8th ANNUAL WINGS OVER GILLESPIE SHOW

Story and Photographs BY FRANK LOREY III

The eighth annual "Wings Over Gillespie" air show ran May 2-5 at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, CA. The main portion of the show was again limited to three days to try and minimize costs while maximizing the crowds. The show is a great chance to get up close to vintage aircraft and World War II personalities, this year even featuring a rare West Coast appearance by the B-17 Flying Fortress "Memphis Belle" pilot Col. Robert Morgan.

Other guests included a handful of "aces", Navajo Code Talkers, Flying Tigers, and "Wasps", the women who shuttled aircraft during the war to help in the war effort. Each year the number attending dwindles as we keep losing more of these treasured veterans.

The featured aircraft this year was David Lane’s Douglas A-26 Invader. The twin-engine bomber

was built too late for World War II service, but was a combat veteran in Korea where it earned the name "The Magnet" for taking so many hits from anti-aircraft fire. About twenty bullet hole patches are still visible on the aircraft, which is expertly maintained by Tony Wiser.

For publicity purposes, the Invader flew with another Korean War veteran aircraft, the A-1 Skyraider. Both types of aircraft also served in the Vietnam War, so the sight of both in formation brought back many memories.

Not officially a part of the air show, but nevertheless flying out of Gillespie on a regular basis during the weekend, were the aircraft of the California Division of Forestry. The Korean War era

 

Grumman S-2 Trackers were joined by an OV-10 Bronco

observation aircraft fighting nearby brush fires.

Classic Rotors Helicopter Museum flew in their Piasecki H-21

"Flying Banana" and trucked in theSikorsky H-19, currently under restoration. The familiar

 

B-24 Liberator "The Dragon and His Tail"

and B-17 Flying Fortress "Nine O’ Nine" of the

Collings Foundation brought the crowds to the edge of the taxiway each time they flew.

 

 

The most unusual aircraft each year is the Northrop Flying Wing, from Planes of Fame Air

Museum in Chino. Each day it took to the skies twice, drawing everyone’s eyes skyward.

 

The flying portion of the show also included a replica DeHavilland DH-4 mail plane, L-29 Delphin jet trainer, T-34 Mentor Air Force trainer, John Collver’s AT-6 Texan "War Dog", 1950’s French Broussard transport, and the

Planes of Fame Museum’s P-40N Warhawk and SBD Dauntless.

 

The "Commemorative Air Force", the new name for the old Confederate Air Force, had several chapters and aircraft represented, including the Curtiss C-46 Commando "China Doll" from Camarillo, and host Air Group One’s SNJ-5 Texan and rare F-82 Twin Mustang based at Gillespie.

Despite lackluster crowds, Air Group One is to be congratulated on another fine air show. Hopefully they will be back again next year.


All images on this page are Copyright 2002-2005 Frank Lorrey or Don V Black
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