Posted on 10/16/2007 9:02:37 AM PDT by Dysart
Aviation buff Bob Newton of Granbury walks around some of the planes that are being repaired and restored at Ezell Aviation. Nelson Ezell has created a niche in the aviation market by restoring World War II aircraft at his business at a rural airport in Breckenridge, Texas. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Ralph Lauer)
That F8F Bearcat he’s standing in front of will outfly all of ‘em.
Thanks for posting this.
Here’s the link to Ezell Aviation: http://www.ezellaviation.com/Past%20Pages/Miss%20Marilyn/MM.htm
Some great pics there.
Thanks - great photos. The one under the T-6 rebuilt (I think) shows a T-6 facing off with a B-2 - amazing contrast!
After seeing the inside of that hangar, you owe me a new pair of pants.
Isn’t the Bearcat the first aircraft the Blue Angels flew?
Fantastic Article!!
***zell, who runs the business with his wife, Dude, and grown sons Ashley and Chad***
Ouch
Great read; thanks for posting!
I have always been partial to the Corsair.
FWIW, there is the Carolina’s Aviation Museum on the south side of Charlotte that has a collection of vintage planes. Most are displays but there are supposed to be others in storage off-site that are worked on from time to time.
I am a member but have had too many other things going on lately to participate in things. One thing that made me want to join is that they do a lot of hands on stuff. I have located some small pieces and parts on Ebay that I will donate to the museum when I get around to unboxing them.
It isn’t much but I like to contribute what I can to worthwhile projects. Maybe during my Christmas break, I can hang out there some on maintenance and repair days.
http://www.carolinasaviation.org/
They have a DC3 painted up in Piedmont Airlines colors that the museum flies to airshows. I have a few photos of it when I happened to be there when they were bringing it out of the hangar for a test flight.
http://tysonneil.smugmug.com/gallery/2706182#143391947
There is even some ground pounder stuff on display there too. One is a 551 Sheridan. In spite of the problems the Sheridan had, I still kind of like it. Here are a couple of photos of it. The tank is not in the best location for pictures of it alone.
http://tysonneil.smugmug.com/gallery/2712379#143745907
LOL!
According to wiki:
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat - June-August 1946
Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat - August 1946-1949
Grumman F9F-2 Panther - 1949-June 1950 (first jet);
Grumman F9F-5 Panther - 1951-Winter 1954/55
Grumman F9F-8 Cougar - Winter 1954/55-mid-season 1957 (swept-wing)
Grumman F11F-1 Tiger - mid-season 1957-1969 (first supersonic jet)
McDonnell F-4J Phantom II - 1969-December 1974
Douglas A-4F Skyhawk - December 1974-November 1986
McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18A & F/A-18B Hornet - November 1986-Present
Planespoken Ping.
This is a story that should have never been published in to day’s society. Vandals and other fringe haters will stoop to any level to destroy the work of a person of skill and knowledge and thieves will be far to willing to clean him out.
Classic aviation ping.
And according to the Blue Angels site:
"At the end of World War II, Chester W. Nimitz, then the Chief of Naval Operations, ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team to keep the public interested in naval aviation. The Blue Angels performed their first flight demonstration less than a year later in June 1946 at their home base, Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida. Flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat, they were led by Lt. Cmdr. Roy “Butch” Voris.
Only two months later on August 25, 1946, the Blue Angels transitioned to the Grumman F8F Bearcat. One year later, the 1947 team, led by Lt. Cmdr. Robert Clarke, introduced the now famous “Diamond Formation.”
By the end of the 1940’s the Blue Angels were flying their first jet aircraft, the Grumman F9F-2 Panther. In response to the demands placed on naval aviation in the Korean Conflict, the team reported to the aircraft carrier USS Princeton as the nucleus of Fighter Squadron 191 (VF-191), Satan’s Kittens, in 1950.
The team reorganized the next year and reported to NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, where they began flying the newer and faster version of the Panther, the F9F-5. The Blue Angels remained in Corpus Christi until the winter of 1954 when they relocated to their present home base at NAS Pensacola, Florida. It was here that they progressed to the swept-wing Grumman F9F-8 Cougar.
The ensuing 20 years saw the Blue Angels transition to two more aircraft, the Grumman F11F-1 Tiger (1957) and the McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II (1969).
In December 1974, the Navy Flight Demonstration Team began flying the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II and was reorganized as the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron. This reorganization permitted the establishment of a commanding officer vice a flight leader (Cmdr. Tony Less was the squadron’s first official commanding officer), added support officers and further redefined the squadron’s mission, emphasizing the support of recruiting efforts.
On November 8, 1986, the Blue Angels completed their 40th anniversary year during ceremonies unveiling their present aircraft, the new sleek F/A-18 Hornet, the first dual-role fighter/attack aircraft now serving on the nation’s front lines of defense.
In 1992 more than one million people viewed Blue Angel’s performances during a 30-day European deployment to Sweden, Finland, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain. This was the first European deployment in 19 years.
The 2006 show season brought out more than 15 million spectators. Since 1946, the Blue Angels have performed for more than 427 million fans."
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