Big Sky Days - old pics

philp · June 18, 2009, 08:24:38 PM

In 1975 we moved from Massachusetts to Great Falls, MT. I was 14 when I visited my first Big Sky Day (Malmstrom AFB Open House). Armed with my Kodak 126 camera I got to walk the flight line and see planes I had never seen before. Over the next 7 years, I attended every visit each year, even biking to the flightline the day before to see what was coming in and where they were parking them so I knew where to start. When I graduated High School in '78, I received an Olympus OM-1 35mm SLR and my pics got a little better.

Big Sky day brought in a great collection of modern planes (warbirds came during the airshow at Great Falls International Airport) with modern (for then) Air Force, Navy, Army and Canadian aircraft being regular visits.
I found my album that I have kept these pics in the other day and since I have a borrowed scanner on the desk, decided to put these online. The album is located at http://picasaweb.google.com/modelphil/BigSkyDays#.

And here are a few highlights. I have only scanned on maybe half of these and will be doing a search of my other pics to see if there are more. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have seeing them again.

philp · June 18, 2009, 08:32:36 PM

Besides the EB-57's that were stationed there, we had a visiting bird from the Vermont ANG.
The MTANG F-106 was a constant visitor.

My one and only flying U-2. Watching this thing take off the next day was one of the most impressive departures I have ever seen, almost like a rocket.

Another only seen bird was this EF-111.

Where else you going to get a pic of what is in that canoe on the bottom.

philp · June 18, 2009, 08:38:38 PM

A few of the Canadian visitors:

Hawk One Canada. Had to go and buy the decals for this one. Now I just need the Revell 72nd kit to use them.

The Rut Zulus also were frequent visitors.

Captain Canada · June 19, 2009, 03:32:01 AM

Wow....that's a gold mine of beautiful pics ! Those were the days, eh ? Colourful, noisy aeroplanes that actually flew close to the crowdline ! And you were allowed to bring in your own chair and a water bottle !

Love all the CDN content.....and the detail pics. Neat to see the inside of the canoe as well...I had no idea ! I think the old Canberra is my favourite, they just look so nice with that cockpit layout and those colours.

Thanks for posting those, Phil !

Cheers !

philp · June 19, 2009, 08:46:03 AM

Thanks CC.

Added a couple more pics last night:

SR-71 when they were still flying

And a few more CF-5's

Again, to see all the pics, check out the album at http://picasaweb.google.com/modelphil/BigSkyDays#.

nev · June 19, 2009, 10:03:02 AM

Wow, great selection of old birds (and rarely seen ones too, like the Cranberry)

Mossie · June 19, 2009, 11:36:42 AM

Thanks for sharing, I love seeing old pics like these.

The Blackbird isn't one you see often in private pics.

philp · June 20, 2009, 04:42:31 PM

Rest of the Canadian birds are now uploaded.

Here are a couple more of the pics.

Captain Canada · June 20, 2009, 05:10:22 PM

Gorgeous.....the mighty Voodoo has to be one of my all-time faves. That rear 3/4 exudes size and power, don't it ?

Captain Canada · June 20, 2009, 05:14:50 PM

PS-any more pics of that big texas B-50 ( or whatever it is ! ) behind the one F-5 ?

philp · June 21, 2009, 10:57:36 AM

CC, it is a KC-97 and I do have a side shot of it somewhere. Will try to get is scanned in today.

Captain Canada · June 21, 2009, 08:05:13 PM

cool

philp · June 22, 2009, 12:26:21 AM

Here is a pic of the KC-97.

This plane was flown in to become a permanent part of Malmstrom and is on display at the small museum on base.

A KC-135 visiting.

Later on a Wing of these would be stationed there but they didn't stay too long.

The T-33 T-bird was the other standard aircraft that were there when I was.

A few extra pics have been uploaded with still plenty more to come.

Brian da Basher · June 22, 2009, 01:44:23 PM

Thanks for posting these great shots, Phil! The C-97 is especially nice.

Brian da Basher

Daryl J. · June 23, 2009, 10:38:13 PM

The Big Sky Country! You're making me miss the blessed homeland. We'd see MTANG 106's all the time, but only got to hear the Canadians during War Games as they'd come down at night it seemed. In the morning, there'd be chaff all over the yard and throughout the town. Those was good days!!

Daryl J., glad to see these photos.