 11, 2015:  The 2015 Air Expo at Flying Cloud Field in Eagan, Minnesota, was a success.
Many thousands attended to see aircraft on the ground and in the air.
One crowd pleaser was seeing T-6 Texans fly over in formation trailing smoke. 
The World War II Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber was a favorite.  Everyone wanted to see it and many took a ride in it.
First produced in 1938, 12,731 were built.  Only a few remain flying today.
 
This man was a B-17 pilot in WWII.  Happy to be alive, he got a ride in Yankee Lady this day.  The war ended 70 years ago!
 
There she goes again under the watchful eye of her ground crew.
 
The Jeep became synonyms with U. S. Army transportation starting in 1941.

One on hand that day had a belt-fed machine gun. 

A Grumman HU-16 Albatross flying boat was there.  It can take-off and land on dry land too.
On the right is a beautifully maintained North American P-51 Mustang...probably the best fighter of WWII.
(left) Retired General Pat Halloran is one of the few pilots who have flown the Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady and the SR-71 Blackbird.
Both are spy planes from the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.  Designed by Kelly Johnson, they were way ahead of their time.

(right) Chuck DeBellevue, was the top Ace in the Vietnam Conflict with six air victories.  He flew the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom.

Both men told fascinating stores about their time flying and life in our nation's military. 

Quote of the day:    It is amazing what you can learn by hearing people talk.   Mark    < Back to previous story Ahead to next story >

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page last edited 07/20/2015