Gone West.......
Aviation can be a dangerous business, especially when flying aircraft that are 60+ years old. We at the Commemorative Air Force, the CAF, have lost another aircraft and her crew. Our Heinkel He-111 went down in Cheyenne, Wyoming this week after taking off from Midland on it's way to an airshow in Montana. Apparently an engine was lost on final approach into the airfield in Cheyenne. Two of our pilots lost their lives and the aircraft is a total loss.

Of course first and foremost, condolensences go to the families of these fine men. It is heartbreaking to lose anyone in a tragic accident of this kind. I know first hand. I lost two good friends in separate aviation crashes two years ago...within one month of each other and flying the same type of vintage aircraft. It'a hard to believe that these friends are gone, and both skilled and experienced pilots. But I can state with certainty, that these men were proud of what they were doing and felt a great degree of privelage in flying this aircraft.

Equally distressing is the loss of this aircraft, the only operational and flying HE-111 in existance. The HE-111 was one of the two principle types of German bombers involved in the Battle of Britain and is a symbol of that contest, along with the English Spitfire and German ME-109. This particular Heinkel, which I photographed [above] just last year, was built in Spain not long after the Spanish civil war, and was rumored to have been Francisco Franco's personal aircraft.

We at the CAF have had discussions about flying these "one of a kind" aircraft, started seven years ago after our B-26 Marauder went down with all hands aboard here in Midland. The Marauder was the sole remaining aircraft of it's type also. Our charter has as one of it's principles "to preserve in flying condition.....". It would be a tough decision to ground any of these rare birds. I don't know how I would vote, I do love the sound of those big engines as they pass proudly overhead.