Warbird lost

The last flying HE-111, a Luftwaffe medium bomber, crashed shortly after taking off from Cheyenne, Wyoming, killing the two pilots on board.

Story here.

The plane was one of two operational for the Arizona wing of the CAF, the other being B-17G Sentimental Journey. They operate out of Falcon Field, about six miles from my home, and I have seen both planes there many times during their winter layover.

Tonight, when I drove past Falcon field, the flags they fly at the entrance were at half-staff. My sympathies for the survivors, and I salute the fallen and a proud old bird that will fly no more.

DD

That’s too bad, both losing the plane and those pilots.

I was at my wife’s grandmother’s funeral when, during the graveside service, something that sounded like a dryer full of rocks went over. It was the only flying Ju52 in the US. It was hard for me to pretend I was paying attention to the service while still sneaking looks.

No disrespect to the author of the thread, but you know, there’s a certain irony that I can’t quite work out which is the greater loss - obviously the loss of human life, and the families involved is really sad - and yet those two guys died flying in a bird which would have been making them grin from ear to ear…

It’s a weird situation when you read about these things. I guess you have to be a real plane buff like I am to understand.

It’s too bad that the pilots died, but they were doing what they liked to do – and doing it in an aircraft that very few people still living had the opportunity to fly. I don’t want to sound callous, but I mourn the loss of the aircraft more than the pilots. The HE-111 is a beautiful bird, and they aren’t making any more of them.

Deep down in my heart of hearts I feel the same way. My first thought when I heard the news was whether the plane was salvageable. Phrases in the story like “burned for an hour” and “pieces of the aircraft were found in front of and behind the building” put that hope to rest. Now I’m hoping one on display can be restored to flight status.

In February, I took my nephew to Falcon Field and we clambered through the Heinkel, which was sitting in the hangar. I espoused what little I knew and there were some docents that were able to answer the rest of his questions. I’m glad we did that then, because she is gone, now.

But there was a human cost, too. I suppose it would be better to check out that way than to be creamed by some drunk driver, but there is no good way to die. I delayed posting the news until a story came out that identified the pilots in deference to that cost.

DD

I am SUCH a geek. I saw this thread title and thought of Romulans. :smiley:

Very sad and all. I’m not TRYING to be insensitive.

I sat in that airplane in January. Tragedy every way you look at it.

Or, it might be that the deep regret over the loss of human life involved is a given, as part of human nature and caring for the welfare of others, and that people here are calling attention to something else important - not more important than the lives of the pilots, but important nonetheless - that might normally be overlooked.

And it’s easier to speak of the regret of the loss of the plane - rather than the sorrow of the families and friends of the pilots, which is very painful and sad.

We saw that plane (along with many others) do a flyover of Poydras Street here in New Orleans on Pearl Harbor Day 2001. It’s always sad to see a part of history go like that. What a tragedy, especially for the families involved, although I’ll bet they’d be the first to say the pilots died doing what they loved most in this world.

I got to the scene of this accident in minutes when Daryl Greenamirer crashed the only flyable one in existance. Sat for a long time and I don’t think anyone is going to try to rebuild. :frowning:
Here is a link to an spec sheet for the Northrop C - 125 That I saw.
[

Here is the picture of it after it had been recovered from just off the airport. Looks rebuildable to me

http://pgtc.com/~mackhell/northrop125b.jpg](http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/outdoor/od15.htm)

Two pilots were also killed today in the crash of a WW II era Fairey Firefly at an airshow in Britain. BBC article

Last November, I went with my two sons on a Cub Scout overnight trip to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. We stretched out our sleeping bags next to a Lancaster – there were oil pans under the engines, because it had been flying the week before (for the filming of a movie, IIRC).

This museum is run by volunteers, many of whom are associated with the airline industry and/or military. It sounds to me like the people who died in this crash were exactly the kind of people I met that weekend.

As others have said, if there’s anything at all positive that can be taken from the loss of lives and pieces of history (in all of these cases), it’s that they were at least living that history.

They killed a STRINGBAG?!?!? Are ANY left flying?

Okay, count me as one of the heartless airplane geeks who regret the loss of the birds more than the men. Maybe it’s because I’m the son of a pilot and know how they feel about flying. Maybe I’ve spent my life around airfields and pilots and have come to expect death and unexpected lawn ornaments as part of the game. Maybe I knew both aircraft from books I own but know none of the fliers. Maybe I’m a jerk who likes inanimate objects better than people.

Glad to see Greenamyer apparently didn’t get hurt when he broke that Northrop C-125, though it would’ve been ironic of him to get killed flying a slow and ugly transport.

Oooops! The SWORDFISH was the Stringbag. The Firefly was that seriously ugly monoplane about which I do not care. Real too bad about the pilots.