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STILL
BORING HOLES IN THE SKYby
Ken Rudine |
While
doing yard work at our home near the Aransas County Airport in Rockport/Fulton
I heard this slow revving, straight exhaust engine approaching. Concentrating
on my flowerbed cleaning and weed block mesh installation, the engine noise remained
in my ears. You know how your mind will search to recognize noises. Reluctantly
I decided it might be a shrimp or oyster boat lumbering by in Aransas Bay, which
is just a little over 100 yards away. After all earlier this day when crossing
the bridge at Lavaca Bay I had counted at least 25 boats oystering.
Finally
exasperated by the continuing engine noise I happened to look up and caught a
glimpse of a bi wing plane. Then later that afternoon I saw this red plane again
roughly following Fulton Beach Road toward the south. It seemed to be moving only
45-50 mph. That night we got a copy of the local paper which told of the arrival
of WWII
airplanes for viewing. The Collings Foundation’s Wings of Freedom Tour
had landed which includes a B-17, B-24, P-51 and Huey helicopter. They had flown
in from Sugar Land. |
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B-17
bomber at Aransas County Airport
Photo courtesy Bill Pollizzio |
B-24
bomber at Aransas County Airport
Photo courtesy Bill Pollizzio |
A
bi wing open cockpit plane at Aransas County Airport
Photo courtesy Bill Pollizzio
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I remember
these old planes well since I was 10 years old when Pearl
Harbor was attacked. In Houston at William B. Travis Elementary School us
kids were given copies of the silhouettes of friendly and enemy aircraft. We were
told to study all airplanes and learn to identify them to become a “spotter”.
To my memory among the planes here that had unique engine sounds were the B-17
and B-24. They had what seemed to me to be a bass or guttural sound. I heard that
sound again from the B-24 as it flew over my flowerbed and me.
I only
saw the P-51 high in the sky but I recall the P-51 Mustang had a “radiator looking
device” underside, rear of the cabin. My day to photograph these birds was misty
rain and gray – so I didn’t. Fortunately, our thanks go to longtime Rockport friends
Bill and Norma Pollizzio who made photos of 3 of these aircraft. The bi wing airplane
is apparently a tag along aircraft because it is not listed as one of the official
Collins aircrafts. These airplanes were scheduled to depart at noon that day but
unknown to me the weather had also delayed their departure.
Mid-morning
the next day we became aware of a vibration of our windows and eventually even
the walls. Beginning at exactly 10am this phenomena changed to a loud sustained
harmonic sound of engines resonating. By now I am outside searching for the noise
source – and then I realized it was the combined 8 engines of the B-17 and B-24
warming up and taking off – just ~1000 feet from our house. Leaving this Rockport
visit now “The Wings of Freedom Tour” destination is New
Braunfels.
© Ken
Rudine
March 27, 2010 | |
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