Blue Max

[wingman]

The very first air show I ever went to was at Chandler Field, in Fresno California, in 1974.

This is the first Corsair I ever saw.

Neal

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Blue Max

I truly appreciate all of you bringing your memories of Bob, as well as pointing out his racing history (in the other thread)

I felt very sad that someone had been lost again at a show where I was... Then I saw the interview on TV with Bob's son. He smiled through the entire interview. Not a smile of happiness that his father was gone but a smile of supreme confidence that his dad had done very well in life and even moreso as he was leaving this place.

Bob had a fully functional hotseat in his Hunter, had more than enough chance to punch out but he tried to the bitter end to put his jet somewhere where there were no people.

In the end, he hit a house... "Fate is the hunter" speaks of this.. The woman who lived at that house was normally home most of the time and would have been sitting right where Bob's jet came in. She was not home. Moments before the plane hit the house, two little girls were being escorted by their father selling raffle tickets, they got no answer and walked away just as the plane hit.

God was watching and that's all that can be said about it.

Bob Guilford had to have a lot of courage not to pull those handles and leave the jet!

Wayne

[Shawn Aro]

Re: Blue Max

i like it when Bob flew the Blue max he flew slow, low, and tight around the course. shawn

[wingman]

Re: Blue Max

A few more...

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Blue Max

Wingman,

Thanks again for digging out the photos!

I remember this airplane from my "early" days coming to Reno. It was an era where "anything goes" seemed to sum up what you'd see each September!

Just seeing a Corsair in the air was a treat... coming to Reno and seeing one round the pylons was, well.... you were there... it was simply magic!

Special thanks to those who bring these planes to reality for us dreamers!

Some might say those days are gone.. One only needs to look to Tom Camp rounding the sticks in his pretty slow Grumman mount and say.. .not gone, just different and think... "this is what makes this event special!"

Reno is truly a special place. I had sort of forgotten that... then last year, made a few trips out and back from the pits and saw the crowd in the areas outside the field...

This place is not an airshow or even an air race.. It's a mecca!

Happy as hell to be a part of it!

Wayne

[Leo]

Re: Blue Max

I think you hit it Wayne, Tom Camp IS doing basically the same thing. We all laugh and joke about it, but we all watch each pass. Fred Sebby used to run the P-40 the same way. Sparky even filled that slot for awhile...(sorry Steve).
You could always count on Blue Max to motor around the course, all alone so you could hear that "Corsair whistle" and finish as the slowest in the bronze. But like the Wildcat now, I've seen the crowd cheer more for the mere fact that they finally finish, than they do for the winner of the race!
And there WAS that time in 1985 that the Wright's B-26 (was is Puss N' Boots?) and Blue Mak duked it out on the final lap, with the B-26 making a pass at the home pylon, with the bomb bay doors open!

[Jay]

Re: Blue Max

"And there WAS that time in 1985 that the Wright's B-26 (was is Puss N' Boots?) and Blue Mak duked it out on the final lap, with the B-26 making a pass at the home pylon, with the bay doors open!"

Ohhhhhhh Yeeeeeaaaah!!!!

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Blue Max

And there WAS that time in 1985 that the Wright's B-26 (was is Puss N' Boots?) and Blue Mak duked it out on the final lap, with the B-26 making a pass at the home pylon, with the bomb bay doors open!

I remember that date all too well.

Not longer after the race ended, I discovered that the roll of film I shot of the race (including the finish with open bomb bay doors) had slipped on the take-up spool and had not passed through the camera, and none of the photos I was looking forward to reviewing would be forthcoming.

I quietly cried in my Budweiser that day

[Leo]

Re: Blue Max

Wish I could transfer from VHS to the computer. It was my first year with video, I taped EVERYTHING (three full length tapes) and got a lot of great stuff and a few oops'.
A lot happened that year.
Yancey had his canopy break on Ol Blue
Charles Beck's T-6 went on it's nose
#69 groundlooped
Skip got Stilletto upside down in Rare Bears wake
Had a Sea Fury get upside down at the first pylon
Art School did his last shows
And the great B-26 / Blue Max race.
Quite a year, was also the last one I got to be there the whole week!
Sorry to drag this off topic!

[deepsky]

Re: Blue Max

Leo, my buddy can transfer it, I would love to see those videos. I was there every day that year, it was awsome. If your interested PM me, since I'm right down the street from you and all.