My prayer as the engine cranked went something like this, “Dear God, please don’t let me puke in Dan’s really nice airplane.”
Dan is Dan Fordice. Yes, Fordice. As in Kirk and Pat’s son.
We were flying a few years ago and he was strapping me in. I asked him if he was still mad about the cartoons I drew about his dad. He answered, “You’re mine now.”
At that moment, I realized he had packed my parachute.
Oh sh*t.
Dan has Pat’s sense of humor.
Thankfully. I am still alive.
Today I flew in his amazingly gorgeous P-51D Mustang, Charlotte’s Chariot 2. The P-51D is one of the most famous aircraft ever built — and for good reason. It’s nearly perfect in every way. It was the premier fighter over Europe in World War 2 (And escorted B-29s on their way to Japan, too). I’ve never had as much fun flying as I did today. I’ll just describe the Mustang this way — it’s raw power and grace make you feel like you’ve strapped wings on and are a knight in the sky.
Dan’s a heck of a pilot. He has taken his plane to the Oshkosh Air Show (the nation’s premier air show) He flew over the Washington Mall as part of the Arsenal of Freedom flyover marking the 70th anniversary of VE day. He loves his Mustang. But he loves to honor the generation who flew it even more.
Dan and the Southern Heritage Aviation Museum have done an amazing job doing just that. I respect the hell out of him for that. He could just fly his Mustang around for kicks. Instead, he uses it to educate and inspire.
I didn’t puke today. We rolled and looped and pulled some G’s. When the Mustang’s wheels touched down, I had a big, fat stupid grin on my face. I thought of Cary Salter (whose just passed and whose plane Dan’s is modeled after). I thought about everyone who sacrificed so much. I thought about the knights in the sky.
And on this 70th anniversary of the guns falling silent, I appreciate Dan’s efforts and for him letting me pretend I was one of those knights, too.
