At Vintage Aviation News, our mission emphasizes the importance of allowing writers to craft aviation history. We aim to offer a platform for the next generation of aviation storytellers, all while upholding the honorable mission of preserving aviation history. We are thrilled to introduce Karolina Marek, a young and talented aviation photographer from Texas, to our readers with this article. We are excited to have Karolina on board and look forward to publishing more of her work!
Moreno Aguiari, Publisher
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By Karolina Marek
In a small upstate New York town of Geneseo lies a hidden gem of an airshow: The Greatest Show on Turf at the National Warplane Museum (NWM). This year the show took place on the weekend of July 13th, 2024, and was filled with wonderful flying displays, static displays, vendors, special photoshoots, and more! There were even two World War II veterans on site telling touching stories and enjoying the sights and sounds of warbirds.
For me, the show began on Friday with a wonderful sunset flight onboard the museum’s own Douglas C-47 Whiskey 7 (W7). Whiskey 7 is a D-Day veteran and was the lead plane of the second wave of paratroopers on D-Day. The airframe also participated in Operation Market Garden and Operation Varsity. Taking off in the C-47 off the grass strip is an unbeatable experience, and the Geneseo scenery does not disappoint either!
Once in the air, pilots Peter Treichler and Ruben Alconero invited passengers into the cockpit and allowed everyone to get a better look at the flight instruments while enjoying the great views. Later in the flight, Louis Horschel in his Goodyear FG-1D Corsair, Thom Richard in his Curtiss TP-40N Warhawk American Dream, and Rob Holland in his MXS-RH joined up with W7 and flew in a pristine formation allowing for great air-to-air images of their aircraft. The day concluded with a wonderful sunset, which led to more golden hour photo opportunities.
Like they say, Saturdays are usually the busiest day at the airshow, and day one of the Greatest Show on Turf was no different! Flying started at 9.30am, and the day ended roughly around 11.30pm after a special night photo shoot for photographers and content creators. The shoot (which we covered recently) was led by the great warbird photographer Mike Killian who organized numerous warbirds to put on a great engine run show. The shoot would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the lighting provided by Tom Pawlesh. The night shoot made day one of the show very unique and created an atmosphere like no other. There was something very special about being on the field in the middle of the night and listening to both WWI and WWII warbirds run their engines.
This year, the show was headlined by the F-22 Demo team, Scott “Scooter” Yoak’s North American P-51D Mustang Quicksilver, the P-40 American Dream, and many more wonderful acts that came together to put on one of the best airshows of this season. One of the most memorable acts of the show was the D-Day 80 Normandy reenactment. There were two Douglas C-47 Dakotas on site, the NWM’s own Whiskey 7 and Placid Lassie — another D-Day veteran — from the Tunison Foundation. The Round Canopy Parachuting Team was onsite as well and ready to put on a great tribute to our fallen heroes by jumping from the aircraft the same way our men did 80 years ago.
While the C-47s dropped the jumpers, a reenactment ground battle took place at the show center. Reenactors were dressed in both American and German period correct uniforms and put on a touching display that put into perspective what soldiers faced in Normandy. Seeing jumpers jump from one C-47 is a spectacular sight, but having two C-47s was the cherry on top to the display and made the reenactment feel even more real. This was a great tribute to the D-Day 80 celebrations of this summer.
Another very memorable moment of the show was the Missing Man formation flight that was composed of four legendary World War II-era fighters, the Spitfire from Vintage Wings of Canada, Corsair, Mustang, and Warhawk. The Corsair piloted by Louis Horschel broke off from the formation to perform the Missing Man over show center. All the veterans that were present at Geneseo watched the touching flyover from the show center as a part of a special veterans parade.
Post missing man, the fighters broke off to perform their individual acts. The Corsair put on a spectacular acrobatic display showing off the capabilities of the aircraft while the TP-40N piloted by Thom Richard and the Spitfire piloted by Dave Hadfield performed some passes accompanied by pyrotechnic displays.
While Day Two was filled with more exciting flying displays, the highlight of the day was meeting WWII veteran Major Elmer Pankratz (USAF ret.). Elmer flew P-51 Mustangs in the war, and on Sunday he got a chance to reunite with his aircraft thanks to pilots Scott Yoak and Louis Horschel who helped him get inside the cockpit of P-51D Quicksilver. Maj. Pankratz had a smile on his face the whole time while telling stories of flying the aircraft to the pilots.
Seeing him reunite with his aircraft was an amazing sight, and a true living history moment. After getting out of the aircraft, Maj. Pankratz posed for some photos and made unforgettable memories with the pilots and air show media staff. While it is special to see warbirds take to the skies, it is even more special to see the men who took part in the war connect with the planes and tell their stories!
This is why The Greatest Show on Turf at the NWM is truly one of the best airshows, it not only allows people to get up close to the aircraft but also allows everyone to experience living history and truly transform back in time. This year’s show was truly spectacular: from featuring multiple warbird displays to modern-day jets, there was something there for everyone! A must-attend show for all warbird and vintage aviation lovers…I can’t wait to see what 2025 will bring!
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Karolina is a photographer and enthusiast of vintage aviation and warbirds. She travels near and far to capture special moments in vintage aviation on her camera. Karolina’s mission is to spread her passion for aviation history to the younger generation through her photography and Instagram page. Outside of her aviation adventures, she works in the Airline industry.
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