2012 Airshows
  Titusville (Tico), FL   NAS Key West, FL   Chino, CA   Indy 500 Fly-Over   Reading, PA WWII Weekend   CWH Show, Hamilton, ONT   Dayton, OH   Muncie, IN   Topeka, KS   Purdue University, IN   Thunder over Michigan, Belleville, MI   Hillsdale, MI   Marion, IN   Waukegan, IL   Glendale Airport, Kokomo, IN   Rome, GA   Peachtree City, GA   Houston, TX   Urbana, OH B-25 Gathering   B-25 Doolittle Memorial Fly-over at Dayton, OH

Indianapolis 500 Warbird Fly-Over Photo Review
Warbirds at The Indianapolis Regional Airport, Greenfield, IN - May 26, 2013  

  Sometimes the unadvertised but obvious gathering of warbirds works out really well.  In this case it was pretty much common knowledge and advertised that one B-25 and (5) T-6's were going to do the fly-over at the opening of the Indianapolis 500, as this had been in the paper and on the websites of the local TV stations.  What was not advertised was at which airport they would be operating out of as the aircraft were coming from the Cincinnati, OH area.  A quick email to one of the pilots determined they would be arriving at the Indianapolis Regional Airport on Sunday morning, which was ideal for me as I have spent a lot of time out there over the past 31 years.  I arrived just as the first of the T-6's were breaking to land at 9 AM..

The aircraft landed before I could get to a better position to photograph the landing.  This was the number two aircraft to land.

Number three to land.

This T-6 had landed before I could get across the airport and get set up for the landing photo.  During the day the background color varied from dark gray to light gray, but always gray!

B-25 "Axis Nightmare" from the Tri-State Warbird Museum at Batavia, OH passes over the threshold of runway 25 at the Indianapolis Regional Airport upon her arrival.

Moving down a dirt road I was able to catch the last two Texan's as they landed on runway 16.

T-6 pilots were Todd Winemiller, Ralph Lutz, Don Stamp, Chuck Marshall and John Filbury.

The B-25 had Paul Redlich and Phillip Roundtree as the flight crew with Jim Stitt aboard as mission coordinator.  Here "Axis Nightmare" fires up the number two engine.  The surprising thing is that there were only two of us that showed up as we had figured there would be a at least a dozen or more hardcore warbird enthusiasts out here for this.  But the up side is that it was quiet and all we could hear was the sounds of round engines when they fired up.  In the case of the B-25 we could hear the fuel pump on the number two engine previous to the start above.

11:36 B-25 take-off to arrive at the 500 at 11:55

Pass number one of the B-25 as everyone works to get in position.

First pass of the T-6s as they work to get formed up.

Second pass two minutes later as they come directly overhead.

Joining up with the B-25.


11:43.  On their way.

Indy 500 Youtube 2013 Fly-Over

Titusville (Tico), FL   NAS Key West, FL   Chino, CA   Indy 500 Fly-Over   Reading, PA WWII Weekend   CWH Show, Hamilton, ONT   Dayton, OH   Muncie, IN   Topeka, KS   Purdue University, IN   Thunder over Michigan, Belleville, MI   Hillsdale, MI   Marion, IN   Waukegan, IL   Glendale Airport, Kokomo, IN   Rome, GA   Peachtree City, GA   Houston, TX   Urbana, OH B-25 Gathering   B-25 Doolittle Memorial Fly-over at Dayton, OH