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Masters of Disaster Remembered


cenelsonfoto

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<a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00CcOb"

target="_blank">Bob Younkin was one of the fliers I shot way back in 2005 during

an airshow at Fayetteville's Drake Field</a>. He was a member of the Masters of

Disaster, a trio of pilots who performed dogfighting without a plan, ie.

improvised. They had only been doing it that way, according to those I've spoken

to, for a brief period. They lived through it, that afternoon at Fayetteville,

but the next event they appeared at proved fatal for Younkin and one of his

fellow pilots.

<p />

I haven't been to the museum at Drake for months. I decided today was a good day

to wander through, burn some time. One of Younkin's planes, a Leer, is now

stored in the hangar. It was good to get a look at it up close.

<p />

I recall thinking, as I sat watching the trio perform that day, that they had to

be plumb crazy to fly like that - unscripted, smoke every-damned-where,

completely improvised maneuvers - and I wondered how long they would get away

with it. Little did I know it would be their last successful day in the air.

<p />

<a href="http://www.bulldogairshows.com/v2/X-TEAM_video.wmv" target="_blank">You

have to see it to believe it</a>. It was insanity.

<p />

While there, I did the Military tour, spoke to some of the fellows who spend

their time repairing, restoring, and maintaining the old birds, tracks, and helos.

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Years ago I attended a "fly-in" in Orange,MA with a friend who was (in a previous life) an

airplane mechanic in Alaska. It was amazing. The biggest plane that landed was a DC-3,

which looked huge when landing, and surprisingly small when looked at close up. What was

scary was my friend's auditory identification of planes based on the pitch of their engines -- I

guess this is particularly easy for seaplanes.

 

Anyway, thanks for reviving the memory of that day with your pictures...and I'm sorry to hear

about the fatalities....

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Hi CE,

 

I spent a lot of time at Drake Field as a kid during the fifties. I was last there this past summer. It's a shame about Bob Younkin. I was fortunate to visit the Younkin facility in Springdale a number of years ago, where we saw "Mr. Mulligan" under construction.

 

I'm certain the Masters of Disaster (a prophetic name) knew the risks they were taking, but flying like that unscripted is madness. Thanks for sharing the photos.

 

Phil<div>00JHWd-34128484.jpg.c940df350ecf87eab20deb6a169ec37e.jpg</div>

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