Round Engines

"Big John" wrote in message
...
Dudley

One story on Pancho.

Edwards wanted to either extend or build a new runway that would run
through her "establishment".

After going round and round with them she went to Washington and
talked to some of her old time cohorts there and that was the last
ever heard about tearing her place down for a new runway )

The Washington types she talked to were Lts and Captains when she
associated with them in the early days.

Sometimes it's all who you know.

Last time I was there was eating a steak and talking to Pancho when
half a dozen broads made up like Hollywood Starlets walked through the
room.

I ask what they were doing and was told to mind my own business )

Big John

The story we got was that the powers that be at Edwards who took over after
the "old guys" were gone really did a number on her when the extension deal
was going on. The word was that the "fire" was very suspicious to say the
least.
I think Pancho kind of faded away after that and I heard she had moved out
into the desert up North a bit. The last I heard she had died all alone up
there living in a trailer.
I think Yeager and Hoover and some of the regulars kept in touch with her
for awhile .
Pancho's place was a real part of American aviation history. It's a damn
shame nobody tried to save at least part of it for posterity.
The problem with places like Pancho's is that their real value was in their
existence and in what that meant to the people who gathered there.
To those who survived those early days at Edwards, I'm sure the ghosts of
those people remain even to this day.
The average tourist wouldn't be able to "touch" this nostalgia, or
appreciate the memories of a place like Pancho's. Only those who lived
through those times and knew first hand what transpired there would have any
real appreciation for the site.
I remember places like Pancho's as special to me as I made my way through my
aviation career.
There was Trader Jon's in Pensacola for one.There's was a picture of Skip
Umstead and me tacked to the wall in back of the bar Skip was Blue Angel 1
in the old F4's and was killed at Lakehurst I was driving there to have
lunch with him and heard about the crash on the car radio. I know Bob Stumph
and a few of the Blue Angels tried to save the place, but it all came apart
somewhere along the line. It's a clothing store now. Sign of the passing
times I guess :-)) My picture from the bar is probably gathering dust with
the other artifacts from the old place waiting to be put into a Naval
aviation museum.
There was the Belvedere Hotel and Bar across the street from the main gate
at Pax River where we would meet and raise hell.
Many are gone now, but I can still see their faces and hear their laughter
once in a while in my fondest memories.
I guess it's this kind of thing that makes Pancho's so special.
There's something in Latin that sums it all up I guess;
"Sic Transit Gloria Mundi"
Dudley

Dudley

It's a shame we don't put more effort in saving some of the historical
places. Briton and some others put time and money in saving their
history for future generations. Makes me ashamed.

Big John
`````````````````````````````````````````````````` ````````````

On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 22:32:17 GMT, "Dudley Henriques"
wrote:


"Big John" wrote in message
.. .
Dudley

One story on Pancho.

Edwards wanted to either extend or build a new runway that would run
through her "establishment".

After going round and round with them she went to Washington and
talked to some of her old time cohorts there and that was the last
ever heard about tearing her place down for a new runway )

The Washington types she talked to were Lts and Captains when she
associated with them in the early days.

Sometimes it's all who you know.

Last time I was there was eating a steak and talking to Pancho when
half a dozen broads made up like Hollywood Starlets walked through the
room.

I ask what they were doing and was told to mind my own business )

Big John

The story we got was that the powers that be at Edwards who took over after
the "old guys" were gone really did a number on her when the extension deal
was going on. The word was that the "fire" was very suspicious to say the
least.
I think Pancho kind of faded away after that and I heard she had moved out
into the desert up North a bit. The last I heard she had died all alone up
there living in a trailer.
I think Yeager and Hoover and some of the regulars kept in touch with her
for awhile .
Pancho's place was a real part of American aviation history. It's a damn
shame nobody tried to save at least part of it for posterity.
The problem with places like Pancho's is that their real value was in their
existence and in what that meant to the people who gathered there.
To those who survived those early days at Edwards, I'm sure the ghosts of
those people remain even to this day.
The average tourist wouldn't be able to "touch" this nostalgia, or
appreciate the memories of a place like Pancho's. Only those who lived
through those times and knew first hand what transpired there would have any
real appreciation for the site.
I remember places like Pancho's as special to me as I made my way through my
aviation career.
There was Trader Jon's in Pensacola for one.There's was a picture of Skip
Umstead and me tacked to the wall in back of the bar Skip was Blue Angel 1
in the old F4's and was killed at Lakehurst I was driving there to have
lunch with him and heard about the crash on the car radio. I know Bob Stumph
and a few of the Blue Angels tried to save the place, but it all came apart
somewhere along the line. It's a clothing store now. Sign of the passing
times I guess :-)) My picture from the bar is probably gathering dust with
the other artifacts from the old place waiting to be put into a Naval
aviation museum.
There was the Belvedere Hotel and Bar across the street from the main gate
at Pax River where we would meet and raise hell.
Many are gone now, but I can still see their faces and hear their laughter
once in a while in my fondest memories.
I guess it's this kind of thing that makes Pancho's so special.
There's something in Latin that sums it all up I guess;
"Sic Transit Gloria Mundi"
Dudley

"Big John" wrote in message
...

Dudley

It's a shame we don't put more effort in saving some of the historical
places. Briton and some others put time and money in saving their
history for future generations. Makes me ashamed.

Big John

Yeah..it's a shame really. Of course the Brits actually fought their war
right over their heads. The people had, and still have such a high regard
for what happened during the BOB that they are more than willing to support
the historical effort to save the artifacts from the period.
It seems that in our country, a lot of the time developers and politicians
enter into the equation and the artifact goes into a museum while the real
estate where it all happened somehow magically turns into a shopping mall.
Of course there are exceptions although many times it's the work of private
donors that save a location of historical value to aviation.
Dudley

Too many fine airplanes were buried in the sand or dumped
in the ocean. And a lot became beer cans.

If you are in Kansas, go to Hutchinson (HUT) and get a ride
to the Cosmosphere, and you can touch an SR-71 and see a lot
of real space ships.
But if it wasn't for a few rich pilots, you'd never see a
P51 or F86 and the CAF keeps a nice flying history lesson
with FiFi and some other airplanes that were not destroyed
by the Pentagon. Congress keeps passing laws that make
recovery of old warbirds difficult or impossible.

The EAA and Warbirds of America report on this "arms
control."


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"Dudley Henriques" wrote in
message
nk.net...
|
| "Big John" wrote in message
| ...
|
| Dudley
|
| It's a shame we don't put more effort in saving some of
the historical
| places. Briton and some others put time and money in
saving their
| history for future generations. Makes me ashamed.
|
| Big John
|
| Yeah..it's a shame really. Of course the Brits actually
fought their war
| right over their heads. The people had, and still have
such a high regard
| for what happened during the BOB that they are more than
willing to support
| the historical effort to save the artifacts from the
period.
| It seems that in our country, a lot of the time developers
and politicians
| enter into the equation and the artifact goes into a
museum while the real
| estate where it all happened somehow magically turns into
a shopping mall.
| Of course there are exceptions although many times it's
the work of private
| donors that save a location of historical value to
aviation.
| Dudley
|
|

Dudley Henriques wrote:

"Big John" wrote in message
...

Dudley

It's a shame we don't put more effort in saving some of the historical
places. Briton and some others put time and money in saving their
history for future generations. Makes me ashamed.

Big John


Yeah..it's a shame really. Of course the Brits actually fought their war
right over their heads. The people had, and still have such a high regard
for what happened during the BOB that they are more than willing to support
the historical effort to save the artifacts from the period.
It seems that in our country, a lot of the time developers and politicians
enter into the equation and the artifact goes into a museum while the real
estate where it all happened somehow magically turns into a shopping mall.
Of course there are exceptions although many times it's the work of private
donors that save a location of historical value to aviation.
Dudley

And with fewer people alive who have any first-hand recollection of WW
II, it will only get worse. Most developers in action today don't
remember the Korean war let alone WW II. What is that old saying about
those who fail to remember history...


Matt

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
Dudley Henriques wrote:

"Big John" wrote in message
...

Dudley

It's a shame we don't put more effort in saving some of the historical
places. Briton and some others put time and money in saving their
history for future generations. Makes me ashamed.

Big John


Yeah..it's a shame really. Of course the Brits actually fought their war
right over their heads. The people had, and still have such a high regard
for what happened during the BOB that they are more than willing to
support the historical effort to save the artifacts from the period.
It seems that in our country, a lot of the time developers and
politicians enter into the equation and the artifact goes into a museum
while the real estate where it all happened somehow magically turns into
a shopping mall.
Of course there are exceptions although many times it's the work of
private donors that save a location of historical value to aviation.
Dudley

And with fewer people alive who have any first-hand recollection of WW II,
it will only get worse. Most developers in action today don't remember
the Korean war let alone WW II. What is that old saying about those who
fail to remember history...


Matt

"For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed
the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came
trumpeteers, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories,
together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The
conquerors rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in
chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in
the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror
holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory
is fleeting."
- Gen. George C. Patton

Dudley Henriques