A Mustang P-51 roars above Jerome, Idaho. Airpower Unlimited
| August 10, 2007 |  View for printing |
A P-51 Mustang rests silent in a hangar at the Jerome County Airport. The glossy paint and details - such as the 13 flags from Nazi Germany signifying the number of kills - look torn from the history books.
But pictures in history books don't roar to life and tear through the air thousands of feet above the fields of Jerome, 60 years after their creation. Earlier this week the P-51 complemented its historic looks with a flawless flight over Jerome farmland.
Like Frankenstein's monster, the Mustang rose from salvaged and new hand-made parts. And like the scientist, John Lane Jr. brings the long-dead machines back to life to help people do more than remember history. He helps them experience and see it first hand.
"It's so self rewarding," Lane Jr. said of fixing historic airplanes. "It's hard to explain how good it does feel."
Experiencing history drew Lane Jr., the founder of Airpower Unlimited http://www.airpowerunlimited.com/ , to World War II airplane restoration more than 25 years ago. The senior John Lane flew his P-38 Lightning in the Pacific Theater to ace status by downing at least five enemy fighters.
By Nick Coltrain Times-News writer
Full Story: http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/ ... /118055.txt
No reader comments so far. Be the first to comment by clicking the button below.
Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law. Full copyright retained by the original publication. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
