Who Case: 145
Incredibly I found this thread this morning as I was thinking of my late father Danny Graham.
He was a sheet metal specialist in the RAAF and retired with his final posting at RAAF Fairbourne Canberra in early 70’s.

My father worked on this exact same aircraft at Aerosmith hangar Canberra and I would help him on the weekends.
I was only about 10 or 11 years old but could fit in the fuselage easily and hold the dolly while my old man riveted from the outside.
What makes it clear in my mind is that it’s the exact same aircraft as my old man would always say that Hockey Treloar wanted it to be the fastest Mustang in the world and I remember clearly that the Rolls Royce Dart Turbo Prop engine was going to be installed in Sydney.
I think my dad was involved with the fitting of the drop tanks too as I remember this being talked about a lot.

Other jobs I would do was shoot the Starlings with an air rifle in the hangar which were an introduced species from England The birds were a pest with nesting in the wings and fuselage of the various aircraft in the hangar.

Another particular aircraft at the hangar about the same time was a Spitfire also owned by Hockey Treloar, we think the Starling problem may have began when the Spitfire was brought to Canberra from England as we found Starling nests in the wings.

I don’t remember meeting Hockey but my dad would always talk about him and how he was going to fund an expedition to New Guinea to salvage a crashed Japanese Zero from the jungle. My dad was asked if he wanted to go but for some reason this never occurred.

I do remember Bill Smith quite well as he was usually at the hangar on weekends, he seemed like a nice bloke although my dad said he was never paid for the work he did there for Bill.

Who Case: 431
Gene Moskow

Who Case: 415
Those two buildings in the back ground above the right wing, sure look like the old North American Aviation building, then Westair airlines and now Skywest airlines Hangar, matted up to the CA N.G. 1106th AVCRAD building in Fresno Ca.
I worked in that old N.A. Hangar for about 15 years with the airlines, and my wife (didn't know her at the time worked in the N.G. building until it was torn down.
The pic looks like it would have been taken from some where on what is now the A.N.G ramp facility.

Who Case: 334
i dont know what got me thinking about jack today but i worked for him as a podiatrist for several years and boy do i have the stories(good ones, crazy ones,lol)he was unforgetable,one of a kind, could bs with anyone .he took me for a ride once and while we up he said somethings wrong and we have to land. we landed at a small airport and of course he drew a crowd. turns out a small door came open under the plane and was vibrating. easy fix.Those landings were something especially with a crosswind with his feet mashing the rudders to keep us on the runway!I have fond memories of Jack and Adrienne as does my wife Deborah.Not too many people get to ride in a Mustang.cell phone 8436289797. By the way his nurse was Joan Rabacoff(sp?) she had 5 children , so sad !

Who Case: 20
Between 1975 till 1979 i worked at Nashville Flying Service Fbo where John stored his 51 along with a 109 messerschmitt and a stearman i had my bucket list fulfilled twice by getting a ride in 51 and stearman, john asked me why i never radioed him during 51 trip, wasn't taking my hands off bar and afraid to open my mouth, now i did have to clean them but well worth it

Who Case: 104
A bud of mine at OXC (where George kept Passion Wagon on a regular basis) called me up and asked if I would like to give him a biennial review. Of course it was a no brainer.

He was very meticulous on the brief, predeparture prep, flight, and post flight. He did say he was staying with the AC and that he would loose the canopy so that I could bailout.

I went on to fly T-38 as an IP, A-10s in Europe and the US, and the A7. I can tell you that the ride in the Passion Wagon eclipsed all the others.

As a Capt for United and flown most all of our equipment..... that ride made me strive to become a fighter pilot.

RIP George.... a very humble human being and an excellent pilot.

Who Case: 179
Where is the plane then?

Who Case: 377
My father is/was Glenn Hussey. I'm the youngest and born after the crash so Dad's P-51 was just a sad memory by the time I came along. I'm so grateful to have stumbled on this site! Any info that can be shared with me would be so much appreciated especially from "Jim" above! Kind Regards!

Who Case: 279
I was the Duty Air Movements Officer at Richmond that day, and my Sergeant and I went out with the RAAF Fire Truck to the incident. We couldn't get too close because of the proximity of the incident to the chemical works.

It was the worst thing that I ever saw.

Who Case: 325
I am Warren Eaton’s Son. Grant Eaton. Former Owner of T-28 D Fennec N9102Z back when Max was still alive. also based at Ft. Collins/ Loveland Colorado when my father flew it for Colorado State University’s High Altitude Atmospheric Research Program.
My father and step mother bought it from the University when the cloud seeding program was suddenly cut after the 1st Big Thompson Flood.. My father owned a High Altitude Photography Company based in Greeley, Ft. Collins Downtown Airpark and Loveland Colorado.
We flew it along with Max in his P-51 “Boomer” at air shows.
We hung out at Darrels doing maintenance and rebuilding Warbirds.
I flew with Max several times as he was among the few my dad trusted around me.
For awhile my dad worked for Max as well.
We also used to own Cessna 180 N3655C.
Both planes where used for my fathers Aviation Photography Businesss
It was bought from the previous owner at the Ft. Collins Downtown Airpark
I knew Max from the late 1960’s through until his death.
I was also friends with “Chuck “ Easton of Easton’s Crop Dusters out at Lasalle, Colorado.
My father flew skydivers back then based at the Easton Airfield in both our plane and a C-182 owned by Chuck.
Chuck passed after complications caused by the chemicals after a crop dusting accident he had before his death.
His older son Robert and I are friends but don’t talk much.
Because our last name is so close many thought we was all related.
Chuck used to own and fly a TBM Avenger himself.
He was a wild character and yet just like R.A.Bob Hoover was also a perfect gentleman.
Bob Hoover let me run his P-51 at Oshkosh Only because Max and my father vouched for me.
Max and my father and my brother and myself flew together from Oshkosh back to Ft. Collins after a show.
Boomer had a slower cruise speed then my fathers T-28 because ours was a Fennec with the bigger Powerplant..
It also had a higher service ceiling then Boomers.
It is now owned by a pilot in New Hampshire I think.
I can tell you many tales of Max and others back then.
Max sold Boomer and then later bought it back and kept it at Ft.Collins/ Loveland Airpark then along with our Warbird. He would always call us on the radio when he was rolling or climbing out as our home was just northwest of the Loveland Airpark close to Windsor.
Grant Eaton 386-561-1181