Bon & Gunner meet a legend
Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:41 am
Yesterday Bon had a long overnight in Tucson, and talked me into making the drive down to visit Pima Air & Space Museum with him. (He really had to twist my arm ) Once again, Steve "Wildcat" Wilson provided VIP treatment and backstage access...and before we left, we ran into a Thunderbird legend.
The B-36 has been mated with the empennage.
Bon as my FO??
Wildcat in the flight engineer's station
Bon checking out the weather map from Sept 27, 1964 - final flight maybe?
The scratch-built P-51D is coming along...
Memories of Bon's father
And just before we left, we had the privilege to meet & chat with Col. Ralph "Hoot" Gibson, Mig Ace, and fifth leader of the Thunderbirds!!
A little about Col. Gibson...
Hoot Gibson (Leader 61-63) was inducted into the Arizona Aviation
Hall of Fame Saturday, April 5, 2003, at the Pima Air & Space
Museum, Tucson, Arizona. A highly decorated veteran of World War
II, Korea and Vietnam, he is America’s third jet ace, shooting down
five MiG-15s in his F-86 and probably destroying or damaging five
others. Hoot held numerous key posts in the United States, Europe and
Southeast Asia during his 31-year Air Force career. He led the Team to
40 states and 14 Central and South American countries.
The Aviation Hall of Fame wrote, “Korean jet ace, leader of
the USAF Thunderbirds, Hoot Gibson is a hero’s hero and no one
better exemplifies the true American spirit, nor is more deserving of
enshrinement in the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame than Ralph D.
‘Hoot’ Gibson.”
The B-36 has been mated with the empennage.
Bon as my FO??
Wildcat in the flight engineer's station
Bon checking out the weather map from Sept 27, 1964 - final flight maybe?
The scratch-built P-51D is coming along...
Memories of Bon's father
And just before we left, we had the privilege to meet & chat with Col. Ralph "Hoot" Gibson, Mig Ace, and fifth leader of the Thunderbirds!!
A little about Col. Gibson...
Hoot Gibson (Leader 61-63) was inducted into the Arizona Aviation
Hall of Fame Saturday, April 5, 2003, at the Pima Air & Space
Museum, Tucson, Arizona. A highly decorated veteran of World War
II, Korea and Vietnam, he is America’s third jet ace, shooting down
five MiG-15s in his F-86 and probably destroying or damaging five
others. Hoot held numerous key posts in the United States, Europe and
Southeast Asia during his 31-year Air Force career. He led the Team to
40 states and 14 Central and South American countries.
The Aviation Hall of Fame wrote, “Korean jet ace, leader of
the USAF Thunderbirds, Hoot Gibson is a hero’s hero and no one
better exemplifies the true American spirit, nor is more deserving of
enshrinement in the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame than Ralph D.
‘Hoot’ Gibson.”