A Mustang at Boleslav
A long brief from Historical Airshow Mladá Boleslav
Text: Radim Vojta
Photo: Petra Nováková
Originally, I wasn't even supposed to be in Boleslav. Steve assigned me to Hradec, and took the rest of the shows. But when Hradec was postponed to next year, it looked like I wouldn't be getting in any airshow flight time with the P-51 this year. To be perfectly honest, I found that I had no real level of regret from the development. I had a couple of performances under my belt with Trener Box and the Pilatus, and that was probably enough to fulfill the year's requirement to exhibit. However, about two weeks before the show, Steve tells me that he has some personal items to take care of and that he will either cancel the performance, or pass it on to me. Well, I just happened to be on vacation and had the time, so why not?
So what followed was a phone call to Tomáš Ratimec in an effort to find out just what it was that was expected from me: ‘Well, you and Míra Sázavský will do a two ship flyby, he will then separate for some solo aerobatics, and finish up with a four ship display with the Thunderbolt and Spitfire’. That made a lot of sense to me, as I've been flying the P-51 for a relatively short time and I haven't had many opportunities to practice a solo display yet. I only tried something over the airport a couple of times, which was enough for me to realize that the Mustang was neither a Spitfire nor a Yak-3, and that aerobatics in a fairly confined space would not be so easy with it. I could, however, fly in a group, since I have been doing that quite a bit recently.
As we packed up in the morning, I immediately understood what a new challenge the Mustang presented. It has a second seat instead of a fuselage tank, so although I tried my best to convince Jana that it would be more comfortable if she went to Boleslav by train, I failed. Fine, I'll take you with me, I told her - but we need to minimize the amount of stuff we carry! No evening gown, five o'clock tea dress, three handbags and two hats. And certainly, no kitchen sink. Maybe two pairs of shorts and a change of underwear. But when I looked in the luggage compartment after arriving at the airport and saw how much space there was, I realized that I was in for it. Especially when I took the spare tailwheel out, saying that we don't need to take it with us, I got a look that said it all. In addition to everything needed for the weekend, ten pairs of boots and winter ski gear could easily have been accommodated as well.
A P-51D and kegs of Pilsner Urquel. This looks to be the hangar where the valuables are stored...
After talking with Steve, I planned the trip there with a stop at Sazena. I haven't had a chance to land the Mustang on a grass runway yet, so I wanted to try it out at a field with a longer strip. Most of all, I appreciated that RWY 15L/33R has a runway edge lights and a length of 840 meters, while the adjacent 15R/33L is a full 1,315 meters long and has a long clearway with the same surface and pavement strength. So I came up with a plan to put down in a three point landing on the longer runway, but in line with the beginning of the lights - and if I manage to stop at the opposite end of the line of lights without any problems, I will know that the 1000 meters of runway at Boleslav will suffice. And if it doesn't work, nothing happens, I still have another six hundred meters ahead of me – and just case, I can set down in Mnichovo Hradiště to be safe and fly from there. The Mustang was in Boleslav several times, as was the Corsair and the Yak-3, but the pilots were more experienced on those respective types. I was only there with a Spitfire and Hurricane, but that doesn't really count, since they are grass hoppers, any meadow being to their liking. I only have a few hours in the P-51D so far. The Chief (now generally known as Head of Air Operations) from Sazená, Honza Šimon, approved my plan, so there was nothing standing in the way of the test, except for my own fear deep down that I might bounce too much and embarrass myself.
So I loaded Jana into the airplane, and with the help of Sucháč and Krechonaut, set off into the wild blue over Plasy and Rakovník to Sazka. Jana was said to have shed a tear after take-off, it was her first flight in a Mustang and actually it was a premiere for me too, as I have never flown anyone in a warbird. All my flights so far have been single seaters, so there was no such opportunity, unless we were going to recreate a bit of Dark Blue World film and carry a passenger in my lap. We rumbled our way over the countryside under a gloomy sky, the Merlin growling over Plasy, and for a while over the landscape of my youth west of Kladno, where I know every field intimately, because I underwent countless practice dead-stick landings on them in training in a Zlin 126, then growled through Slaný and up to the shooting range of Mr. Mareš at Velvary. Fuel cock, 26 inches, flaps ten, then twenty and enter the traffic pattern at Sazená after three ultralights and a Seneca doing single engine approaches. Damn, that was more traffic than I expected. Fortunately, by then we were at about 250 km/h, so we could shoehorn into the queue pretty easily. So now I was curious how it would unfold. Wheels, flaps, propeller, final, aim abeam the beginning of runway lights, idle, touch down on three points, and….well! Whatta ‘ya know? It worked, so all that was left was to maintain direction, brake lightly - and suddenly I was aware that we had come to a stop after 750 meters. Damn, I didn't expect that! And since the result was better than expected and the traffic at Sazená was greater, I told myself that I would not even fly the second circuit and go straight on to Boleslav. I tried to take off at flaps 20. As expected, it required a little more right foot to keep the plane pointed in the right direction, but other than that, we were back in the air after maybe 600 meters…
The girls by the wing. Between Jana and Petra, the top of the head of little Andulka Cermak can be seen, who is still just a bit shy.
The landing in Boleslav on Runway 04 was, as expected, without any problems, and so we arrived as essentially the very first for the Aviation History Day. We dragged all our things out of the compartment behind the back seat and when Míra and the other Mustang arrived about an hour later, we set out to come up with a program for the two of us. Quite logically, we decided that it would be better for me to be on the wing as number two, because I have been flyin formations a lot in recent years and this is precisely the position I am very used to.
We started with a ten-second interval, which turned out to be unnecessarily long. It took me a bit to catch up with Míra, but I was nailing the turn. I settled into position and immediately managed to find a good aiming point - the pitot tube lined up against the prop spinner. After a few maneuvers, however, I understood that, in general, a formation is a formation is a formation, but there is nevertheless a bit of a difference. It doesn't go for the gas as much as lighter planes, the inertia is noticeable there, and the time that is lost due to a late reaction is not that easily made up. The only chance is a slight change in the flight trajectory and consequently move in closer or further away, precipitating the need for sometimes tighter turns, sometimes not so much, to put myself where I needed to be.
The airshow began on Saturday and I
have to say that it was great from my point of view. Boleslav’s people have
always been very well organized. Most of all, I really like
the colour coordinated staff who’s functions were indicated
by the colour of the t-shirts they wore, something like you find on
aircraft carriers. The browns are the physically powerful members, the muscle
that moves according to the reds, which are the controlling
elements. So it was very easy even for a person who was in Boleslav
for the first time (and therefore did not know the local aero clubbers by face)
to find their way around. Whenever a plane’s flight time neared, the browns set
into motion in sufficient numbers to push the aircraft off the stand and closer
to take-off position. As all this was going on, Ondra Bordovský in his red t-shirt would inform of any
necessary changes to the show program and made possible all necessary
adjustments. I don't even need to talk about the fact that fire protection and
technical assistance were automatically available at all times. Some shows
are better, some less so, but I would plead with the organizers of the latter
(and not necessarily the smaller) to take note of this specific show to see how
it’s done. There's nothing worse than when it's nearing show time and the pilot
is desperate to find someone to help him push the aircraft out - and
even then it's often chaotic, because everyone has a different
opinion on when, who and where to push. Similarly, you tend to notice and appreciate
the finer points, such as receiving an ID badge around the neck with contacts
for transport to the hotel, of the director of the show and information about
when and where briefings will take place. These amount to details, yes, but
these are the things that go a very long way to making the whole experience
that much more pleasant.
Everything else was also perfectly organized; food, accommodation, transport to and from the hotel, you had somewhere to hide from the sun (or cold and rain, the hustle and bustle, as the situation warrants), where to strategically pee (yes, even that is a problem at some airshows). And since we also have a lot of friends in Boleslav, from aerobatic pilots to museum workers, we were able to spend a lot of quality time with people from fifteen to over eighty years of age.
But, back to the flying…
As agreed upon beforehand, we took off for the first display as a pair. I was surprised myself how it went. Acceleration was the same, which to be honest I wasn't really sure it would be - we have different propellers, our ‘Little Rebel’ has the original one with cuffs at the base of the blades, while ‘Excalibur’ has the newer and more powerful paddle blades. While waiting in a designated space, Míra tested me a bit with sharper turns, and it was there that I began to realize that I needed to put in an effort to keep up - the acceleration was nowhere near what I'm used to. And it's always easier to fly two of the same type in formation, and so I was curious to see how things would go with the Thunderbolt in the early evening. We exchanged information a few times about who had what engine settings. Since they were identical in level flight, it was clear that we both had engines in similar condition. But I had to go with the revolutions a little higher, so that I could then go to a higher boost pressure, if the need arose.
I have zero idea what I was trying to snap a pic of, and most likely I just hit the shutter button by accident, but it did yield an interesting image!
ATC gave us the go ahead to begin and I realized I had no idea of where the hell we actually were. It's weird, if I am flying in groups with Trener aircraft (a Czech designed and built trainer/aerobatic type) or Harvards, I sort of know where I am all the time without having to look anywhere but at the flight leader. I don't know if I was just busier, or if things were happening faster, but in short, the spatial orientation was worse at times. But Mira informed me that we were going into the flypast, so I can reset my vestibular system and mentally set a position for the final approach to 04. The Mustangs revved up and I could see the ground passing by below us, and I am not even fully aware of how fast we were flying. Four hundred? Five? God knows! We turned slightly to the right, returning to the airport. A three-sixty followed, and Mira tightened up as per our previous planning, and I could feel the increase in g’s, and the Mustangs made a whistling sound, which is produced at greater angles of attack by air flowing through the gun ports. But during the turn, I began losing some distance from the outside. I couldn’t increase throttle, I had to start to tighten the inside of the corner, but even that wasn’t enough to compensate anymore... ‘Mira...take it down a notch’, I requested, and the distance began to shorten, allowing me to get back into position. ‘And now bring her back up’. We leveled off after the turn, followed by a short flight from the airport, a right turn, we throttled up and got ready for a break. Flying low over the runway, I could peripherally see the aircraft stand behind Excalibur and the spectators, transformed into one long blur. ‘For so many years I flew at dizzying speeds so that the world was a blur to me. The landscape was a blur, and a man just a dot’, as Werich said in the fairy tale ‘The King Had Three Sons’. I waited for Mira’s command. He needed speed and inertia to go into a vertical and his solo performance. ‘Break…..now!’ Excalibur pulled into a cuban eight in front of me and I broke away into a turn with a sharp bank and only a slight climb. I cut the throttle back to reduce a speed, dropped the flaps to twenty, speed 160 mph, and extended the gear, and lined up with Runway 22. Full flaps, speed 115, I then passed the runway threshold, set the throttle to idle, and the engine went from a deep growl to an idle ‘mole fart’. I sat her down in a three point landing, maintained direction, and lightly applied the brakes. Mira whizzed past me to the left at high speed and continued his display. I left the runway, retracted the flaps, went through the standard of procedures, continued taxiing and was quite happy, back on the ground. Only slightly sweaty…
Flypast over Rakovnik’s airport on the way home. Jana is making sure Lajka the dog has a good view from the back seat. Photo: Matyas Koehller
In about an hour and a half, we took off again, this time for the final passes as a foursome. The first pair to take off was a Spitfire Mk.XIV and a P-47D Thunderbolt, with the P-51s following closely behind. I started in a position on the right, I kind of preferred that, and shortly after take-off I shifted to the left, as per plan, because that was my designated place in the formation. We then caught up with the aircraft ahead of us, and I was on the inside of the turn, making my task a little easier than it was for Mira. It didn’t take long for me to get into position and slowly, I got in line. The Thunderbolt led the way and I noted the silhouette of the Spitfire Mk.XIV flying behind him. We got a peek at the Mk.XVI with a Merlin, and it had a sort of a subtlety to it compared to the raging XIV with the Griffon engine. I slid into position to the Thunderbolt's left and watched him. I couldn’t figure out if I like the plane or not. She’s pretty attractiveon the ground, but now with the undercarriage and flaps tucked neatly away, she really does look like a jug, as she was affectionately (or not) known during the war. Her name is Nellie B. ‘Nellie’, I thought, ‘you’re a tad chubby. Admit it….you have an appetite!’ At that point, we were getting close to our fly past. The Thunderbolt has different dynamics than the Mustang and started to pull away from us as we descended, giving us something to do to catch up. After the pass, we went into a right climbing turn, and the situation reversed, with us trying not to overtake her. We turned left and went into the second flypast. Two Merlins, a Griffon and an R-2800, must be quite a sound on the ground! We returned to the airport for our break, initiated on command by the P-47. Mira went first, climbing and disappearing off to the right. After two seconds, it was my turn. I tried to overtake Mira in the turn and did so while in it. We flew as a pair over the runway and broke off for individual passes. I went into the circuit and had the Spitfire and T-bolt in front of me, also getting ready for their flypast. I lined up with ‘Little Rebel’ followed by ‘Excalibur’. I roared over Runway 04 and broke right to join a left circuit for 22. I watch the other aircraft as they went one at a time into their passes. I waited until they were out of the way, since landing against them would be a pretty lousy idea. ATC confirmed and gave me clearance to land. I approached the runway, sat her down and came to the realization that I had enough for one day.
Sunday flight back to Pilsen
We were the last display, and there's always a kind of a release after the engines are shut down. I think that everyone feels some variation of the release after all is said and done. In the evening we had a few rum pralines and then just slept and went home the next day. It was the icing on the cake. The P-51D rolls along rather well, even in economy cruise power settings. We were happy to fly through a few airports along the way and before you could say ‘cobbler’, we were back in Pilsen.
So, what more can be said? I'm very glad that Steve passed this show on to me, because this gave me a lot of flight experience with the type. I've experienced the huge difference in the landing run with a three point landing versus landing on main wheels only, however easier and safer it is on the wheels with a heavy warbird. We confirmed that the P-51D is ideal for a weekend trip for two, because it can carry a lot more personal items than the Zlín 526. So if you should happen to be contemplating which aircraft to take on such a trip with your wife, Jana and I highly recommend the Mustang!
Once again, the Boleslav team showed that they are extremely capable of putting on an excellent airshow focused on aviation, beyond being categorized as ‘a small aeroclub with a grass airstrip trying to put on a show’. These people are performing well in the big league. If we can complain about anything, then perhaps Sunday’s weather could have come a day early, but that’s just to show how hard you have to look to find any sort of a negative…
After the return to Pilsen. You wouldn’t guess it, but the Mustang is quite a bit larger than the Trener!