Wing Nuts, Air Heads & Plane Crazy People!

Well - I'm not personally a real Wing Nut... but I was raised by a great one and a lot of his experience got deeply ingrained. Felt I'd like to share the following. - W.

My Pop was Photo Reconnaissance pilot (the general wartime nickname was “Photo Freddy”) for RCAF in WWII, flying British Spitfires for a couple years before U.S. entered the war. After Pearl Harbor, being a U.S. citizen he left the RCAF and joined the U.S. Navy; then flying overseas missions transporting injured. At war close he graduated RPI and became an engineer for Grumman Aircraft / American Bosch / Westinghouse. At that time with family in tow he got seriously into boating. That’s how I grew up, always on, around and working with boats, NY to Maine. In 1973 dad, mom and my brother got caught in a nor’easter off Long Island, heading toward and luckily near Block Island inlet. I wasn’t aboard... but as the story goes... they near perished with considerable hull, salon superstructure and fly bridge damage from opposing direction, close span, and tall cresting waves. I knew that super-stout 37’ sport fisher raised deck boat very well (I’d worked on and cruised in her for years). She was built like a tank, but still, the wind, waves and resulting damage was so severe she almost sank! From that exact point, while staying in Block Island for repairs; Mom yelled: “Fix the hull. Cut our vacation short, get us immediately back home (they lived in Camden Maine then) AND SELL THE BOAT... I’ll never step foot on it ever again, you almost got us all killed!” My brother depicted the story to me many times! That said; dad sold the boat, purchased a Cessna and began a business named Cardinal Photography wherein he flew making income while reliving his beloved “Photo Freddy” days of aerial photography. In spring, summer, fall 1977 he flew all over the U.S. taking aerial photos and often acting-out like he was a barn-stormer, when landing in small airports and sleeping in or under his plane. That was back in the day of Kodak slide projectors. Man do I wish I had those hundreds of first class pictures on computer disk. There are several of dad’s Maine pictures adorning my office walls... they are 12 x 12 inch or larger blow ups he developed himself. God bless you Pops! You taught me well on boating all around New England waters. I’ll always remember your accounts of flying RCAF Spitfires during WWII.

Brian - Very Coiol Link! Thanks, W