Mailman was delivering package ealy afternoon and when I went out, the distinctive sound of big radials in formation coming over the trees fast. A-26 Invaders? But dark blue? Maybe F7F Tigercats.Call the local airport manager and ask him what just landed. He's on golf course and doesn't know but gives me the FBO's number. No answer. Tell wife I am going to airport to see something I have never seen up close. Sure enough. Two Tigercats out of Colorado Springs on their way to Oshkosh. Beautiful airplanes. Ask ramp service if I can go out and look at them. Hear woman pilot telling another gawker that she is a retired 767 captain.By then several other people have arrived and hanger flying is underway big time. I'relishing every minute of it and hang around to hear those inertia starters whine(I guess they still have inertia starters)and those P&W 2800s crank. Oshkosh is closed down to traffic because of thunderstorms and they expect to be open in thirty minutes. Another radial tricycle gear arrives. And then another. Seems like this is old home time as everyone knows everyone.Woman piloting one of the Yaks strikes up conversation and says she is a United 787 captain living in Longmont,Colorado and husband is teaching her to fly the Yak. Says ground handling the Yak takes getting used to.She flys out of LA and just got back from Singapore. An hour goes by and then another and another.F7 pilots begin to close up for the day and I head home to tell wife I have been waiting for over three hours to see Tigercats takeoff and saw nothing but listened to a lot of hanger flying. As usual, the first liar didn't stand a chance, and I kept my mouth shut about getting my A&P fifty some years ago at Spartan. I recall setting the magneto timing and the engine timing on a 2800 using some kind of a buzz box but that didn't qualify in this high priced company. It was a wonderful afternoon. I'll hear those F7s takeoff in the morning as we live three blocks from our airport. Even old retired guys who never put a wrench on a real airplane but took big GE turbines and generators apart hit the jackpot once in awhile.I'll still be drooling tomorrow about getting to look at F7s up close. One thing I did notice about the Tigercats. They had a second canopy and assume that is for a passenger. Don't recall the WWII F7s having that.Thanks for listening if you got this far.
Last edited: