Sitting at my desk yesterday afternoon, just off the approach path to runway 1 at ALB, I hear big, rumbly airplane sounds. I run out to my front yard just in time to catch a CAF RC-45 on a dogleg to final go right overhead. Got a blurry pic with my cell phone, but mostly I just watched in joy and awe as it cruised by, about to put the gear down.

The Airpower History Tour is in town this week, and the Twin Beech was not supposed to be part of it. Fifi, a B-24, a Mustang, a T-6, and a Stearman were scheduled. The Mustang has apparently had to drop out and the RC-45 took its place.

And I'm even more excited about seeing that. I planned on taking my son over on Father's day to see them all and taking the tour of Fifi again, but I'm going to see if I can sweet talk them into a tour of the Twin Beech instead. I haven't been inside one since I was a little kid.

Doug R, if you're reading this and know the secret code word to make this happen, I'd love to hear from you. (Also curious to know the story about the P-51.)

Bitchen airplanes!

I’m sure I would be more of a fan if it wasn’t the case; that in 3600 skydives the closest I came to dying was in a Beech 18. A low altitude stall/incipient spin from stupid pilot %#$@. Just can’t seem to garner the proper respect for some reason Now a DC3!, I get the same feeling you do when one of them rolls overhead.

Took these yesterday. Not the best pics as I was busy doing other things.

That is an RC45-J of the CAF Indiana Wing that is on the tour with FIFI this summer.... We were part of the spring tour in FL earlier with the B-24, etc.

We call it Bob, "Big Oily Beast"....

Nathan, are you part of the crew with it in Albany?

"B.O.B." is a very early iteration military original.

Has windows in floor at 1st row of seats from being an observation trainer

Flies most of the rides on tour.

P51 did not have pilot availability for this tour.

Re-positioned it from Barnes on Monday

Stopped by the hangar to look at something on the club plane with my son and look what I found!

Beech 18 in Brand X Talk

Yeah, didn’t realize it when I posted. AFAIK there’s no way to move it.

The C-45 in Florida in March…

Yeah, didn’t realize it when I posted. AFAIK there’s no way to move it.

B.O.B at OHIO state earlier this year

It’s a looker they have such ramp presence

I jumped out of Ted Mayfield's two B-18s in the early 80s. White Whale (AKA "Superfine Airline") is shown. He also had Silver Streak.
White Whale had a plexiglass nose and we'd fight over sitting up there. Then we found it was help on mostly by the paint.
Silver Streak was re-animated for a boogie, made one load and nosed over on landing. Mayfield popped out the door just before it burned to absolutely nothing. Pushed it off the runway with a tractor and kept flying. FAA not pleased.
I saw Mayfield hand prop the Beech once.
They weren't the proudest birds but were fun and a great memory.

The coolest one I ever saw was on straight floats, all polished.

It was a fun and airplaney Father’s Day full of round engines. The 18 was busy giving rides all day so there was never an opportunity to even ask for a cockpit tour. Even if there had been, I would have felt like I was imposing anyway.