WIX Archives

Re: Magical Moments

Posted by Ryan Keough on Fri Mar 07, 2003 07:40:40 PM

In reply top Magical Moments posted by Mike Henniger on Fri Mar 07, 2003 12:16:08 PM

Though I can't think of any specific one, I had many "moments" while growing up with the warplanes in Geneseo, NY like "Fuddy Duddy" and the P-40 owned (at the time) by Dr. Bill Anderson. Each flyby was a special treat and a very emotional experience for not only me but anyone else there when it happened. Each flyby seemed to be a symbol of the spirit of the group that took the chance to start a little airplane museum in the middle of a cornfield in Western New York state

Perhaps I can mention a certain personal experience that really illustrated the magic behind it all. I used to work as overnight "security" for the Warbird Gathering / History of Flight Airshows in Geneseo, NY after the Wings of Eagles Airshow left. These were much smaller and more personal affairs than the Wings of Eagles shows were in the mid-ninetys, but still had a specific charm with some great airplanes like B-17s and even a P-38 in 1998 that made it a unique show. I remember that no matter how big or small the show was, the one thing that was always amazing there after the crowds left was the lack of light and general airport hub-bub... it was always absolutely desolate.

I remember walking toward the flight line one moonlit, but cloudy night before the Sunday show back in 1998. I liked to get up and stretch now and again and go out to see the planes in the dark. All of a sudden, as a cloud unmasked the moon, Dave Tallichet's P-38 started glistening in the dew and fog ahead of me like a dusting of magic has been draped over it. It was so surreal how it just appeared there...

I walked around all night with the silent warbirds on the field like it was all mine... wiping the dew off as I came along and placing a warm hand on the cold metal... all they while talking to the planes as if they were horses in the stable. As morning came and the sun began rising over the hill that the town sits on, the rays of sun bestowed a golden glow over all of the planes there in my midst and it was then I realized why I love airplanes; why I love warbirds so much. Warbirds are not inanimate objects, but are living and breathing entities like you and I. Like a well worn antique steamer trunk, they have stories behind every bolt and every rivet and they talk to you even without a pilot in them or a spark running through their mags. We willingly sit there listening too... astounded that they have lasted as long as they have through odds that were against them all along.

Their power is amazing and the emotion they envoke can turn any of us solid humans into tearful mush with just a flyby. My experiences that night were a silent thank-you for all of the choked up moments I witnessed there during my formative years growing up amongst the heroes and aircraft that built the museum(s) that put Geneseo on the map. I can't point to specific moments anymore as "the moment" after those days because they all were special and now, working for the Collings Foundation, every day is still a "moment". I consider myself damn lucky for those experiences in my younger years and still consider myself lucky and moreover privileged to actually make a living working with them everyday.

Ryan Keough
"Still living the magical moment"



: Steve Tournay and myself have been discussing moments in o
: ur past, when attended airshows or visiting museums, that
: were quite magical.
:
: I cited one example at a Wings of Eagles air show where I
: had the opportunity to watch, from their 6 o'clock, three
: B-17s taxy to the run way. It was almost as if I was at a
: base in England as a USAAC unit was moving out to a runwa
: y for the day's operations. It was a magical moment to me
: .
:
: I bet everyone has had at least one of these experiences.
: Anyone else there care to share? What was your most memo
: rable airshow experiece?
:
: Looking forward to reading about your memories.
:
: Regards,
:
: Mike

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