Sweetpea and the
Memphis Belle
at the
Great State of Maine Airshow
September 10 & 11 2005
Click on any picture to see a LARGE version
The Great State of Maine Airshow drew crowds of about
220,000
people over the two days it was held. The US Navy Blue Angels
performed along with an impressive number of other aerial acts.
Dozens and dozens of aircraft were on static display and hundreds of
vendors set up displays and booths adjacent to Brunswick Naval Air
Station's parallel 8000 foot long runways. I was given the
opportunity to display my restored GPW and Bantam trailer with the
Memphis Belle. What a
thrill!
The B-17 at the show is the one used in filming the 1989 movie "Memphis
Belle". It is a WWII B-17 repainted in the original Memphis
Belle's markings. The original Memphis Bell is currently being
moved to the USAF Museum in Dayton. Ohio.
In order to clear security to set up on the flight-line, I had to
arrive in Sweetpea by 6am
each day. Here you can see Sweetpea
under the Belle's wing at
sunrise with the Navy Blue Angels
parked in
the background and to the right...
The gates opened at 8 am giving us plenty of time to look over the
Belle and to set up our
display.
Mrs. Linda Morgan, widow of Capt. Robert "Bob" Morgan, the pilot of the
Memphis Bell in WWII arrived
to set up her tables, etc. next to
Sweetpea
under the Belle's right
wing.
The restored WWII jeep and trailer glowed in the morning light under
the wing of the WWII bomber...
At 8 am the crowds started arriving and the
response the crowd gave to the B-17, Mrs. Morgan and Sweetpea was almost overwhelming...
The crowd got bigger and bigger throughout the day...
Mrs. Morgan is one great woman, a pilot herself and we got along great
throughout the two days. She has a website, www.memphis-belle.com,
that is well worth a visit...
At 2:00 pm each day we moved Sweetpea
aside and the Belle taxied
out and
flew for the huge crowd of over 100,000 people each day.
The crowd stood in silent respect as she flew past, it was an extremely
emotional sight for any American with an understanding of the
sacrifices made during WWII...
Of course the private tour of the Belle
was the highlight of my
day. Here is Sweetpea
seen through the right waist gun door...
And finally, my favorite picture showing Sweetpea, and the Memphis Bell with
the US Navy Blue Angels in
formation overhead...
See what a great
hobby owning a WWII jeep can be?
Additional Images:
Inside the Memphis Belle
View forward from waist gun area
View out right waist gun door
Ren at the communications area
Pilot and co-pilot seats
View up into top turret
Cockpit controls
Bombadier view
Airshow sights
Right front quarter of the Memphis Belle
Belle taxiing into position after flight
Is it 1944 or 2005?
email me at -----> jeepguy@dialmaine.com
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