Two P-51 pilots reunite with their warbirds - Printable Version

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Two P-51 pilots reunite with their warbirds - jfloren - 08.10.2009

Here is a wonderful story about two P-51 pilots. Many such stories exist as there were thousands of great aviators in WWII.




Two P-51 pilots reunite with their warbirds........................

Sorry for the length, but even if typed twice this amount, I couldn't fully convey the
uniqueness and specialness of these events. We build these airplanes to honor WWII
heroes and acknowledge their brave service. I hope me sharing these photos and
stories can further that cause.


Most times when you look forward to a big event that is years in the making and is
the culmination of a tremendous amount of time work, it can be a big letdown.
That was not the case at Oshkosh this year. The airshow and our time with these
two WWII legends far exceeded even my wildest dreams. They were AWESOME.
Funny, lively, and absolute gentleman. When people speak of the Greatest Generation,
I now know what they mean. It is Bill and Buck Pattillo they are referring to. These
men are warriors and patriots, and it was a special honor to meet them and spend so
much time in their company.

I could write a novel about the stories they told (Bill being shot down in Sweet and
Lovely, the POW marches he was led on, Buck bailing out of airplanes on fire, his
engine flaming out on takeoff in a plane loaded with napalm, the formation of the
Thunderbirds demonstration team, and on and on...) but I'll just get right to a few
pictures.

This is the moment Buck Pattillo saw his Little Rebel for the first time in 64 years.
The last time he stood next to his P-51 was in England in 1945.

When he arrived at the airplane, a silence came over the crowd and everyone backed
away to give him time and space. He was very quiet, and at first would touch just the
wing and the drop tank. I have my back to the camera in that red shirt. I encouraged
Buck to stand up next to the nose of his airplane and touch it. He did that, and when he
turned back to face the crowd, the cameras and flash bulbs came alive. It was a special
moment.


We gave Buck his space, and he slowly made his way around the Mustang.
"This is my airplane," he said softly. "This is just how she looked."



Buck is in the middle, I am at the left. The airplane's owner/builder/pilot is at the right.
The emotion on Buck's face is apparent.

As we worked around the airplane to the other side, I opened up the gun bay for Buck
to peer inside. He placed his hands inside and touched one of the Browning .50 caliber
machine guns. Once again, it was a very poignant moment.
"Now these aren't live are they?" he asked.
"No, they won't fire," I said. "We didn't want any funny business between you two
brothers when we took you flying."
"Good," he responded with a hearty laugh. "Sweet and Lovely is a beautiful airplane.
I'd hate to shoot it down."

The next few pictures need some set up. What we did was re-create a 65-year old
photograph.
This picture, featuring the Pattillo brothers was taken in Bodney , England in 1944.


65 years later, we found the old, original pilot gear and re-staged the scene.
The crowd around the airplane as we set this up was incredible.

These guys were 20 years old flying around in England during WWII.
They had wild fun then, and they continue to have fun today:

Here is a shot of Bill Pattillo in front of his WWII mount, Sweet and Lovely:

The two Generals together

Bill on the left with his Sweet and Lovely hat, Buck on the right with his Little Rebel hat:

After the initial rush died down, we asked Buck to sign his name to the rudder:



Two years ago, when Bill saw Sweet and Lovely for the very first time, he also signed
his rudder:

587,000 people attended Oshkosh this year, but these guys seemed to be the center
of attention.
It was like hanging out with rock stars.

On Saturday, the two airplanes and the brothers were featured in the "Warbirds in
Review" program. We pushed the planes up on the stage and a standing room only
crowd flooded in to hear the pilots speak:

The best part of the week was Friday night.
We put each brother in the back seat of his own airplane and took them flying.
I think this flight turned the clock back 20 years in their lives. Their excitement and
ear-to-ear grins were second in size only to mine.
In the full-resolution version of these pictures, you can easily read the thrill on their
faces.





It only rained once at Oshkosh . It rained as our airplane was being judged.
Whether that hurt us or not, I don't know. Regardless, we didn't win the big prize,
but we did receive the "Best P-51" award.


To be honest, the airplane is about 98% completed. It came to Oshkosh only because we were committed to being there with the Pattillo brothers.
They are 85 and there is no guarantee they will be 86. We will work on the plane
throughout the next year and perhaps win Grand Champion in 2010!
Some more on the Pattillo brothers:

Maj. Gen. Cuthbert A. "Bill" Pattillo - Pilot
487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group
United States Air Force Thunderbird #3
A Distinguished Veteran

Cuthbert "Bill" Pattillo and his twin brother, Charles, were born seven minutes apart on June 3, 1924, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Atlanta Technical High School in 1942, and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in November, 1942 as an aviation cadet. After receiving training in the P-40 Warhawk (specifications), he received his pilot wings and commission as a second lieutenant at Marianna, Florida, in March, 1944. He went to the European Theater and was assigned to the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, the famous "Bluenosed Bastards of Bodney". He flew 35 combat missions in the P-51D Mustang (specifications), (HO-Y), number 44-11556, which he called "Sweet and Lovely". He shot down an ME-262 on April 10, 1945. On April 16, 1945, he destroyed six and damaged one enemy aircraft on the ground while strafing an airdrome near Straubing, Germany, and was later shot down by ground flak. He crashed landed in a farmer's plowed field, and became a POW until the end of the war. He was released from active duty in December, 1945, and he and his brother enrolled as engineering students at the Georgia Institute of Technology. While attending school, he participated in the Reserve Military Program as a flight commander of the 54th Fighter Wing of the Georgia National Guard, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt (specifications).

Air Demonstration Teams
In February, 1948, he was recalled to active duty as a P-51 pilot, and was assigned to the 31st Fighter Group in Albany, Georgia. He was assigned with his brother as P-80 pilots to the 36th Fighter Group, Furstenfeldbruck, Germany, and while there, he and his brother assisted in organizing and flying with the USAF Europe Aerial Demonstration Team, the "Skyblazers", flying the P-80 and F-84. In October, 1952, he was assigned to Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida, as a fighter gunnery instructor with the 3542nd Flying Training Squadron. In March, 1953, he was assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, as a fighter gunnery instructor along with his brother Charles. They helped organize the original United States Air Force Aerial Demonstration Team, the "Thunderbirds" (Thunderbirds are featured in "Teamwork at its Finest"). He flew right wing while his brother flew left wing.

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- HEERDT - 08.10.2009

amazing post. i love to see these stories. it almost brought tears to my eyes. thanks for posting.

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- HH_Cipher - 08.10.2009

Looks like you had tons of fun. Some thing which will stay in your mind.

Contgrats on the award. And they are a pair of lovely lady's I must say!

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- Dutchman_66 - 08.10.2009

That`s a great story. I`m impressed.

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- EoW_WhamO_CO - 08.10.2009

very cool

thank you for sharing

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- biltongbru - 08.10.2009

This is one of the best posts of this forum....what a wonderfull event and privelage for you to be part of it.(not forgetting the hard and dedicated work to make this possible)...from my side thankyou very much for the story and great pics!

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- CKY_86 - 08.10.2009

That was a beautifull story with some truley emotional pictures.

Well done

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- wheelsup_cavu - 08.10.2009

Great post and amazing pictures Jfloren.


Wheels

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- nls61 - 08.10.2009

Emotional story and ill love Mustangs
Here is a picture I did for friend of mine that even loves them more than me.





Niels

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- 78thFG_Doodle - 08.10.2009

Very cool. Buck and Bill Patillo are still class acts.

Blue Skies,

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Explanation - jfloren - 08.10.2009

Gentlemen,
I did not mean to give the impression that I had anything to do with the event.
A friend sent me the article and I just wanted to share it.........

Regards

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