Old times, good memory

[Tania Uzunova]

I just want to share with you becouse my job is photgrapher/designer and in combination of loving planes things like that ( to found old photos ) is ussual... so some questions for you.
Who are they and what's the year of the contest?

For the correct answers will be prize:)

[ptg]

Entire US Team.  1980 World Champs, Czestochova, Poland.
Bottom photo: Bob Hunt, Les McDonald, Bill Werwrege. 
Background top photo: Left to Right (just some I can Identify)
Henry Nelson, Luke Roy J.E. Allbriton, Don Jelik, Doc Jackson, Dave Elias, Tom Konopi, PT Granderson

There are a lot of stories about this trip and we were all so young.

[john e. holliday]

Could not remember the year, but isn't the last year the USA took the top three places.   Also back when like me, Bobby had hair.

[Peter Nevai]

I guess the Bill did not belong to POOWP!

(Paternal Order Of the White Pants)

I wonder what was so interesting up in the sky, or was a pigeon zeroing in?  

That bottom photo begs for some bubble comments, come on guys what was each guy thinking, each facial expression can elicit a ton of good one liners.

I'll start

Bob..... Where am I?,,, Who am I??? Where did I park??? Did I Drive?
Les..... Ohhhhhh Thank you, thank you, thank you lord, thank you thank you. Who's the man?
Bill...... Sausages? Yea I got your sauages right here pal!

Top Photo

Les.... He, he, he, he, he, heeee.
BOB..... I'm cool see my shades? I'm the Ice Man, Where's Mavrick?
Bill..... Sausages? Yea I got your sauages right here pal!

[Tania Uzunova]

heheh Ok guys )) you having fun and that's the idea but think you miss someone ) and for now the prizen still not taken ))

[Peter Nevai]

heheh Ok guys )) you having fun and that's the idea but think you miss someone ) and for now the prizen still not taken ))

Let me see....... Hmmmm.

Thats you in the top photo?

[Igor Burger]

Nice try Peter, I wonder if SHE was on this world already in 1980 ... I think not 

BTW Tania ... if you wanted to make fun here, then you got it as I see :- )))))))))))))))))))

[Mike Keville]

Top photo:  okay, who's that between Les and Bob?

[Peter Nevai]

Nice try Peter, I wonder if SHE was on this world already in 1980 ... I think not  

BTW Tania ... if you wanted to make fun here, then you got it as I see :- )))))))))))))))))))

Hey watta I know, I've recently you can't tell a persons gender by the name even in the USA let alone Europe. They said they were a photographer, they had some old photos, so the next logical set was my answer.   I'm having too much fun with the captioning of the photos.

Here is an addition

The as yet unamed guy in the top  photo

"Americans ! Sheesh , hey pal watch your hands!"

Or

"Do I looked thrilled? I am just so thrilled! Are we done yet?"


Les.... "Muhahahahahaha!"

[Bob Hunt]

Wow! Do these photos ever bring back memories!

To answer Peter's question, we were all looking up at the three American flags that were flying over the podium while the United States' National Anthem was playing. I cannot convey just how proud we all were at that moment, having just finished in the Gold, Silver and Bronze positions; the second, and last, time that feat had been achieved by a group of American Stunt fliers. The three of us did not comprise the US team that year, however. I was there as the defending World Champion. The other US team member who is not pictured was Wynn Paul. As I recall he placed ninth or so that year, still delivering the team championship, along with Les and Billy's placings, to the United States. My individual Silver Medal placing did not count toward the team championship.

The really funny thing about the podium photo is that our team managers had not even considered that we would capture the top three places and so did not come equipped with three American flags of the same size for the ceremony. There was a mad dash to find a third flag to hoist at the podium for Billy's Bronze Medal placing. They did manage to find a very small flag - about a foot long as I recall - and they hoisted it up next to the other two very large flags. It was very comical and we ribbed Billy about it for days. That may account for the disconcerted look on Billy's face at that moment...

Phil is right about the many back stories from that World Championships. One of them could not be told for many years because we were under a strict gag order from the United States' State Department! (Well, at least I was...) There were some serious things that happened there and they almost cost me several years in a Polish prison. Remember, Poland was still an Iron Curtain country at that time, and 1980 was the year that we boycotted the Olympics, which were also held in an Iron Curtain country that year.  The actual story of that adventure now needs to be told. Les McDonald opened the door for that telling with his landmark series of articles, The Stiletto Chronicles, in Stunt News. He left it to me to write that chapter about our Polish experience. I guess it’s time for that to happen. I’ll start working on it and present it in an upcoming issue of Stunt News. All I can say here is that looking down the barrels of several AK 47 rifles ain’t fun!

Nice memories… Captioning the photos? Well, I’m one of only three who could actually do that accurately…

I'm attaching a couple more photos from that WC's

Bob Hunt

[Peter Nevai]

The guy between Les and BOB is Luciano Compostella Italian 4th place holder

[Bob Hunt]

Well, no... The guy between Les and me is Georgi Marinov...

Bob Hunt

[Peter Nevai]

Well, no... The guy between Les and I is Georgi Marinov...

Bob Hunt

I Defer to you Bob, but if you compare the photos it certainly looks like the same guy 30 or so years later.

[Tania Uzunova]

)) So thanks to evryone....pleasure was mine!
I see that we have winner for the prizen and he will get it ))

ps..
Аnd those who underestimate me because I am a woman, I would like to answer with charming smile - I AM , but rarer!

[Tom Niebuhr]

Tania,
Thanks for the pictures. The guys haven't changed MUCH have they?

[Tania Uzunova]

With all due respect, I can say that I have seen hundreds of pictures and only that. Much things I have read and learned from them and their experience. I hope their smiles remain the same, although the past few years:) And the fact that I can write with any of them due to my friendship with Igor Burger, for which I am grateful:)

Once again thank you all!

Tania