Our Day in a Field of Dreams
Saturday morning, everyone was up early for a quick breakfast, and was then loaded onto busses for the two-hour ride to the Paso Robles airport. We were on our way to visit part of the aircraft collection of Javier Arango. His company at Paso Robles creates WWI replica aircraft along with restoration work on other classic planes and WWII war birds.
During the drive down, attendees on each bus took turns with the microphone talking about what inspired them to get into aviation and WWI history. If they were doing research, this was also a chance to get the word out on any materials, sources or assistance they might be looking for to move their projects along.
Our bus included some excellent conversations from board member Joe Holland, Howard Fisher, Jon Guttman, Dick Bennett and Adam Wait, among others.
As our bus made the final turns into the airport property everyone aboard quieted down and began looking out the windows for their first glimpses of the planes we came to see. There was a quick understanding we were not going to be disappointed.
The busses pulled up into a sort of cul-de-sac of three hangars. Sitting outside were magnificent replicas of a Fokker DVII and a Sopwith Camel. Inside the hanger were two more replica Sopwith types, an actual 1911 Bleriot and a replica SE-5A.
Attendees began devouring these planes with their cameras, capturing every angle, and every curve. After about 45 minutes the audio and video portion of the day started, but this was no PowerPoint presentation, this was, in dramatic fashion, Arango taking to the air in the Camel.
Out across the field, along side the runway (not on the runway since the Camel has a tale skid), the plane was propped up and then sputtered to life. For the first pass it came it low along the taxiway and for about a second I thought I was going to get a haircut.
Over several successive passes, Javier dove and swooped, giving us a thorough demonstration of the 160 hp Gnome engine corresponding with the descriptions in his presentation the day before. We could hear the timing of the engine change when he wanted to dive, and then speed back up when the plane climbed. Behind the Camel, there was a visible puff-trail of white smoke – one of the tale-tell signs the engine was getting lubrication from its supply of castor oil – and then throwing it off.
With each pass, and with the clear blue Paso Robles sky in the background, I tried to imagine what it would have been like 95 years ago to see one of these aircraft in the sky with you, either as a friend or foe:
First, as a spec on the horizon, then as an incoming target - my mind trying to calculate the distance at which I could determine the make and color of the aircraft.
Then, the pass, I see the British cockades on the wings and fuselage – did he fire at me, was my plane hit?
Just as quickly the Camel is getting smaller, passing almost out of sight. Can you imagine with a dozen or more aircraft mixing it up in a dogfight and trying to keep track of it all?
Applause and cheering rose up as Arrango brought the Camel in for a perfect landing and the engine was shut down. They cheered again as the plane was toed back to the hangar area – then everyone set upon the camel again with their cameras as if IT was the returning hero.
Javier graciously answered questions for about another 30 minutes. If the flight of the Camel was the main course, then the dessert was when they fired up the Mercedes engine on the Fokker DVII. Though they did not fly the biplane, we were able to observe, up close, the preparation and awakening of this beautiful aircraft.
Over the next fifteen minutes, we were able to contrast the operation of its in-line engine versus the Gnome rotary engine on the Camel. Everything about the Fokker seemed more refined, and more mature compared to the zippiness of the Camel. Again, as the engine was shutdown – applause.
The buffet lunch we had was fabulous, and I think everyone kind of needed a breather anyway. After eating, the photos and question-answer session continued. Later, as everyone was herded back onto the busses, there were only smiles.
The two-hour drive back to Monterey was a little bit subdued compared to the morning drive out. This was the official end of the conference. Groups then set off for dinners either at the hotel or one of the many other restaurants in the area. Authors and artists signing books seemed to increase in pace as everyone said their goodbyes.
Click on any images on this page to see them enlarged. If you want to see some amazing photos of Javier's planes, I can recommend this book: "Ghosts - The Great War - Aviation in World War One"
I think everyone who attended would agree this was a very successful conference and the so the board and other organizers should be praised.
I hope this blog gives those who could not be there a taste of what went on. Please let me know if anyone has questions or thinks any of my posts need to be corrected.
Thank you
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