Thank you very much sir! I have had a love affair with the Corsair since I was a kid watching “Black Sheep Squadron” on TV. In the very early 80’s I was privileged enough to meet Merle Gustafson and witness him fly “The Angel Of Okinawa” at the municipal airport in Atlanta, TX. I just THOUGHT I was awed by the ones I saw on TV. When Mr. Gustafson cranked up that Pratt & Whitney R2800 and taxied out, I was blown away…almost literally LOL! We were all allowed right up on the flight line, it was just a small air show with probably about 20-25 planes total. He came roaring down that airstrip at takeoff speed and the sound rattled me from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head. He made several LOW passes almost directly over us…it was magical. I’m almost 53 now and the memories of that day still make me giggle like a school kid! Last I heard, the old girl was in storage/on display. Mr. Gustafson was a fine fellow, he let me crawl all over that bird that day, I got to sit in the cockpit and I think he was smiling just as much as I was.

To me, they are the most beautiful warbird ever created. The FW-190D9’s/Ta-153’s are the only thing that run a close second to me.