On paper, it’s a great story: Man from the Greatest Generation is reunited with the airplane (named after his girlfriend, who he has been married to for over 60 years) that he flew over the skies of Europe. In person, well, it was nothing short of amazing — and touching. Dan Fordice, Governor Kirk Fordice’s son, recently purchased a P-51D and had it painted like Cary Salter’s plane, Charlotte’s Chariot II to honor him. Today out at Hawkins Field in Jackson, Mr. and Mrs Salter and their daughters got to relive a piece of Mr. Salter’s past.
Cary Salter sees the P-51D Mustang for the first time as it taxied in from the runway at Hawkins Field in Jackson.
Dan Fordice pulls Charlotte’s Chariot II up to the hanger after buzzing the hanger twice (he made two fast passes down the runway) It took him 12 minutes to fly from Vickburg to Jackson.
Dan Fordice and Cary Salter stand on the wing of Charlotte’s Chariot II
In the foreground is a photo of Cary Salter as a 23-year-old pilot. In the background, 88-year-old pilot recreates the moment.
Cary Salter told me he didn’t know this picture existed until 1976. A friend had died and his widow had the negative in a box.
Cary Salter checks out the cockpit. Someone yelled, “was your GPS like that one?” Note the crosses on the side of the fuselage. Salter shot down two and a half aircraft in WW2, earning him the nickname from his friends , “half ace.”
Cary Salter tells WLBT’s Bert Case all about the day. (yes, Bert Case survived an encounter with the Fordice brothers).
P-51D Mustangs were the premier fighters in Europe during World War II. Their performance and long range allowed the allies to escort bombers deep into the heart of Germany — striking a fatal blow to German industry. This particular Mustang is immaculate. The engine only had 170 hours on it (the plane’s second engine, it was found in a warehouse after 40 years and installed in the plane.) And you could eat off the floor of the interior.
Friends and family admire the aircraft.
Dan Fordice has a photo of Charlotte Salter inside of the cockpit — just like Cary Salter did 65 years ago. My son and I got to meet Mrs. Salter — and he told me, “she looks just like her picture.”