P-38 “Glacier Girl”, F7F “Here Kitty Kitty” & F7F captured by D3x / 28-300
Two hours prior to launch, Val approached me with a simple question: “How would you like to go up for the A2A?” The ramp was a buzz with the proposed flight, two F7Fs and two P-38s. It was a flight not seen for a very long time and, to this date, has not been repeated. I had no clue my name had been thrown into the ring to be one of the 6 shooters to go up in the C-130. I was at the Reno Air Races as a volunteer for Nikon, the first year NPS was present to support photographers. When I was asked, I said yes, probably before Val could finish asking the question. I have always figured my dear friend at NPS was partly responsible for my name being added to the hat, but Val was the one who made it happen. It is one of the most cherished memories of my career! That was nearly twenty years ago today, it was just like yesterday.