The cool thing about the QB shows is that they were staged out of the Camarillo Airport. The Commemorative Air Force, SoCal Wing would play host to the aircraft coming and going. This provided a more intimate setting to take photos of the airplanes. I took photos of the first QB staging event in 2004 and continued every year.
As a tribute to Jack and all that he did for aviation, and for Ventura County, I would like to post my favorite highlights from 6 years of the Quiet Birdmen staging events.
During the 2004 and 2005 staging events, I was using a simple 5 megapixel point and shoot camera. This worked well at an event like this because most of the shots are from the ground, on the ground. This first grouping came from those years with the point and shoot Canon Powershot.
A Yak-3, A-1 Skyraider and P-51 Mustang warming up together for a trip to the ranch
The C-46 Commando from the Commemorative Air Force, Southern California Wing.
The familiar gull wings of the F4U Corsair.
The P-51 Mustang "Red Dog XII"
Jack Northrop's aircraft that was one of the early test platforms for the flying wings. This is the N9M.
The Hawker Seafury. It's big and powerful, yet amazingly quiet for a warbird because of the sleeve-valve engine.
The A-1H Skyraider, later called the AD-4. With one engine, it could carry the weight of a standard WWII B-17 bomb load!
One of the "modern" Yak-3s that found their way to the US. Yakovlev made a short run of these WWII fighters in aluminum to raise some funds.
From 2006 onward, I was able to use my Nikon DSLRs for better flexibility and reach. Each year brought something unique and it was through these events that I would see one of a kind aircraft, or sole survivors of a bygone era.
The A-26 Invader below is a beauty. It is based at Van Nuys and if you have seen One Six Right, then you have seen this airplane in it.
In 2006, the only flying SB2C Helldiver came out from Texas and flew for the QB show. It was a real treat to see this airplane as there are so few of these left.
2007 brought out the B-17 "Fuddy Duddy", freshly repaired after a bird strike during the Chino show. You couldn't tell that it had been damaged, or repaired. It looked fantastic.
The AN-2 Colt is the worlds largest single-engine biplane. It can hold 16 fully outfitted paratroopers.
The F7F Tigercat showed up in 2008, flown by Clay Lacy. It's a real beauty.
Bill Cornick was a regular at the QB show. He gives great aerobatic performances. If you didn't know his age, you would never guess it.
When I saw this airplane inbound, I had no idea what it was. Then I found out it is a replica of an NA-50, which I hadn't heard of until then.
Bruce Dickenson brought out his Mr Mulligan replica in 2009 for some flyovers. I love this airplane.
I was there for 6 of the 38 years of QB staging events. I can only imagine what airplanes have come and gone in that time. But I thank Jack for allowing some of us to get a glimpse of some aircraft that I had never seen before.
Blue skies and tail winds, Jack. You will be missed by all those whose lives you touched, and there were probably more than you knew.
Jack Broome at Camarillo Airport in 2007
