Gulfhawk Bearcat

[elmersfam]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

Today 9-20-07 Elmer Ward passed away in Chino CA. I am his grandson Kelly and I spent years at the airport as a kid tagging along with him and logging more hours in a P-51 than any other kid I've met.
His amazing life ended peacefully with his wife at his side after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. His accomplishments in life were truly incredible and he will be deeply missed. For more information you can reach me at says_who74 at yah o o.

God Bless

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

Kelly,

I had the pleasure of flying with your Grandfather, and respected greatly his knowledge of the airplane he was flying and his mastery of it. I was able to come up with many Bearcat parts he needed from my dad's spares. Are you Todd's son?

[elmersfam]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

He was a geat pilot I agree. I'm the son of his daughter Candice. Did you know him well?

[flyingsailor]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

My condolences to the entire family, another great one has slipped the surly bonds.

[J.SMITH]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

Kelly, I sorry to here about Elmer. I meet Elmer in Reno in 1986 and he took the time to talk to me about planes and invited my friend and I to Chino for a spin in Man-O-War. I made the trip in 1988 and had a great time. We took a camcorder up for the flight and I still have the tape ( I have sense transferred it to a DVD) of the flight I was lucky enought to take part in. Your Grandfather was a great man and I'm very lucky to have meet him. He will be missed.

[sierra fox]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

So very sorry Kelly,

Elmer was such a gentleman. He took me up in Man O War in 95 and it was the ride of my life. I'll never forget him asking me how i liked riding in a Sea Fury compared to a Mustang. It was as if he was appologizing for the Mustangs perfromance, which, at the time i did'nt know the difference. He was a huge fan of the Sea Fury, it was an honor to fly with him.

God Bless you and yours He has been in my prayers for many years

Anthony

[Lockheed Bob]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

Prayers to the family of Elmer Ward,he did a lot for the Warbird community. "Blue Skies & Tailwinds Forever"

[John H]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

Thanks Kelly. I want to cry. Elmer became a best friend on my weekly visits to Chino in the early 90s. I was overjoyed to see him at the Chino show the past few years. A year ago he wasn't recognized at the Chino show and I helped him get into the VIP area. Elmer was one of the greatest, most intelligent, charismatic and warm men I ever met. He gave me my first and only Mustang ride on March 2, 1996. It was awesome!!!!!

I am glad he is now free of the prison of his illness. This is a sad day.

John

[Leo]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

He gave me my Mustang ride back in 79.

Blue skies

[Chad Veich]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

I did not know Elmer personally but I did meet him at Chino on several occassions. He was always gracious and even invited me and a friend into the hangar to get up close and personal with the airplanes and sit in the Bearcat. Matter of fact their was usually a large group of Elmer's family present and they were all among the nicest folks I ever met while bumming around Chino. My condolances to you Kelly and to all of your family.

[Jeff E]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

Kelly. I will be praying for you and your family. My Condolences..

Jeff E

[John H]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

Condolences to your family Kelly. I'm sure I am missing a lot, but here's a tribute:

His Mustang Man O War was one of the mainstays of the West Coast Airshow circuit and was flown dozens of times across country to appear at other airshows. Elmer was the owner of Pioneer Aero, the mustang parts supplier and rebuilding facility, that later was split off by Elmer to become Square One Aviation. A graduate of Cal Tech, he started up two aerospace companies including Abel Corporation (now known as Smith's Aerospace) that supplied ,designed and manufactured tanker flight refueling systems, along with pumps, electric motors and fluid control systems for aircraft and military land vehicles. His flawless Bearcat restoration Gulfhawk Iv is still talked about on various forums and was Elmer's tribute to the great test and exhibition pilot Al Williams. Sadly, the Gulfhawk only flew for one year before it was heavily damaged in a take off accident at Oshkosh in 1993. When you walked into his hangar in Chino, Elmer was always welcoming, with a warm smile and loved to share stories of his airplanes and what project he was working on. He loved to keep fit and eat healthy. I will never forget him.



John

[vodkaandsoda]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

Well said John H! We just returned from Chino airport and were not aware that Elmer had passed... very sad news!!! We first met Elmer back in 93 when we put on the Tracy Warbid Invasion... he was a complete gentleman and was so excited to share his new Bearcat restoration with all in attendance. We will never forget all his kind words, advice, and support that he gave us when we were trying to produce warbird airshows as 19 year olds! Our prayers and thoughts are with the Ward family.

Blue Skies,

Jim and Nicole Pera

[Lancer]

Re: Gulfhawk Bearcat

I too, was lucky enough to have Elmer take me up in Man-O-War on two occasions.
I was at the Air races back in 1987, and couldn't help but overhearing Elmer and several others discussing P-51's over dinner. It's against my nature, but I screwed up my courage, walked over and introduced myself, and asked if it were possible to pay for a ride someday.
Expecting a "get lost, we get that all the time" response, I was pleasantly surprised when everyone greeted me with an enthusiastic smile and said, "Sure, we'd love to have you come down!"
Wow!
Elmer gave his number and we were in business. I went back to my table and my buddy and I had a grin the rest of the week.

The following Spring, I went to Chino with my Dad. We had just lost my mother, so it was a trip we both really needed.
My Dad was a B-29 navigator out of Guam during WW2, and he had pleanty of occasions to see P-51's in their combat environment, so it was a real thrill for him to see me go up in Man-O-War and talk to Elmer.

On our way back to Chino, Elmer was delighted to see some friends returning in their Stearmans. We flew past them and did a zoom climb like they were standing still, and he later enjoyed asking them about how they were able to fly backwards in those things.

I went again with a friend the following year, and after I proved that I didn't need the airsick bag during the first flight, he trusted me to hang in there with him during some serious aerobatics. About the only time we were straight and level was on the way home.
I still remember buzzing a hillside on the way out to the lake, flying close enough to fly loose formation with our own shadow. That was absolutely unbelievable!
I have that on video and watch it often.

Wonderful man, wonderful pilot, wonderful crew, and one of the best times of my life.
It was an honor and a privelege to have met and flown with Elmer.

~Lance Kesner