A P-51 "MUSTANG" STORY
Old aviators and old airplanes never die... they just fly off into
eternity."
This is a good little story about a vivid memory of a P-51 and its
pilot by a fellow when he was 12 years old in Canada in 1967. Some of you may
know a few others who would appreciate it.
It was noon on a Sunday as I recall, the day a Mustang P-51 was to take
to the air. They said it had flown in during the night from some US
airport, the pilot had been tired so landed here for the night.
I marveled at the size of the plane dwarfing the Pipers and Canucks tied
down by her. It was much larger than in the movies. She glistened in
the sun like a bulwark of security from days gone by.
The pilot arrived by cab, paid the driver, then stepped into the flight
lounge. He was an older man, his wavy hair was gray and tossed . . .
looked like it might have been combed, . . . . . say, around the turn of the
century. His flight jacket was checked, creased, and worn - it smelled
old and genuine. Old Glory was prominently sewn to its shoulders. He
projected a quiet air of proficiency and pride devoid of arrogance. He filed a
quick flight plan to Montreal (Expo-67, Air Show) then walked across the
tarmac.
After taking several minutes to perform his walk-around check the pilot
returned to the flight lounge to ask if anyone would be available to
stand by with fire extinguishers while he "flashed the old bird up . . . just
to be safe." Though only 12 at the time I was allowed to stand by with an
extinguisher after brief instruction on its use -- "If you see a fire,
point, then pull this lever!" I later became a firefighter, but that's
another story.
The air around the exhaust manifolds shimmered like a mirror from fuel
fumes as the huge prop started to rotate. One manifold, then another,
and yet another barked -- I stepped back with the others. In moments the
Packard-built V-12 Merlin engine came to life with a thunderous roar,
blue flames knifed from her manifolds. I looked at the others' faces, there
was no concern. I lowered the bell of my extinguisher. One of the guys
signaled to walk back to the lounge. We did. Several minutes later we could hear the pilot doing his pre-flight run-up. He'd taxied to the end of runway 19,
out of sight. All went quiet for several seconds, we raced from the lounge
to the second story deck to see if we could catch a glimpse of the old P-51
as she started down the runway. We could not. There we stood, eyes fixed
to a spot half way down 19. Then a roar ripped across the field, much louder
than before, like a furious hell spawn set loose---something mighty
this way was coming!
"Listen to that thing!" Said the controller. In seconds the Mustang
burst into our line of sight. Its tail was already off and it was moving
faster than anything I'd ever seen by that point on 19. Two thirds the way
down 19 the Mustang was airborne with her gear going up. The prop tips
were supersonic; we clasped our ears as the Mustang climbed hellish fast into
the circuit to be eaten up by the dog-day haze.
We stood for a few moments in stunned silence trying to digest what
we'd just seen. The radio controller rushed by me to the radio. "Kingston
tower calling Mustang?" He looked back to us as he waited for an
acknowledgment. The radio crackled, "Go ahead Kingston." "Roger Mustang. Kingston tower would like to advise the circuit is clear for a low level pass." I
stood in shock because the controller had, more or less, just asked the pilot to
return for an impromptu air show!
The controller looked at us. "What?" He asked. "I can't let that guy go
without asking . . . . I couldn't forgive myself!" The radio crackled
once again, "Kingston, do I have permission for a low level pass, east to
west, across the field?" "Roger Mustang, the circuit is clear for an east to
west pass." "Roger, Kingston, I'm coming out of 3000 feet, stand by." We
rushed back onto the second-story deck, eyes now fixed toward
the eastern haze.
The sound was subtle at first, a high-pitched whine, a muffled screech,
a distant scream. Moments later the P-51 burst through the haze. Her
valiant old airframe straining against positive Gs and gravity, wing tips
spilling contrails of condensed air, prop-tips again supersonic as the burnished
bird blasted across the eastern margin of the field shredding and
tearing the air.
At about 400 mph and 150 yards from where we stood she passed with an
old American pilot saluting ...... imagine ....a salute to us Canadians! I
felt like laughing, I felt like crying, she glistened, she screamed,
the building shook, my heart pounded . . . then the old pilot pulled her up
. . . . and rolled, and rolled, and rolled out of sight into the broken
clouds .....and indelibly into my memory.
I've never wanted to be an American more than on that day. It was a
time when many nations in the world looked to America as their big brother,
a steady and even-handed beacon of security who navigated difficult
political water with grace and style; not unlike the pilot who'd just flown into
my memory. He was proud, not arrogant, humble, not a braggart, old and
honest, projecting an aura of America at its best. That America will return one
day, I know it will.
Until that time, I'll just send off a story; call it a reciprocal
salute, to the old American pilot who wove a memory for a young Canadian that's stayed a lifetime.