2019: Vintage Military Aircraft Exploration

21 November 2019
No boat travel.

At 9:00 Steve came knocking on "Sunset Delight" to greet us and ask if we were ready to go see his vintage Navy War Plane at the nearby airport. We jumped in his car and went to see this rare example of history.

The plane that Steve showed us is one of only two that exist in the United States. Several planes of this type were used to fight communism in the Congo between 1962 and 1967. The planes were equipped with guns and bombs.

Some years later, only 5 planes remained salvageable. The person who fixed them up intended for all 5 to return to the US. Of those 5, 1 got as far as England and could not go any further - this one is in a museum, 2 made it to the US, and 2 ran out of fuel before they made it to the US and crashed into the ocean.

Makasi
1962 - Congo - 1967

I asked Steve, "How do you get up there?" The next thing I knew I was sitting in the pilot seat, and Clark was standing on the wing taking pictures!

After Steve gave us a full rundown on the controls and operation of the plane, it was time for Clark and I to exchange places. Instead of standing on the wing, however, I climbed down to take pictures from below.

Clark climbing down from the plane

Ev and Clark posing by fighter plane

We left this hangar and headed over to another one where Steve showed us another vintage war plane.

British War Plane - World War II

Also in this hangar we saw Steve's other plane.

Jet plane

Room for 6

Steve and his wife traveled around the world in this jet. Oh the places they've been!! They have landed in more places than they have decals.

After an examination of the jet, Steve took us over to the hangar where Daher has one of their business locations.

View of engine

Planes being worked on at Daher

What a wonderful excursion! By the time Steve brought us back to his house, it was so late in the day that we decided that we would need to stay an extra day. Certainly a decision we were all happy with.

We talked the rest of the day away and decided to order food from a restaurant for dinner again tonight. This time, however, Clark and Steve went in search of food to bring back to avoid a fiasco of late dining like the night before.