The airplanes
Glenn comments...
A rare Gypsy Moth being given a new life.
The Moth's new fin and rudder.
A beehive of restoration activity...an Aeronca Champion and a Taylor Cub. Even the registration letters on the Cub are done in the old way, i.e. CF-, instead of the current C-F.
The Cub's tail feathers.
And the pristine interior of the rare old Cub.
This Tiger Moth goes by the name Miss Gloria.G-L-O-R-I-A. You can watch it flying at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbZqyOivA2g We like the part where the pilot laughs.
It would be fun to fly this homebuilt Corben Baby Ace.
The open door invites you to climb into the cockpit of a 1935 Taylor E2 Cub, the first Cub in Canada. Looks better than factory new.
A look along the fuselage of the E2 Cub. Interesting how the rear of the cabin is open to the breeze.
Now here's a real jaw dropper. It's a homebuilt designed along the lines of a Waco Biplane, sporting a magnificent NINE CYLINDER radial engine. This is the Hatz Classic biplane. The builder, Kurtis Arnold, describes the 150 HP Rotec engine as "A work of art" and we certainly agree.
Top: A truly classic antique, the Thruxton Jackaroo. This is an aircraft that Widge and Fearless have a lot of time in. Middle: There, that's the name on the fin.
Bottom: A peek in the cockpit reveals the FOUR seats. (This is, believe it or not, a modified version of the ubiquitous two place Tiger Moth.) Note the two control columns are offset for the left hand seats. The fuselage has been widened to accommodate four persons. This Jackaroo has flown all across Canada and is one of only two still flying! A rare airplane indeed.
From the internet: "The Tiger Boys purchased the aircraft just THREE DAYS before it was scheduled to be cut apart - then took seven years to restore the aircraft to its current mint condition."
And, behold, here is another Fleet Finch! Can you believe that at the end of WW2 the government saw fit to bulldoze most Fleets into a big pit and buried them? Sacrilege!
An open cockpit Gipsy Moth.
Here's one of the late Pete Bowers babies...a Fly Baby sporting a canopy of all things.
No, this is not a Harvard. For those of you who saw the wartime propaganda movie, "Captains of the Clouds", you may recall seeing this Yale which starred alongside James Cagney and Billy Bishop, the guy who pinned on my Wartime wings. * * * * *
The interview
After touring the hangars Fearless went away for about 20 minutes to set up lights and other equipment for Glenn's interview. This would take place in the hangar by the Finch. Perfect.
Fearless' professionalism showed and it was fascinating to watch. He was working hard changing camera angles and giving Glenn non-verbal cues. He used printed text we had given him beforehand as a guide, so he'd do a section and then pause before continuing to the next section. Meanwhile, Glenn was as cool as a cucumber. I had worried that this interview might be a bit stressful but he seemed completely relaxed throughout the three hour (!) interview. Altogether, Fearless must have spent four hours of his time on the setup and interview alone. Near the end, Rotten arrived and we all agreed to go out for supper.
Rotten's wife joined us and we had another jolly time. Rotten and Fearless are quite the comedy team.
So that ended our time with the Tiger Boys. We can't thank them enough for the use of their airplane and organizing such an unforgetable visit for us.
By the way, on the third weekend of September the Tiger Boys have an open house. If we could instantly transport ourselves, we would be there! Also, if anyone is interested in the Fleet Finch video you can buy a copy for $26 or so including shipping. (50% of the proceeds go to the restoration and upkeep of The Tiger Boys antique aeroplanes.) On it, among other things, is a walk-around with Widge and Rotten, that marvelous flying sequence shown on YouTube, and an interview with one of the Tiger Boys.
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