Thursday, July 5, 2007 1:28 PM CDT
Air show a hit with young and old alike
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
MATTOON -- The dream move during the 2007 Coles County Air Show came for Tobie Wood when the World War II-era plane in which he was riding banked and turned over the East Central Illinois countryside.
“That was the most beautiful moment,” the 20-year-old from Tolono said Wednesday after the landing in the SNJ-5 Navy Trainer flown by Springfield pilot and owner Clyde Zellers. “He banked and you could see for miles.”
Wood said flying in the 64-year-old prop-driven, two-seater aircraft showed what World War II aviators experienced. “In a way, it’s a flying museum,” he said. “It gives you respect for the people who flew in it.”
Wood’s grandfather James Berbaum said getting that experience is a great feature of the Coles County Air Show.
“I love coming to the shows here because you can get so close to the planes or take rides,” he said.
Not all plane owners offer rides for a fee like Zellers, but the up-close feeling is present at almost every aircraft display at the annual exhibit.
Zeller’s “Texan,” the popular nickname for the aircraft because they were built in Dallas during the war years, proved popular during its aerobatics effort with high loops and dives with a device letting out a smoke trail. The affable flier said the aerobatics are proof of how agile the old plane can still be in the sky.
“This plane was stationed at Corpus Christi in Texas from 1943-45. The trainees got gunnery practice over the Gulf of Mexico. They learned everything they needed to know in this,” said Zellers, who used to fly for Britt Airways out of the local airport. About 40 percent of American aviators in World War II learned to fly in the Navy or Army versions of the Texan.
And with advances in refitting efforts on the older planes, Zellers said many can fly for decades to come. So doing the air shows are both a tribute to veterans and an effort for future aviators, Zellers said.
“The young people are the future of aviation. You have to keep passing on the keys. Someday I’ll pass it on to someone to keep this flying,” said Zellers.
Two of the most popular prop-driven airplanes on display Wednesday were a P-51 Mustang, a World War II fighter, and an EA-1E Skyraider with seating capacity for six and the capability to carry enough firepower to outclass a B-17 bomber.
“This is the biggest fighter of its kind ever built. It has 3,020 horsepower, while the P-51 has about 1,700 horsepower. This plane could haul more firepower under its two wings than a B-17. This was the most sophisticated of the prop-driven airplanes,” said Eric Downing, a St. Louis resident who used to fly an attack helicopter for the Army.
There was something foreboding about the Marine Skyraider with its size, midnight blue color, and metal replicas of rockets under its folded wings (cannon mounts are being prepared this summer). Getting up to the cockpit is like taking on a rock-climbing wall with hand-hold holes and other aids.
“Yes, it is big. One of its nicknames was the ‘Flying Dump Truck.’ It had four 20 millimeter guns on the wings as well. You would expect it to be really hard to handle, but it’s very nimble in the air,” Downing said.
When he took to the air with the P-51, Downing showed how the Skyraider could zoom in, tear up its ground target and swoop away. The plane was used for many roles, including electronic surveillance against the enemy or to protect its aircraft carrier. But, the most endearing role for the Skyraider was saving American grunts in the jungles, hills or river deltas of Vietnam.
One man wearing a cap bearing the words “4th Infantry Division” came up and told Downing firsthand how he preferred Skyraiders over jet fighters for air support. “This is what we wanted to come help us,” the man said. “This and her (pointing to his wife) saved me over the years.”
Then the Vietnam veteran walked away with his spouse. Downing said that is why he enjoys air shows with the Skyraider.
“That guy who came up is exactly why I come here,” Downing said. “They will tear up and put a hand on your shoulder and tell you some great stories.”
For more information on Zellers’ Texan and Downing’s Skyraider log on at www.flyawarbird.com or www.wildrelics.com
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CLICK TO ENLARGE
 ERIC HILTNER(JG/T-C)
Preston Henze of Shelbyville hides from the sun under the tail of a SNJ-5 ‘Texan,’ a World War II naval trainer, during the air show Wednesday afternoon.
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