Classic Encore Documentary: National Stearman Fly-In, Galesburg, Illinois, 43-minutes. This program is filled with flying sequences, fascinating stories, and...
Classic Encore Documentary: National Stearman Fly-In, Galesburg, Illinois, 43-minutes. This program is filled with flying sequences, fascinating stories, and people dedicated to the classic Stearman. The largest gathering of Stearman aircraft since WW II takes place each fall at Galesburg, Illinois each September. This program was recorded at the fly-in, during the fall of 1994, but has been recognized as the program regarding the classic Stearman fly-in. Beautifully photographed from the ground, air-to-air, and with aircraft mounted cameras, by two professional video crews specializing in aviation photography, the sights and sounds of the event are captivating. Aerobatics, takeoffs, landings and formation flying shot from the cockpit are featured from beautifully restored Stearmans. There are many great stories told by Stearman pilots, some by WW II vets.
Original music is the background for great shots of this classic airplane. Best of all that great song of the Stearman engine is allowed to sing in many scenes free of talk or music. Listen to the distinctive sound, and watch the Stearmans fly in the soft light of the Midwestern fall sun, and you are there. The narrator is Ron David, the famous voice of the Discovery series Wings.
Tom Lowe searched for more than twenty years to find someone who trained in his restored Stearman during WW II. An on–board camera captures former Navy cadet, Jack Moore flying in Lowe’s Stearman for the first time since his training days in 1942. Moore presents his logbook as proof that he trained in the actual Stearman owned by Lowe.
Karen Davis flew a Stearman with her father and two other Stearmans from the Los Angeles area to the Illinois fly-in. She describes the flight, and a cockpit camera captures her flying aerobatics.
Also included is a brief look at Stearmans during WWII Army Air Corps days with footage from the National Archives. This footage has rarely been seen since the end of the war. This is a great program for those that love the round engine of the great biplane, the Stearman.