October 5, 2013 - Georgetown Wings & Wheels
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Today was more like a hot summer day than early October. Good flying day. At the airport, I removed the rubber chicken launching device from the RV, then pulled the airplane out and headed east. Today's destination: Georgetown, Delaware for their Wings & Wheels event.
Right after takeoff I spotted a ship leaving the Patapsco River and entering the Chesapeake Bay. It looked like a World War II Liberty ship. So I checked it out and sure enough, it was the SS John W. Brown, one of only two Liberty ships still operational, based out of Baltimore. The SS John W. Brown does living history cruises four time a year; I have to go on one one of these days. Liberty ships were built at the nearby Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard.
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The ability of the United States to mass produce these cargo ships was a key factor in winning World War II.
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| This shot reminds me of my P-3 Orion days when we would "rig" ships. |
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Turning onto a left downwind from the 45 at Sussex County Airport (KGED). A little haziness marred otherwise perfect flying weather.
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| See all the vehicles parked amongst the hangars to the right center of the picture? Those are all classic cars. |
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| Turning base leg for Runway 4. |
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| They had a show plane area where they were putting RVs but by the time I arrived it was full, so I was parked away from things. |
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But at least I wasn't parked way out in Siberia.
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| Mugsy's RV-8 inside the showplane area. |
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So was Riggo. There was a TBM Avenger but it was not the same one that was at Easton last week.
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| You could buy a ride in this PT-19. |
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| There were two B-25s on hand and you could buy a ride on them. |
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| The second B-25, Panchito, is based here at Georgetown. |
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| A Soviet Mig-21 sits on the side of Runway 4. |
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Lots of people were at the Wings & Wheels.
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| A private L-39 jet painted in the colors of a U.S. Navy squadron. |
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| A Soviet WWII Yak. |
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| A nice looking Sequoia Falco kitplane. It has retractable gear and is aerobatic. |
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Burgers and Hot Dogs were available to the volunteers and pilots.
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MiG boneyard out back.
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Also at the Wings & Wheels were re-enactors portraying the 261st Coast Artillery Battalion of World War II which was stationed at nearby Fort Miles, Cape Henopen where they manned coastal guns controlling the entrance to the Delaware Bay. I was surprised to learn that one Battery -- Battery Smith -- had two sixteen inch guns! Those are the big ones that were on the Iowa class battleships and could hurl 2,700 pound shells 23 miles.
Mugsy is also a ham-radio enthusiast and had one of the re-enactors open up a WWII radio set for him.
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What really made this Wings &Wheels special were the Wheels. There were hundreds of classic cars onhand. I've never seen so many at one time. And they were all immaculate cars in perfect condition
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| This guy stayed too long in his car on a hot day. |
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The Bandit is in town!
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It's been a long time since I've seen a Ford Pinto.
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| A highwing participating in the flour drop contest. |
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| A B-25 rolls in hot for the flour bomb contest. |
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| Making a low pass in a B-25. How cool is that? |
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Time to leave. I had to put my flight gloves on when I got back in my plane, the metal surfaces were so hot. Here I'm waiting in line behind the B-25 Panchito to take off.
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| This is some kind of race car practice facility. |
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Just typical scenary on the eastern shore.
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| This time of year I start checking out what I call "the delta" which is spectacular when the leaves turn. |
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But it's hard to know when it will be at peak. It does not turn the same time as everwhere else. It hasn't peaked yet, obviously.
Back at Essex Skypark, I washed the RV and did a quick flight to blow the water out.
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