Can't say enough good thing about the work of Pat & Cindy Macha and Jarel & Betty Wheaton preserving history which could easily be forgotten. Those pilots who saw combat in wars and who are killed in action are usually the one's most remembered & commemorated. The thousands of airmen (& women) who perished in training or non-combat incidents need also to be remembered for their sacrifice & service. Seeing how emotional how Pat Macha became retelling the story of these fallen aviators and efforts retrieving the remains/aircraft of these brave men speaks volumes about his character.
Thank you to the whole Macha family for all you do! I've been hooked on this site since discovering it, and it's a real service to airmen and those who love aviation.
Thank you for all the work and results of this project. We can never forget. Being in the uniform service is dangerous. Training and deployment carries alot of risk. Their service and sacrifice must be remembered and honored.
Pat does it again, a fantastic presentation with spot on knowledge, told with passion and emotion - in great style and grace. My FAVORITE public speaker and presenter ALL TIME. And a pretty dang great guy (everyone knows). I only wish I was there in person... Pat & Cindy Macha and Jarel & Betty Wheaton, lucky to have you as my friend. GREAT WORK!!!
It is difficult to contain your emotions about this subject for many reasons, not the least of which is the vanishing of that generation. Thus you understand, keenly, why the speaker can barely contain his at times during this talk. A moving and fascinating story.
I first read about the P-40's in an Air Classic mag back in the eighty's. Fascinating story. The T-33 has never been found to my knowledge. The Boy Scouts found the canopy however. Ever been to the Hester Lake B-24? I tried but the weather had other ideas. Great vid pat.
Thank you, sir. You, and your team, are a blessing, especially to the families of lost loved ones. Our fallen heroes deserve respect, and you show it through your actions and deeds. Much respect to you.
My mother and her younger brother worked at the Curtis Wright plant in Buffalo NY. They were there when a plane on test flight crashed into the plant, killing several workers. The pilot bailed out and survived. She said that the memory of the smell of burning flesh never left her. It happened after the end of her shift, she was outside the building waiting for her brother to bring the car around. Nothing was written about it at the time, there was a news blackout. All that remains of the plant is a plaque in the parking lot of the Buffalo International Airport. BTW, Cindy is a very beautiful woman!
P-40s first saw combat with the British Commonwealth squadrons of the Desert Air Force in the Middle East and North African campaigns, during June 1941. The 112th Squadron Royal Air Force was among the first to operate Tomahawks in North Africa and the unit was the first Allied military aviation unit to feature the "shark mouth" logo, copying similar markings on some Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin-engine fighters.
Suggest you all avail yourselves of the Curtiss Wright Museum at south end of Lake Kukla, New York State. When I was there, there was a C46 on display visible from the highway. I never saw a real one before.
Can't say enough good thing about the work of Pat & Cindy Macha and Jarel & Betty Wheaton preserving history which could easily be forgotten. Those pilots who saw combat in wars and who are killed in action are usually the one's most remembered & commemorated. The thousands of airmen (& women) who perished in training or non-combat incidents need also to be remembered for their sacrifice & service. Seeing how emotional how Pat Macha became retelling the story of these fallen aviators and efforts retrieving the remains/aircraft of these brave men speaks volumes about his character.
Thank you to the whole Macha family for all you do! I've been hooked on this site since discovering it, and it's a real service to airmen and those who love aviation.
Thank you very much for this. I took part in Project Tomahawk in “93-94” so sorry to hear of Mike. RIP
Thank you for all the work and results of this project. We can never forget. Being in the uniform service is dangerous. Training and deployment carries alot of risk. Their service and sacrifice must be remembered and honored.
This was exceptional. A big thank you for putting this together, it is so appreciated.
Man, I love his delivery!
Pat does it again, a fantastic presentation with spot on knowledge, told with passion and emotion - in great style and grace. My FAVORITE public speaker and presenter ALL TIME. And a pretty dang great guy (everyone knows). I only wish I was there in person...
Pat & Cindy Macha and Jarel & Betty Wheaton, lucky to have you as my friend. GREAT WORK!!!
It is difficult to contain your emotions about this subject for many reasons, not the least of which is the vanishing of that generation. Thus you understand, keenly, why the speaker can barely contain his at times during this talk. A moving and fascinating story.
Congratulations for your great work!
Thank you well done keep up the great work. very honorable.
Looking forward to this!
Love this show, well done.
I first read about the P-40's in an Air Classic mag back in the eighty's. Fascinating story. The T-33 has never been found to my knowledge. The Boy Scouts found the canopy however. Ever been to the Hester Lake B-24? I tried but the weather had other ideas. Great vid pat.
I hear peninsula seniors intro music, I click Like
Thank you, sir. You, and your team, are a blessing, especially to the families of lost loved ones. Our fallen heroes deserve respect, and you show it through your actions and deeds. Much respect to you.
So... Major Hughes and Captain Sobel were twins separated at birth apparently
My mother and her younger brother worked at the Curtis Wright plant in Buffalo NY. They were there when a plane on test flight crashed into the plant, killing several workers. The pilot bailed out and survived. She said that the memory of the smell of burning flesh never left her. It happened after the end of her shift, she was outside the building waiting for her brother to bring the car around. Nothing was written about it at the time, there was a news blackout. All that remains of the plant is a plaque in the parking lot of the Buffalo International Airport.
BTW, Cindy is a very beautiful woman!
P-40s first saw combat with the British Commonwealth squadrons of the Desert Air Force in the Middle East and North African campaigns, during June 1941. The 112th Squadron Royal Air Force was among the first to operate Tomahawks in North Africa and the unit was the first Allied military aviation unit to feature the "shark mouth" logo, copying similar markings on some Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin-engine fighters.
Yes - one of their aces was Neville Duke, who went on to be a famous test pilot in the 1950s flying the Hawker Hunter.
The Magor should have been courtmarshield , stripped of his rank, and dismissed from the air corps.
Suggest you all avail yourselves of the Curtiss Wright Museum at south end of Lake Kukla, New York State. When I was there, there was a C46 on display visible from the highway. I never saw a real one before.
This guy is super-interesting!
Since remembering is supposed to be the goal, it's too bad these wrecks aren't brought back to civilization so More people can see and remember
That commander didn,t have good judgement!! He should have been court marshalled
You can get the Dec 2001 issue of Wings magazine in PDF form here:
airwingmedia.com/downloads/2001/
It's actually all 12 issues for the month.
I was pleased to learn that idiot Hughes never made Colonel. Any military would appreciate having an asset like that in the opposing forces.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Lack of instrument flight training + poor leadership + colossally bad judgement.
You preserve a site as is where the military littered nature? Why wouldn't you attempt to restore nature?